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Video Killed the Radio Star, Parts 1 & 2
A MTV pop culture moment, updated in 2025.
Hi BoTs,
One of my favorite songs is Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.
One of the reasons I love it is that MTV chose it as the very first song ever played when the network launched in 1981. (Another reason is I love the lyric “I met your children / What did you tell them?”)
Anyway:
“The first few seconds of MTV’s inaugural broadcast displayed an array of space-themed imagery, including collaged footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. Moments later, viewers were treated to the quirky music video for ‘Video Killed the Radio Star,’ a single from the then-burgeoning new wave band The Buggles.”
The story behind that decision is detailed in this American Songwriter article, which says:
“The Buggles wrote ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ as a direct response to the rapid changes in technology and its direct effects on society. It was a fitting and timely choice to help kick off MTV’s emergence into pop culture, but it also relays a message that’s still relevant over 40 years later.”
That’s what I thought this recent Vulture article - “Will Video Kill the Audio Star in 2025?” so interesting. It reads in part:
“After about two decades of primarily being associated with audio, video has become central to podcasting’s identity. YouTube is now said to be its biggest distribution point.”
Everything in culture, even technology trends and media commentary, is cyclical.
-Molly Beck