Video Killed the Radio Star

Last updated

"Video Killed the Radio Star"
Video Killed the Radio Star Bruce Woolley.jpg
Italian single release
Single by Bruce Woolley
from the album English Garden
Released17 June 1979 [1]
Recorded1979 (1979)
Length2:49
Label Epic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Mike Hurst
"Video Killed the Radio Star"
Video Killed the Radio Star single cover.jpg
Common variant of the standard artwork
Single by the Buggles
from the album The Age of Plastic
B-side "Kid Dynamo"
Released7 September 1979 [2]
Recorded1979
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 4:13 (album version)
  • 3:25 (single version)
Label Island
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) The Buggles
The Buggles singles chronology
"Video Killed the Radio Star"
(1979)		"Living in the Plastic Age"
(1980)
Music video
"Video Killed the Radio Star" on YouTube

"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album English Garden and by British new wave/synth-pop group the Buggles, which consisted of Horn and Downes (and initially Woolley).

Contents

The Buggles' version of the track was recorded and mixed in 1979, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979 by Island Records, and included on their first album The Age of Plastic . The backing track was recorded at Virgin's Town House in West London, and mixing and vocal recording was done at Sarm East Studios.

The song relates to concerns about, and mixed attitudes toward 20th-century inventions and machines for the media arts. Musically, the song performs like an extended jingle and the composition plays in the key of D-flat major in common time at a tempo of 132 beats per minute. The track has been positively received, with reviewers praising its unusual musical pop elements. Although the song includes several common pop characteristics and six basic chords are used in its structure, Downes and writer Timothy Warner described the piece as musically complicated, due to its use of suspended and minor ninth chords for enhancement that gave the song a "slightly different feel."

On release, the single topped sixteen international music charts, including those in the UK, Australia, and Japan. It also peaked in the top 10 in Canada, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa, but only reached number 40 in the US. The accompanying music video was written, directed, and edited by Russell Mulcahy. It was the first music video shown on MTV in the US, airing at 12:01 a.m. on 1 August 1981, and the first video shown on MTV Classic in the UK on 1 March 2010. The song has received several critical accolades, such as being ranked number 40 on VH1's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s". [3] It has also been covered by many recording artists.

Background and lyrics

The Buggles, which formed in 1977, first consisted of Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley. [4] They recorded the first demo of "Video Killed the Radio Star" on a Revox A77 tape recorder, one afternoon in 1978, in Downes' flat located above a monumental stonemason's in Wimbledon Park, London. [5] [6] [7] The piece was built up from a chorus riff developed by Woolley. [6] It is one of the three Buggles songs on which Woolley assisted in writing, the two others being "Clean, Clean" and "On TV". [4] A later, more detailed demo of the song, featuring Horn's then-girlfriend Tina Charles on vocals, was recorded at Camden's Soundsuite Studios, and engineered by studio owner Peter Rackham. This demo became the blueprint for the final record, and helped the group get signed to Island Records to record and release their debut album The Age of Plastic , as well as producing and writing for the label, after Downes' girlfriend, who worked for Island, managed to get it played to executives there. [4] [8] [9] Woolley left during recording to form his own band, The Camera Club, which did their own version of "Video", as well as "Clean, Clean" for their album English Garden . [4]

Horn has said that J. G. Ballard's short story "The Sound-Sweep", in which the title character—a mute boy vacuuming up stray music in a world without it—comes upon an opera singer hiding in a sewer, provided inspiration for "Video", and he felt "an era was about to pass." [10] Horn claimed that Kraftwerk was another influence of the song: "It was like you could see the future when you heard Kraftwerk, something new is coming, something different. Different rhythm section, different mentality. So we had all of that, myself and Bruce, and we wrote this song probably six months before we recorded it." [7] In a 2018 interview Horn stated: "I'd read JG Ballard and had this vision of the future where record companies would have computers in the basement and manufacture artists. I'd heard Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine and video was coming. You could feel things changing". [9]

