A look into the nework’s influence in music & pop-culture
This year’s MTV Video Music Awards just happened, and all night, celebrities were wishing the network a happy 40th birthday.
This summer MTV celebrated the 40th anniversary of its official debut in 1981, when it occupied a spot in television that no one had yet thought of: a 24-hour music channel.
Long before we could watch our favourite music videos on-demand with just the click of a button, MTV was the place to be. What started out as a platform to air the latest and best music videos, evolved into an international powerhouse which launched the careers of numerous new artists and made way for the rise of several TV personalities and unforgettable pop-culture moments.
It all started one summer night in the early ‘80s, at 12:01AM, as people watched a video of a rocket launch into space, followed by the very first music video to ever be played on the channel: The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”.
However, the network wasn’t always as appreciated as it is today. The truth is, when MTV first launched, it wasn’t getting a lot of reception and didn’t get picked up by many cable carriers. But, sooner than later, the world caught on to this revolutionary concept and the channel took off – some would even say, it skyrocketed.
Now, who hasn’t heard of MTV’s iconic Top 40 format? This arrangement gave a fresh take on your everyday music video. Its success placed new excitement on the music video industry. With that, MTV created a new outlet which allowed artists who didn’t get much radio play to launch their careers. Artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince, to name a few.
MTV has also played a crucial part in bringing rap music into the mainstream, with shows like Yo! MTV Raps which brought hip-hop music into homes across North America. The show, which ran from the late ‘80s to the mid ‘90s, showcased live in-studio performances and interviews with the era’s most famous rappers.
And let’s not forget the impact the network had on reality TV – some even argue MTV invented reality television, but the Kardashians might have something to say about that. In 1992, the channel aired The Real World, a reality series in which a group of young adults lived in an apartment together in New York City, while being filmed 24/7. The Real World went on to become the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the longest-running reality series on television. Ladies and gentleman, this was the birth of a global phenomenon: reality TV.
Since then, television has never been the same as the network continued to produce new reality shows, some of which we still watch today. Shows like The Hills, Jersey Shore, The Osbournes, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, Cribs and many more.
It’s no question MTV has impacted generations of music and pop-culture, but here are some of the most viral moments of the last four decades (in no particular order):
- Lady Gaga’s unforgettable meat dress, which was in fact, made of real meat. We later learned that the dress referenced a speech titled “The Prime Rib of America,” in which she urged the military to repeal its discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The garment is still displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Britney Spears’ performance of “Slave 4 U” at the 2001 VMAs. Remember the python around her neck?
- When David Bowie sat down to be interviewed by host Mark Goodman just two years after MTV’s launch – and quickly shifted the topic of conversation. “It occurred to me having watched MTV over the past few months, it’s a solid enterprise and it’s got a lot going for it,” Bowie said. “I’m just floored by the fact that there’s so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?”
- Who could forget the 2013 VMAs when Miley Cyrus reminded us she’s not on Disney Channel anymore?
- Kiss Unmasked: when the band looked like it was on its last legs in the early ’80s, they staged their last publicity stunt on Sept. 18, 1983 and removed their iconic makeup on MTV. This launched them back to the top of the rock charts with the release of Lick It Up, their first bare-faced album.
- Let’s not forget that cold September night in 2009 when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me” to explain why Beyoncé deserved to win instead.
- When Micheal Jackson was finally on MTV, he paved the way for other black artists who were added to the playlist. He dominated the pop world with “Thriller”, and Prince followed soon after him with “Purple Rain”.