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G FP
Foundations of Popular Contemporary Music
Trimester 2, 2015
LECTURE 8
Early 1980s: MTV and Eighties Pop.
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Introduction
• The development of technology
• The development of the music video
• The spread of television
• The new ‘MTV’ stars
• Early and mid 1980s pop
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MTVVideo killed the radio star(well, not really, but …)
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Introduction to the Music Video
• Music videos are different to films withmusic
– In a film with music, the music is written to the
film.• Name any Hollywood Blockbuster and you'll get the
idea.
– In a music video, the film is created to themusic.
• MTV
• Fantasia
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Introduction to the Music Video
• The music video today is an extremely
powerful promotional tool.
– Often it the visual aspect of a music video canbe more important than the music
– Today, we're going to look at the history of the
music video, where it came from and discussthe form.
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The rise of the music video1920-1980
• Music videos date back to the 1920s – The Visual Music of Oskar Fischinger
– The follow-the-bouncing-ball Screen Songs of Max Fleischer
– The Silly Symphonies of Walt Disney
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• Video jukeboxes haveexisted since the 1940s
– 1940s - Panoram visual
jukebox• Jukeboxes that would show a
promotional film of a band
• Usually just short films of a band
playing a number on a stage
• These were called "Soundies"
• Thousands were made (mostly of
jazz musicians)
The rise of the music video1920-1980
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• The Beatles began releasing feature films early intheir career – "Hard day's night" (1964) – "Help!" (1965) – "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967)
• Also released promotional clips for broadcast anddistribution in other countries – primarily the USA – sothey wouldn't have to film live appearances – Early videos were simply filmed performances
• "Paperback Writer "(1966)
– Later ones are much more sophisticated• "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967)• "Penny Lane" (1967)
The rise of the music video1920-1980
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• The Byrds also adopted this approach with
their video of "Set You Free This Time" (1965)
• The concept was also adopted by The
Monkees in the US.
The rise of the music video1920-1980
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• Music clips became increasinglyimportant in the late 60s/early 70s
– "Dead End Street" (1966) by The
Kinks
• The first "plot" promo clip.
• This is a small comic-movie where the
band members are undertakers in
London streets
• Unusually, there was no lip-sync at all
• The BBC reportedly refused to play it
citing bad taste.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-
N3UYE
The rise of the music video1920-1980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYE
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• “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen – This was a pivotal video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ • Established several of the conventions of music
videos• Established the practice of creating music videos for
releases of all major releases of artists – Created on a tight schedule
• Filmed in the same day.• Edited in 5 hours.• All special effects were achieved during the recording
• A 2007 poll rated this video as the greatest British musicvideo of all time
The rise of the music video1920-1980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ
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Changes in Music Video 1980s
• Two key innovations were needed to allow thedevelopment of the modern music video
– The development of relatively inexpensive and
easy-to-use video recording and editing equipment – The development of a number of related effects such
as chroma-key.
• This enabled many pop acts to produce
promotional videos quickly and cheaply, incomparison to the relatively high costs of usingfilm.
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Countdown
• Countdown (1974-1987)
– Hugely popular music television show
– Featured large amounts of Australian content
– Performances
• Majority of performances were lip-synced
• However, it was the first music
television show to includepromotional music videos
• Paved the way for MTV
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Top of the Pops (UK)
(1964-2006)
• Show featured acts
• Both up and coming and established
• Like Countdown, most acts lip-synced.
• Success extremely difficult in Britain
without TOTP exposure
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MTV
• Cable TV started in the US in the 1970s – Cable TV as a necessity
• In areas where antenna transmission was unsatisfactory• Hilly or mountainous areas
• An alternative to broadcast television
– Specialty channels appeared• 24-hour channels devoted to specific concepts• First focus was on recent movies broadcast without commercials
• Cable providers expanded the programming spectrum – More specialty channels to add to
their roster
• Sports• News• Weather
– MTV was the music channel concept
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• MTV had many problems at the beginning – Many of the first music videos were shot on shoestring
budgets
– Cable television was not yet widely available
– MTV had its biggest audience wherever HBO and otherpremium channels succeeded• Mainly in the Midwest
• MTV played videos by white mainstream rock artists
– MTV did sell advertising
• Their programming was directed atadvertisers' target audience
• For its first couple of years, MTV'smain audience was teenagers inthe Midwest
MTVThe Early Years
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• Record companies soon considered videos tobe crucial promotional tools
– MTV began to rival FM radio as the place to makeor break hit records
• MTV became an important aspect of thepopular-music business during the 1980s – The principal criticism: MTV
favored artists' visual aspectsover their musical aspects
– Consequently poor musicalquality was overlooked (or ignored)
MTVThe Early Years
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The New Elite
• The development of MTV, Countdown andother video shows promoted the developmentof musicians who were – Visually "marketable" and
– Had a sense of the theatrical
• Two musicians in particular became the elite of
this – Michael Jackson
– Madonna
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Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)
• Jackson earned the title "King of Pop"
– Jackson sold tens of millions of records for Epic
– He won numerous awards
– Enormous dancing skill• Continued the choreography tradition of the Temptations
– Became the biggest star in popular music duringthe 1980s
– Jackson was perfect for the newly emergingvideo age of pop
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• At around the same time as "Billie Jean"Michael Jackson embarked upon a hugemusic video project.