All the tracks of The Age of Plastic deal with positives and concerns of the impact of modern technology. [8] The theme of "Video Killed the Radio Star" is thus nostalgia, with the lyrics referring to a period of technological change in the 1960s, the desire to remember the past and the disappointment that children of the current generation would not appreciate the past. [11] The lyrics relate to concerns of the varied behaviours towards 20th-century technical inventions and machines used and changed in media arts such as photography, cinema, radio, television, audio recording and record production. [12] According to Horn, the band initially struggled to come up with a line to follow the song's opening ("I heard you on the wireless back in '52"): he eventually came up with "Lying awake intent at tuning in on you", inspired by memories of listening to Radio Luxembourg at night as a child. [9] Woolley worried about the song's name, given the existence of a band with the name Radio Stars and a song titled "Video King" by singer Snips. [13]

Development and composition

The Buggles' version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a new wave and synth-pop song. [14] [15] It performs like an extended jingle, [14] sharing its rhythm characteristics with disco. [16] The piece plays in common time at a bright tempo of 132 beats per minute. [17] It is in the key of D♭ major, [6] [17] and six basic chords are used in the song's chord progression. [16] According to Geoff Downes, "It's actually a lot more complicated piece of music than people think, for instance part of the bridge is actually suspended chords and minor 9ths. A lot of people transcribed the song wrongly, they thought it was a straight F# chord. The song was written in D flat. The suspended gives it a slightly different feel." [6] Writing in his book, Pop Music: Technology and Creativity: Trevor Horn and the Digital Revolution, Timothy Warner said that the "relatively quiet introduction" helping the listener detect a high amount of "tape hiss" generated through the use of analogue multi-track tape recorders, as well as the timbre of the synthesized instruments, give an indication of the technical process and time of producing the song. [18]

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Video Killed the Radio Star"
The final chorus of "Video Killed the Radio Star". There are instruments of electric guitars, a bass guitar, drums, and synths arranged in the track, and the male and female singers' accents and effects differ to give a historical and tonal contrast.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Horn and Downes tried to interest labels in the song, but were turned down multiple times, including by Island Records. Downes' then girlfriend worked for Island and was able to get the song listened to again. The demo ended up being heard by Chris Blackwell, who chose to sign the band. [19]

The song took more than three months of production. [6] In 2018 Downes stated that the version that was released was rewritten from that recorded for the band's demo tape: the verses were extended and Downes contributed a new intro and middle eight, with the bulk of the original song having already been written by Horn and Woolley when he joined. [9] The instrumental track was recorded at Virgin's Town House in West London in twelve hours, with mixing and recording of vocals held at Sarm East Studios. [7] [8] [20] The entire song was mixed through a Trident TSM console. [8] "Video" was the first track recorded for the group's debut LP, The Age of Plastic , which cost a sum of £60,000 (equivalent to £366,202in 2021) to produce, [20] and the song was mixed by Gary Langan four or five times. [8] According to Langan, "there was no total recall, so we just used to start again. We’d do a mix and three or four days later Trevor would go, 'It's not happening. We need to do this and we need to do that.' The sound of the bass drum was one of his main concerns, along with his vocal and the backing vocals. It was all about how dry and how loud they should be in the mix without the whole thing sounding ridiculous. As it turned out, that record still had the loudest bass drum ever for its time." [8]

The song includes instrumentation of drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, synth strings, piano, glockenspiel, marimbas and other futuristic, twinkly sounds, and vocals. [14] [6] [21] [ text–source integrity? ] Downes used a Solina, Minimoog and Prophet-5 to create the overdubbed orchestral parts. [6] Both the male and female voices differ to give a tonal and historical contrast. [22] When Langan was interviewed in December 2011, he believed the male vocal was recorded through either a dynamic Shure SM57, SM58, Sennheiser MD 421, or STC 4038 ribbon microphone, and that four or five takes had to be done. [8] The male voice echoes the song's theme in the tone of the music, initially limited in bandwidth to give a "telephone" effect typical of early broadcasts, and uses a Mid-Atlantic accent resembling that of British singers in the 1950s and '60s. [22] The Vox AC30 amplifier was used to achieve the telephone effect, and Gary Langan says he was trying to make it "loud without cutting your head off", in others words make the voice sound soft. Gary Langan and Trevor Horn also tried using a bullhorn, but they found it too harsh. Langan later compressed and EQ'd the male vocals, and he said that doing the compression for old-style vocal parts was a "real skill". [8] The female vocals are panned in the left and right audio channels, [8] and sound more modern and have a New York accent. [22]

The single version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" lasts for 3 minutes and 25 seconds. The album version plays for 4 minutes and 13 seconds, about 48 seconds longer than the single version, as it fades into a piano and synth coda, which ends with a brief sampling of the female vocals. [8]

