3 New Wave One-Hit Wonders From 1983 That MTV Couldn’t Stop Playing
The article highlights three new wave hits that became closely associated with MTV’s early years and helped define 1980s music-video culture.
– “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls: a 1982 synth-pop hit whose video was heavily shown on MTV; it was the band’s only US Billboard Hot 100 top-20 single.
– “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles: MTV’s first US broadcast video on 1 August 1981; the song reached number one in the UK and the US top 40.
– “99 Luftballons” by Nena: a 1983 German-language Cold War-themed hit that reached number one in West Germany and number two in the US, while receiving extensive MTV exposure.
- MTV helped turn three new wave songs into enduring 1980s icons.
- The Buggles launched MTV’s US broadcast.
- Nena’s Cold War hit achieved worldwide success.