Sunday Morning Vault: The Buggles--Video Killed The Radio Star (1979)

     There are a lot of misconceptions about this song. As you can see from the title of the blog, it was released in 1979, although it really didn't enter the consciousness of the American public until the creation of MTV. It actually did very well on the charts around the world, hitting #1 in 16 different countries, including the UK. It barely scraped the top 40 here, but the "New Wave" as it was being called then had not fully taken hold yet in the states.
      It's biggest claim to fame was that it opened the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981. Just like other historical events, many have claimed to have seen it (and thanks to You Tube...you actually CAN see the first hour of it's broadcast). However, at the time, very few were able to watch it because so few had cable, and even fewer had MTV as a part of their package. The night of it's premiere, the VJ's and executives had to have a party over in New Jersey, because no cable company in New York City actually carried the network.
      The ironic thing is that for all of the trivia, it's a brilliant song, as is the album that accompanied it, "The Age of Plastic". The concept album was based on a couple of books and a silent film (1925's, "The Plastic Age"), and delved into nostalgia and uneasiness about technology and our future in it. "Video Killed The Radio Star" had to do with radio stars of the 40's being supplanted by television, however, given the nature of the rest of the album, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downs had to also be looking into the future as well.
     Horn and Downs went on to stellar careers. Trevor recorded as an artist with Yes, and The Art of Noise. He received a Grammy for producing the single, "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal, and has a stake in a record and music publishing company. Downs was a member of Yes for a short time and Asia during their best years. He has continued to play keyboards for a number of groups over the years.