Commercial performance

"Video Killed the Radio Star" was a huge commercial success, reaching number one on 16 national charts. [23] The song made its debut on the UK Singles Chart in the top 40 at number 24, on the issue dated 29 September 1979. [24] The next week, the track entered into the chart's top ten at number six [25] before topping the chart on the week of 20 October. [26] It was the 444th UK number-one hit in the chart's entire archive. [23] In 2022, the single was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for UK sales and streams of 600,000 units. [2]

In Australia, "Video Killed the Radio Star" reached number one, and for 27 years it held the country's record for best-selling single. [23] In late 1979, while the single was still in an eight-week run at Number one in the charts, the single was awarded a platinum disc by Festival Records, the record's distributing company, for sales of over 100,000 copies in Australia. [27] The song also made a number-one peak in France and Spain, [28] [29] where it was certified gold and platinum, respectively, as well as Austria, [30] Ireland, [31] Sweden [32] and Switzerland. [33] In other parts of Europe and Oceania, "Video Killed the Radio Star" was a number-two hit in Germany and New Zealand, [34] [35] and also charted in Flanders on the Ultratop 50 [36] and in the Netherlands, on the Nationale Hitparade Top 50 (now the Single Top 100) and Dutch Top 40. [37] [38]

"Video Killed the Radio Star" did not start charting in North America, however, until November 1979. In the United States, the song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, barely breaking into the top 40 on both charts. [39] [40] In a 2015 list from Billboard, it tied with Marvin Gaye's recording of "The End of Our Road" as the "Biggest Hot 100 Hit" at the peak of number 40. [41] "Video Killed the Radio Star" debuted at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of 10 November 1979, [42] while on the Cash Box Top 100 it debuted at number 83 that same week. [43] It started also at number 83 on the Canadian RPM Top Single Chart. [44] By January 1980, it entered the top 40 at number 31, [45] and on 2 February made it into the top 20 at number 11. [46] Two weeks later, the song earned its peak in the top 10 at number 6 and issue dated 16 February 1980. [47]

Critical reception

The song became a Billboard Top Single Pick on 3 November 1979. The publication found the chorus catchy and also highlighted the orchestral instruments supporting the backing singers. [48] Although there had been a mixed review of the single from Smash Hits by Andy Partridge of XTC, who found the song to be "too tidy, like vymura" (wallpaper), [49] they listed it in a review of The Age of Plastic as one of the best tracks of the album, along with "Living in the Plastic Age". [50] Timothy Warner wrote that, although several common pop elements were still present in the song, it included stronger originality for its own purpose than most other pop hits released at the time. [51] These unusual pop music characteristics include the timbres of the male and female vocal parts, and the use of suspended fourth and ninths chords for enhancement in its progression. [16] He also felt it was unnecessary to dislike it as a "novelty song". [51] AllMusic's Heather Phares said the track "can be looked on as a perfectly preserved new wave gem", "just as the song looks back on the radio songs of the '50s and '60s". She concluded her review by saying that it "still sounds as immediate as it did when it was released, however, and that may be the song's greatest irony". [14]

However, many writers called Woolley's recording of "Video" much better than the Buggles' version. [52] [53] [54] This included one critic who called both acts overall as of being very high quality, but felt that Woolley's version was more faithful to the source material than that of the Buggles, noting the filtered vocals and cute, female vocals of the latter rendition as giving it a novelty feel. [55] However, he also wrote of liking both versions of "Clean, Clean" on the same level.

Music video

Production and concept

Trevor Horn (right) and Geoff Downes (left) as they appear in the video Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star.png
Trevor Horn (right) and Geoff Downes (left) as they appear in the video

The music video for "Video Killed the Radio Star", written, directed and edited by Australian Russell Mulcahy, [56] [57] was produced on a budget of $50,000. [5] The video was shot in one day in South London, [56] and was edited over two days. [57]

The video begins with a young girl sitting in front of a radio. A black-and-white shot of Trevor Horn singing into an early radio-era microphone is superimposed over the young girl by the radio. The radio explodes by the time of the first chorus, then in the second verse, the girl is seen transported into the future, where she meets Horn and a silver-jumpsuited woman in a clear plastic tube. Shots of Horn and Geoff Downes are shown during the remainder of the video. [58]

