4 Artists From the 80s That You Know by Their Iconic MTV Videos

The article revisits four 1980s artists whose songs became closely linked with their memorable MTV videos: ’Til Tuesday, Olivia Newton-John, a-ha and Peter Gabriel. It describes how the videos shaped the songs’ cultural impact and, in some cases, helped make them hits.

Aimee Mann said ’Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” video shifted her song about a friend’s hidden relationship towards a story of a woman being pressured to change. Newton-John’s “Physical” video used a gym setting and a playful tone; a-ha’s “Take On Me” became a major hit after its third release in 1985, alongside Steve Barron’s partly animated video, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in October. Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” video won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, with each frame filmed separately.