Image via Complex Original
The explosion of technology in the last few decades has changed the way we live, altered the information we consume, how we consume it, and ultimately pushed us into uncharted territory as technology continues to grow at an exponential rate. Along the way, there’s been a few hiccups, products that were too early, or too late, or too strange, and have long since been forgotten.
Thankfully, entertainers and musicians are often at the forefront of the tech boom, and their music videos offer a window into the past. Here, then, are 10 of the Greatest Tech Moments in Music Video History.
The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1981)
At 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981, MTV changed the game by showing their first music video. Fittingly enough, this was it. The track was the debut single from The Buggles, a British synthpop and new wave group, whose album The Age of Plastic focused on the growth of technology and questioned the possible residual effects. The album is widely regarded as the first technopop landmark and the video, with it’s overproduced graphics and hammed up style, captures the playful ’80s attitude toward futurism.
De La Soul - "Ring Ring Ring" (1991)
From the 1991 album De La Soul is Dead, this track rips on fiending rap bandits trying to force their way into the group. De La Soul is able to leave those calls unanswered, thanks to their answering machine. The video opens with a message from a Miss Renee King from Philadelphia, who wants to learn about the music business and closes with a message from Ronald Master who just wants his new jam, “Swimming in the Fish Tank,” to be heard. De La Soul’s response is straightforward, “I got an answering machine that can talk to ya.”
Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic" (1998)
The first single of their fifth album, Hello Nasty, “Intergalactic” is regarded as one of the best videos in Beastie Boys history. Influenced heavily by Japanese Kaiju films, the video features a giant robot wreaking havoc in a city while also fighting off an octopus-headed nemesis. In terms of music videos featuring robot tech, this is as good as it gets. The masterpiece netted the Boys the Best Hip-Hop Video award at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
Dire Straits - "Money for Nothing" (1986)
One of Dire Straits’ most successful singles was also one of the first music videos to use computer-animated human characters. Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler was said to be highly against the project but MTV forced it forward. The result is a pretty hilariously dated video that hasn’t exactly stood the test of time. Still, it was groundbreaking in the moment and was awarded Video of the Year at the third annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1986.
Fabolous - "This is my Party" (2003)
The T-Mobile Sidekick was a revolutionary smartphone, with the ability to text, browse the web, and message with AOL Instant Messenger. Long before Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade were hocking the now defunct phone, Fabolous took it to the masses in his “This is my Party” music video.
Three 6 Mafia - "2 Way Freak" (2001)
There are countless songs about the beeper era but no video does it better justice than “2 Way Freak” from Three 6 Mafia, who rock the gleaming crystal studded pager. A Tribe Called Quest rapped about it first with “Skypager,” laying out all the important uses of the technology, but Three 6 Mafia is more cautious, delivering this warning on the chorus, “She goin’ through your beeper when she know you asleep.”
Jennifer Lopez - "If You Had My Love" (1999)
Jennifer Lopez dances around a home wired to the teeth in this debut single from her first album, On the 6. The video begins with a man searching “Jennifer Lopez” on his computer, and he’s then transported through the Internet—complete with special effects of binary code—and arrives in a home filled with video cameras locked on Lopez. The video also features a streaming of the home live on “Internet TV.”
Usher - "Love in this Club" (2008)
“Love in this Club” follows Usher as he chases love interest Keri Hilson around a nightclub. Usher flashes the Sony Ericsson W350i Walkman in the video, and endorsed the company for a few years at the peak of his fame. The phone featured a customizable media player and also came with a Bluetooth stereo and memory stick micro card so you could take a few hundred songs with you. The video features appearances from Kanye West, Diddy, Nelly, and Rick Ross.
Gym Class Heroes - "New Friend Request" (2006)
This song is a nod to the MySpace era, when social networking sites were just beginning to find their footing. The video focuses on a slew of people trying to crack the GCH friends list, featuring all the mainstay MySpace dwellers—from the angled photo takers to the shirtless dudes—this video captures a bygone era in the social networking landscape.
Choclair - "Light it Up" (2001)
Choclair, Jully Black, and Saukrates, legendary members of the ’90s renaissance in Canadian hip-hop, lay it down on this track about a winter house party and get the word out on their Motorola QWERTY phones. Choclair is looking fresh as ever in the full baby blue velour suit. Everything about this video screams early millennia swag and it’s great for that reason. It may not have gotten a lot of play on MTV, but in Canada it was a massive hit.