Around 30 takes were required for shots of the actress in the tube. The tube falls over in the video, although Mulcahy claims it was not intended to be shown in the final edit. [56] Hans Zimmer can be briefly seen wearing black playing a keyboard, [58] and Debi Doss and Linda Jardim-Allen, who provided the female vocals for the song, are also seen. [59]

Broadcasting and reception

The music video was first released in 1979, [60] when it was originally broadcast on the BBC's Top of the Pops for promotion of the single, in lieu of doing live performances. [5] Zimmer recalled in 2001 that the video drew criticism from some viewers who watched it before it aired on MTV, due to being "'too violent' because we blew up a television." [5] The music video for Video Killed the Radio Star is notable as the first video ever played on MTV, when the US channel began broadcasting at 12:01 AM on 1 August 1981. [61] On 27 February 2000, it became the one-millionth video to be broadcast on MTV. [62] It also opened MTV Classic in the UK and Ireland. The video marked the closing of MTV Philippines before its shutdown on 15 February 2010 at 11:49 PM. [63] [64] MTV co-founder Bob Pittman said the video "made an aspirational statement. We didn't expect to be competitive with radio, but it was certainly a sea-change kind of video." [5] In July 2013, multiple independent artists covered the song for the launch of the TV channel Pivot, which launched with the music video of the cover on 1 August at 6 am. [65]

Live performances and cover versions

A notable interpretation of the melody was released in 1979 by French singer Ringo, using French language lyrics by Étienne Roda-Gil supplying a new title "Qui est ce grand corbeau noir ?" ("Who is this big black raven?") [66] [67] Ringo's version peaked at number 8 in France. [67]

The Presidents of the United States of America recorded a cover of the song which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1998 film The Wedding Singer starring Adam Sandler. [68]

A rare live performance of the song by Horn and Downes came at a ZTT showcase in 1998. [69]

In November 2006, the Producers played at their first gig in Camden Town. A video clip can be seen on ZTT Records of Horn singing lead vocals and playing bass in a performance of "Video Killed the Radio Star". Tina Charles appears on a YouTube video singing "Slave to the Rhythm" with the Producers [70] and Horn reveals that Tina was the singer and originator of the "Oh Ah-Oh Ah-Oh" part of "Video"; fellow 5000 Volt member Martin Jay was also a session musician on The Buggles record. [71]

Robbie Williams performed the song with Trevor Horn at the BBC Electric Proms on 20 October 2009. [72]

Erasure covered this song as a final track to their Other People's Songs album. Vince Clarke in an interview said that he considers it "the perfect pop song" [73]

Anne Dudley, composer and co-founding member of The Art of Noise with Trevor Horn, performed the song on solo piano on her album Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise. [74]

In mid-2020, the song became popular among TikTok users as a trend to revisit celebrity death conspiracies, [75] and across the internet when a deepfake of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin singing the song went viral on multiple social media sites. [76] [77]

In February 2002, while on international duty with England, David Beckham got into an argument with journalist Rob Shepherd, during a press conference, after Shepherd made a joke about David and Victoria Beckham’s habit of finishing second (David finishing second in the recent FIFA World Player of the Year vote, and Victoria’s inability to have a number 1 hit). Beckham sarcastically asked Shepherd “what do you know about music? How many people in your family have ever had a number one?”. Shepherd replied “one. My sister was in The Buggles”. His sister was Linda Jardim-Allen, who sang vocals on the number one hit. [78]

Personnel

Sources: [8] [79]

