4 Music Videos From 1985 That Feel Like Mini Movies
The article revisits four music videos released in 1985 that use cinematic settings or storytelling. It describes how their memorable visuals helped make the songs feel like more than performances, with MTV’s popularity in the 1980s giving such videos a large audience.
Starship’s “We Built This City” pairs the band with a series of striking backdrops, while Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” follows Curt Smith driving through California. Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me” was filmed at Knebworth House and features scenes from The Breakfast Club; A-ha’s “Take On Me” blends live action and animation in a story that draws a woman into a comic book.
In short
- Four 1985 videos are presented as cinematic mini-stories.
- A-ha’s “Take On Me” combines animation and live action.
- MTV helped bring the videos to a wide audience.
Explained simply
In the 1980s, music videos became a major way for artists to reach audiences, especially through MTV, a television channel devoted to music. Some videos used locations, characters and stories to create a more film-like experience than a straightforward band performance.
The four artists featured here are Starship, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds and A-ha. Their videos range from a drive through California to a blend of live action and comic-book animation, and one combines band footage with scenes from the film The Breakfast Club.
These videos offer a glimpse of how pop music and visual storytelling came together in the mid-1980s. They also show why videos could help a song leave a lasting impression beyond the recording itself.
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