• “Thriller” – Most expensive music video of its time ($500 000)
– Most successful music video (selling 9 000 000
copies)
– More of a mini-movie rather than a music video
Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)
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• Depended as much on the visual aspect of her music asthe sonic dimension
• Appeal was almost exclusively to white audiences
• Worked as a dancer in New York with professional dance
troupes – Pearl Lange
– Alvin Ailey
• First recordings were successful in the New York dance-
club scene• Signed with Sire records: one of the most important labelsin New York new wave
Madonna (1958)(Madonna Louise Ciccone)
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• Madonna's music – Often driven by a dance beat – Strong evidence of her dance-club background – "Like a Virgin"
• Cheerful repeating bass line• Layers of synthesisers provide the accompaniment
– Madonna expanded her stylistic range• Moodier songs such as "Papa Don't Preach"• Sensual songs like "Justify My Love" (the video was
banned on MTV) – Madonna has played an active creative role on
many of her albums• Songwriter credits• Production credits
Madonna (1958)(Madonna Louise Ciccone)
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The Madonna Image
• One of the most commercially successful artists in the
music business
• Relentlessly challenged her perception of society's
troubling issues• Madonna put on the role of “boy toy” sex object in
order to call it into question
• She can be linked to previous figures who adopted
personae e.g, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, David
Bowie, KISS
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The Madonna Image
• She has explored many social issues – Sexual conduct
– Racial issues
– Women's roles
– Spirituality• Reactions:
– Detractors have accused her of seeking publicity throughtitillation
– Supporters have praised her methods of bringing important
social issues up for debate• Her videos have been studied for their symbolism
and profound juxtapositions
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Other significant musicians
• US successes
– Prince
– Cyndi Lauper
• British successes
– Duran Duran
– Culture Club
– Eurhythmics
– Tears for Fears
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• In December 1992, MTV began listing directors with theartist and song credits, reflecting the fact that music
videos had increasingly become an filmmaker's medium.
• Directors included
– Michel Gondry
– Spike Jonze
– Mark Romanek
– Hype Williams• Some of these directors, including, Gondry, Jonze and F.
Gary Gray, went on to direct feature films.
MTV1992 - 2004
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Australian music in the 1980s
• The 1980s were a boom period for Australianmusic.
• While the US and UK were moving towards the
new romantics and synth pop, The Australianlocal pub rock scene was thriving.
• A unique and independent music scene wasdeveloping which would later influence the riseof grunge and indie rock worldwide (see week10).
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1980s Australian Rock Hits the Big Time
• Australian rock bands have chart successin the US and the UK:
• Little River Band
• Men at Work
• AC/DC
• INXS
• Midnight Oil• and later Crowded House
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1980s Australian Rock Hits the Big Time
• Including international hit singles:• Real Life with "Send Me an Angel”
• Divinyls with "Pleasure and Pain”
• Big Pig with "Breakaway” • Rick Springfield with "Jessie's Girl”
• Moving Pictures with “What about me”
• Jimmy Barnes and Michael Hutchence with "GoodTimes" a song by the Australian songwriting duoVanda & Young, it was included on The Lost Boyssoundtrack.
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1980s Australian Pop
• Australia had it own thriving popular music market inthe 1980s.
• Bands and artists could have a decent career withoutmaking it overseas: – The Models
– Sunnyboys
– Hunters & Collectors
– Johnny Diesel
– Hoodoo Gurus – Mental As Anything
– Eurogliders
– Icehouse
– Boom Crash Opera
- Do Ré Mi- Rockmelons- Paul Kelly- Jenny Morris- The Triffids
- The Choirboys- Redgum- Goanna- 1927- Noiseworks
- The Black Sorrow
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Conclusion
• The 1980s introduced a variety of musicthat remains popular and important today.
• The beginning of the rise of the video
(YouTube, et cetera)
• The shape of today’s music
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