Bruce Woolley version

The Buggles version

Charts

Sales and certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [96] Platinum1,200,000 [97]
Italy (FIMI) [98] Gold50,000‡
Japan (RIAJ) [99]
2007 digital release 		Gold100,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [100] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [2] Platinum1,000,000‡
Summaries
Worldwide—5,000,000 [101]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Publication/TV show/author(s)CountryAccoladeYearRank
20 to 1 AustraliaTop 20 One Hit Wonders [102] 20063
Bruce PollockUnited StatesThe 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000[ citation needed ]2005*
Giannis PetridisGreece2004 of the Best Songs of the Century[ citation needed ]2003
Gilles Verlant, Thomas CausséFrance3000 Rock Classics[ citation needed ]2009
The Guardian United KingdomThe Top 100 British Number 1 Singles [103] 53
Hervé BourhisFranceLe Petit Livre Rock: The Juke Box Singles 1950-2009[ citation needed ]2009*
Les Inrockuptibles 1000 Indispensable Songs[ citation needed ]2006
Mashable United States32 Unforgettable Music Videos [104] 2013
MSN Music United KingdomBest Song Titles Ever [105] 200319
NBC-10United StatesThe 30 Best Songs of the 80s[ citation needed ]2006*
Pause & PlaySongs Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Track at Each Week[ citation needed ]
PopMatters The 100 Best Songs Since Johnny Rotten Roared [106] 200373
Q United KingdomThe 1010 Songs You Must Own (Q50: One-hit Wonders) [107] 2004*
Time United StatesTop 10 MTV Moments [108] 2010
Time Out United Kingdom100 Songs That Changed History [109] 100
Triple J Hottest 100 Australia Hottest 100 of All Time [110] 199879
VH1 United States100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80's [3] 200940
100 Greatest Videos [111] 200179
Volume! France200 Records that Changed the World[ citation needed ]2008*
Xfinity United StatesTop 10 Groundbreaking Videos [112] 10
WhatCulture!10 Controversial Music Videos That Look Tame Today [113] 2013*
WOXY.com The 500 Best Modern Rock Songs of All Time[ citation needed ]2008348
"*" indicates the list is unordered.

See also

No. 1 chart lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Buggles</span> English pop band

The Buggles are an English new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK Singles Chart and reached number one in 15 other countries and was chosen as the song to launch MTV in 1981.

<i>The Age of Plastic</i> 1980 studio album by The Buggles

The Age of Plastic is the debut album by the English new wave duo the Buggles, released on 10 January 1980 on Island Records. It is a concept album about the possible repercussions of modern technology. The title was conceived from the group's intention of being a "plastic group" and the album was produced in the wake of the success of their debut record, "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979), which topped the UK Singles Chart. Most of the album's other tracks were written during promotion of the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Horn</span> British record producer and musician

Trevor Charles Horn is an English record producer and musician. His influence on pop and electronic music in the 1980s was such that he has been called "the man who invented the eighties".

Tina Charles is an English singer who achieved success as a disco artist in the mid to late 1970s. Her most successful single was the UK no. 1 hit "I Love to Love " in 1976.

<i>Other Peoples Songs</i> 2003 studio album by Erasure

Other People's Songs is a cover album by English synth-pop duo Erasure released on 27 January 2003.

<i>Adventures in Modern Recording</i> 1981 studio album by the Buggles

Adventures in Modern Recording is the second and most recent studio album by English new wave group the Buggles, released on 11 November 1981 by Carrere Records. Although the Buggles began as a duo of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, the album ended up as mostly Horn's solo effort, as Downes left to join the English rock band Asia on the day recording was originally scheduled to begin. It contains nine tracks, including a version of a track from the Yes album Drama (1980), recorded during Horn and Downes' short initial tenure with the band. Originally named "Into the Lens", the Buggles rendition is titled "I Am a Camera". A stylistically and sonically varied progressive electronic album, Adventures in Modern Recording depicts Horn perfecting his skill as producer and was described by journalists as a document for how he would produce his later works. It was one of the earliest albums to use the Fairlight CMI, one of the first digital sampling synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owner of a Lonely Heart</span> 1983 single by Yes

"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by British progressive rock band Yes. It is the first track and single from their eleventh studio album, 90125 (1983), and was released on 24 October 1983. Written primarily by guitarist and singer Trevor Rabin, contributions were made to the final version by singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, and producer Trevor Horn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Woolley</span> Musical artist

Bruce Martin Woolley is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He wrote songs with artists such as the Buggles and Grace Jones, including "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Slave to the Rhythm", and co-founded the Radio Science Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living in the Plastic Age</span> 1980 single by the Buggles

"Living in the Plastic Age" is a synth-pop song written, performed and produced by the Buggles. It was released as the second single from their debut album The Age of Plastic on 14 January 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Into the Lens</span> 1980 song by Yes

"Into the Lens" is a song written by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. It was originally released in 1980 by progressive rock band Yes, of which Horn and Downes were a part, as a part of the album Drama, before being reworked as "I Am a Camera" for the 1981 album Adventures in Modern Recording by the Buggles, a duo consisting of Horn and Downes; both versions were released as singles, with the Yes single being re-titled "Into the Lens (I Am a Camera)".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Downes</span> English keyboardist

