MTV in the 80's
This song came to be the number 1 MTV music video of the 80s
What is Michael Jackson’s Thriller
This 1983 song protests an end of the Cold War by representing how harmless balloons are mistaken for UFO’s by military radars which could spark mass panic
99 Luftballoons by Nena
This famous artist sparked a massive amount of controversy with these songs, “Material Girl”, “Like a Virgin”, “Like a Prayer” and “Papa Don’t Preach”, to address gender roles, sexuality, religion, and power and independece to fully control her image and inspire many artists for the future.
Who is Madonna
This 80s popstar played the 2007 Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 4th, 2007
Who is Prince
This piece of machinery uses electronic devices like occilators to generate a sound by vibrating in a certain shape giving it a futuristic sound
What is Synthesizer
The abbreviation for MTV stands for this full phrase
What is Music Television
This song by Sting warns about U.S and Soviet tensions and emphasizes that both sides share common humanity with lyrics like, “We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.”
What is Russians
This artists 1980’s lyrics often centered on self-respect like “Greatest Love of All?”, emotional vulnerability such as “How Will I know”, and personal strength like “I Have Nothing”, that helped to redefine female voices in pop music.
Who is Whitney Houston
In 1985, this charity concert was held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia to raise funds for the Ethiopian Famine, featuring numerous pop stars and musicians of the time
What was the Live Aid Concert (1985)
This device used personal headphones and held a cassette tape to change how people consumed music individually forever
What is a Sony Walkman
This song by the Buggles debuted on MTV shortly after midnight on August 1st, 1981, as the first music video on the network
What is Video Killed the Radio Star
This song is often mistaken as patriotic, however this 1984 song actually criticizes how America treated Vietnam veterans after the war.
What is Born in the USA bruce springsteen
The lyric, “Who needs a heart when a heart can’t be broken,” (2:03) is from this famous Tina Turner song that promotes independence and emotional strength, to redefine gender and expectations in the music industry.
What is What’s Love Got to Do With It
On January 28, 1985, 45 of the biggest names in history, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few, came together at a Los Angeles Studio to record this charity single for African Famine Relief
What is We Are the World
These large portable stereo’s were popular in hip-hop culture and played music out loud in public
What is a Boombox
This 1987 song by Def Leppard became popular on MTV for its high-energy music video on the album Hysteria
What is Pour Some Sugar on Me
This song rapidly lists major historical events to argue that global conflicts had existed long before the “Baby Boomer” generation.
What is “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
Control, written by this famous artist expresses lyrics like, “I’m on my own I’ll call my own shots,” to help influence women taking control of their lives, careers, and identity, and overall became a female empowerment anthem.
Who is Janet Jackson
This U2 song is written about January 30th, 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland, where British soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians protesting against Operation Demetrius
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Although this piece of technology was unpopular in its origin, as it evolved it became one of the most important pieces of musical technology heard in songs like “papa dont preach”, and “girls just want to have fun”
What is a drum machine
This A-ha song stood out at the top of the charts on MTV due to its animated music video
What is Take on Me
This 1986 song uses satire and a famous political music video to criticize world leader and Cold War tensions
Land of confusion by Genesis (1986)
This famous artists song that highlights, “And I’ll see your true colors…. And that’s why I love you,” became an enduring anthem for self acceptance and the LGBTQ+ community, despite not being her most flashy song
Who is Cyndi Lauper
This 1985 song, recorded by Artists Against Apartheid, protested playing at a resort in South Africa with legalized racial segregation
What is Sun City
This piece of technology released in 1983 helped connect keyboards and computers to revolutionize music production, making music production faster and cheaper, and allowed individuals to produce every aspect of a song.
What is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)