Geoffrey Downes is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group the Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D.A.N.C.E.</span> 2007 single by Justice

"D.A.N.C.E." is the second single by French electronic music duo Justice and the first from their album †. It includes edited and extended versions of "D.A.N.C.E", a rougher mix in the style of their earlier releases, "B.E.A.T", and the track "Phantom" which was previously issued in limited quantities twice on 12" vinyl preceding the release of "D.A.N.C.E.".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elstree (song)</span> 1980 single by the Buggles

"Elstree" is a song by the Buggles from their debut album, The Age of Plastic. It was the fourth and final single from the album, released on 27 October 1980. It was written by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slave to the Rhythm (Grace Jones song)</span> 1985 single by Grace Jones

"Slave to the Rhythm" is a song by Jamaican singer, model and actress Grace Jones. It was released in October 1985 from Jones' seventh album, Slave to the Rhythm (1985), on which it is titled "Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones". It was produced by Trevor Horn and written by Horn, Bruce Woolley, Stephen Lipson and Simon Darlow. The song peaked at number 12 in the UK and number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Its music video was directed by Jean-Paul Goude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean, Clean</span> Song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley

"Clean, Clean" is a song composed by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley. It was recorded first by the latter for his band Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club in 1979, and later by the former two as the Buggles for their debut album The Age of Plastic. It was released as the album's third single on 24 March 1980.

"I Love You (Miss Robot)" is a song written, performed and produced by the Buggles, a duo of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, for their 1980 debut studio album The Age of Plastic. It was not released as a single. The song is, according to Downes, about "being on the road and making love to someone you don't really like", although music critics consider the song's subject having to do with a robot. The song was performed live in 2010, as part of the first performance of all the tracks from The Age of Plastic.

<i>Reality Killed the Video Star</i> 2009 studio album by Robbie Williams

Reality Killed the Video Star is the eighth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released in November 2009. The album was produced by Trevor Horn and recorded between September 2008 and August 2009 in London and Los Angeles. It debuted in the top ten of 22 national album charts worldwide, and has received varying reviews from music critics. It incorporates elements of pop rock, dance-rock, alternative rock and adult contemporary music. Reality Killed the Video Star was viewed by critics and fans as being Williams' "comeback album" after the relative failure of his 2006 release, Rudebox.

The Buggles, a duo consisting of bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes, have a discography of two studio albums, a compilation album and video live album, a promotional extended play, nine singles, and three music videos. The Buggles also produced three songs, "Back of My Hand" by The Jags, "Monkey Chop" by Dan-I, and "Film Star" by Tom Marshall. The group formed in 1977 in Wimbledon, South West London, and were signed by Island Records to record and publish their debut studio album, The Age of Plastic, which was released in 1980. The album charted in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and Japan.

<i>English Garden</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club

English Garden, released in North America as Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, is a studio album by Bruce Woolley and his new wave band the Camera Club. The band consisted of Woolley on vocals, Matthew Seligman on bass, Rod Johnson on drums, Dave Birch on guitar, and Thomas Dolby on keyboards. Before forming the group, Woolley was creating pop songs intended for publishing companies, but he was not happy with what the artists were doing with his songs and decided to write material for himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Check It Out (will.i.am and Nicki Minaj song)</span> 2010 single by will.i.am and Nicki Minaj

"Check It Out" is a song performed by American rapper will.i.am and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. The hip hop and electropop song, written by will.i.am and Minaj, samples the 1979 hit single "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. After release, it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 78 and on the Canadian Hot 100 at No. 48. It appears on Minaj's first album, Pink Friday, though it was not released to promote the album. The special remix released in the UK features the British recording artist Cheryl Cole. The song peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 2013, it has sold 780,000 digital downloads.

References

  1. ↑ "Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club – Video Killed the Radio Star". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "British single certifications – Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 Ali, Rahsheeda (2 May 2013). "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s: 40. "Video Killed the Radio Star" – The Buggles". VH1. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "The Buggles". ZTT Records. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Meet the Buggles". People . 15 July 2001. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Learn to play Video Killed the Radio star". Geoffdownes.net. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 "Trevor Horn". Red Bull Music Academy. 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Buskin, Richard (December 2011). "The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star'". Sound on Sound . Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Simpson, Dave (30 October 2018). "The Buggles: how we made Video Killed the Radio Star". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (5 November 2004). "Horn of Plenty". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  11. ↑ Warner 2003, p. 44.
  12. ↑ Warner 2003, p. 41.
  13. ↑ Lindvall, Helienne (13 February 2014). "Trevor Horn: 'I had delusions the label would be a hub of creativity'". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Phares, Heather. "Video Killed the Radio Star – Song Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  15. ↑ Cardona, Joe (11 August 2013). "Miami's painfully audible radio waves". The Miami Herald . Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 Warner 2003, p. 43.
  17. 1 2 "Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles – Digital Sheet Music". Faber Music. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2013– via Musicnotes.
  18. ↑ Warner 2003, p. 45.
  19. ↑ Downes, Geoff (23 November 2020). "Roger Dean and Geoff Downes in Conversation" (Interview). Interviewed by Roger Dean. YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  20. 1 2 Deller, Fred (21 February 1980). "Life With the Buggles". Smash Hits . Vol. 32.
  21. ↑ Warner 2003, pp. 43, 45.
  22. 1 2 3 Warner 2003, p. 46.
  23. 1 2 3 Peel, Ian (1 January 2010). "From the Art of Plastic to the Age of Noise – Sleeve notes for the deluxe reissue of Adventures in Modern Recording". Trevorhorn.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75: 23 September 1979 – 29 September 1979". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75: 30 September 1979 – 06 October 1979". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  26. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  27. ↑ Kent Music Report . No. 288. 31 December 1979.{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. 1 2 "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  29. 1 2 Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.[ page needed ]
  30. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  31. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Video Killed the Radio Star". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  32. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  33. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  34. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  35. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  36. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  37. 1 2 "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  38. 1 2 "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  39. 1 2 "Buggles – Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  40. 1 2 "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 22, 1979". Cash Box . Archived from the original on 5 February 2011.
  41. ↑ Trust, Gary (20 January 2015). "The Biggest Hot 100 Hits to Peak at Nos. 50-26". Billboard . Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  42. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . Vol. 91, no. 45. 10 November 1979. p. 12. ISSN   0006-2510.
  43. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending NOVEMBER 10, 1979". Cash Box . Archived from the original on 5 February 2011.
  44. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM . Vol. 32, no. 11. Library and Archives Canada. 8 December 1979. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  45. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 32, no. 16. Library and Archives Canada. 12 January 1980. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  46. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 32, no. 19. Library and Archives Canada. 2 February 1980. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  47. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9499a." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  48. ↑ "Billboard's Top Single Picks > First Time Around". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 44. 3 November 1979. p. 86. ISSN   0006-2510.
  49. ↑ Partridge, Andy (20 September 1979). "Secret Affair". Smash Hits. Vol. 32. p. 24.
  50. ↑ "The Police". Smash Hits. Vol. 31. 7 February 1980. p. 31.
  51. 1 2 Warner 2003, p. 48.
  52. ↑ Lewis, Barbara (5 July 1980). "What is the latest on Paul McCartney". The Free Lance–Star . Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  53. ↑ Burley, Ted (24 April 1980). "Fine production puts Woolley ahead of the new wave pack". Montreal Gazette . p. 84. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  54. ↑ Marsh, Dave (7 March 1980). "Bruce Wooley and the Camera Club". Star-News . p. 6–B. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  55. ↑ Lawson, Michael (8 March 1980). "Two bands eulogize departed 'radio star'". The Phoenix . p. 7. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  56. 1 2 3 Tannenbaum, Rob; Marks, Craig (2011). "A Total, Unmitigated Disaster". I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Penguin Books. ISBN   978-1-1015-2641-5.
  57. 1 2 Geoff Downes Interview w/ Dave in the City (07-31-11). YouTube. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  58. 1 2 Young, Alex (11 July 2009). "Rock History 101: The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star"". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  59. ↑ "Debi Doss – '70's Rock Archive Photographs". Sphere Studios. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004.
  60. ↑ "the Buggles – "Video killed the radio star"". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  61. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Buggles – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  62. ↑ Dehnart, Andy (1 March 2000). "Who really killed the video star?". Salon . Associated Press . Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  63. ↑ "MTV Philippines ceased airing on 16 February 2010". Pinoy Rock Central. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010.
  64. ↑ "MTV Philippines goes off the air?!". Manual to Lyf. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
  65. ↑ Bierly, Mandi (31 July 2013). "Pivot: New cable channel launches Thursday with 'Video Killed the Radio Star' -- VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  66. ↑ Cadet, Thierry (3 July 2015). "Ringo passé à la moulinette : "Génération remixes"". Melody.tv (in French). Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  67. 1 2 Foucault, Jean-Pierre (10 July 2019). "Le grand corbeau noir par Ringo" (in French). France Bleu . Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  68. ↑ McNerthney, Casey (16 November 2016). "Presidents of the United States of America – band behind 'Lump' and 'Peaches' – announces retirement". KIRO7 . Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  69. ↑ "Gig review: The Buggles". Bondegezou.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  70. ↑ Tina Charles – Slave to the Rhythm on YouTube
  71. ↑ Jay, Martin. "My Website" . Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  72. ↑ "BBC Electric Proms – Robbie Williams". BBC Online . Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  73. ↑ "The Perfect Pop Song". 30 January 2019.
  74. ↑ "Anne Dudley's 'Plays the Art of Noise' Is an Unexpected Triumph of Tunes Over Technology". PopMatters. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  75. ↑ O'Sullivan, Eilish (21 July 2020). "'Video Killed the Radio Star' TikTok trend revisits celebrity death conspiracies". The Daily Dot . Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  76. ↑ "Hitler y Stalin cantan 'Video Killed the Radio Star' a dúo en el último y sorprendente 'deepfake' viral". 20 minutos (in Spanish). 3 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  77. ↑ "El vídeo viral de Hitler y Stalin cantando 'Video Killed the Radio Star'". Okdiario (in Spanish). 6 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  78. ↑ "'Beckham revealed: part 1". Daily Standard . 12 April 2012.
  79. ↑ Video Killed the Radio Star (vinyl single). The Buggles. UK: Island Records. 1979. WIP 6524.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  80. ↑ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  81. ↑ "UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits". MusicSeek.info. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006.
  82. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 8 June 2022.Set "Tipo" on "Singoli", then search "Video killed the radio star" under "Titolo".
  83. 1 2 "Japan #1 IMPORT DISKS by Oricon Hot Singles" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2014– via 18.ocn.ne.jp.
  84. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  85. ↑ "Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  86. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  87. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 10 January 2023– via Imgur.com.
  88. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1979" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  89. ↑ "TOP – 1979". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  90. ↑ "Top Singles 1979". Music Week . London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
  91. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. 5 January 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2022– via Imgur.
  92. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  93. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1980" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  94. ↑ "Top 100 Singles". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 20 December 1980. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  95. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1980" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015.
  96. ↑ "French single certifications – Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in French). InfoDisc.Select BUGGLES and click OK. 
  97. ↑ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). "TOP – 1979". 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles (in French). OCLC   469523661. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022– via Top-France.fr.
  98. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 12 November 2023. Select "2023" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Video Killed the Radio Star" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  99. ↑ "Japanese digital single certifications – Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved 20 May 2021.Select 2017年7月 on the drop-down menu
  100. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  101. ↑ "Meet the Buggles". People . 15 July 2001. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  102. ↑ "One-Hit Wonders". 20 to 1 . Series 2. Episode 1. 13 February 2006. Nine Network.
  103. ↑ "The Top 100 British Number 1 Singles". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 April 2014– via Rocklist.net.
  104. ↑ Hernandez, Brian Anthony (2 August 2013). "MTV Turns 32: Your Favorite Music Videos of All Time". Mashable . Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  105. ↑ Chipping, Tim (19 July 2013). "One Direction release Best Song Ever (and more of the best song titles ever)". MSN Music. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  106. ↑ "100 from 1977–2003: 71–80". PopMatters . 21 August 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  107. ↑ "1010 Songs You Must Own!". Q . September 2004. Retrieved 27 August 2013– via Rocklist.net.
  108. ↑ "Top 10 MTV Moments". Time . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  109. ↑ "100 songs that changed history". Time Out . Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  110. ↑ "Hottest 100 of all time". Triple J Hottest 100 . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  111. ↑ "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos". VH1. Retrieved 29 April 2014– via Rock on the Net.
  112. ↑ "Top 10 Groundbreaking Videos". Xfinity. Comcast Cable. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  113. ↑ "10 Controversial Music Videos That Look Tame Today". WhatCulture!. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.