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About six months ago, I was introduced to an interesting saying: “Every generation thinks it invented sex, music and the stock market.” I can’t recall who said the quote, but I thought of it recently when I learned something about the history of music videos.

Back when MTV first came into existence in 1981, everyone marveled at the idea of the music video. It was new, different, dare I say, revolutionary. The first video played was a song called “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Music videos, it seemed, were the wave of the future.

As I got older, I learned that the idea of music videos was really not as brand spanking new in 1981 when MTV debuted as one would think. In fact, I eventually learned that the Beatles and other artists dabbled in music “videos” back in the ’60s and these “videos” were broadcast on television. I seem to recall reading that at least one of the vids the Beatles did, if not all of them, aired on the Ed Sullivan show.

Of course, the Beatles also did a few full length movies in which, if you take the musical numbers from the films, you have several more music videos.

However, the Beatles were not the first music group to be featured in movies. Neither was Elvis. Back in the 1930′s and 40′s, any Big Band that was worth anything was put into a movie and again, taking just the musical performances from the films, you’d have some music videos.

Well then I learned something a couple days ago. Music videos existed in probably their earliest form, way back in the ’40s. Back then they were called Soundiesand you could view them in a special film jukebox for about a nickel. Many of these Soundies survived and have been collected together and released on DVD sets.

I didn’t discover this until I was perusing through YouTube searching for any new Glenn Miller related stuff. It would’ve been neat if Glenn Miller had done a couple of these (he did do two films but still). However, I did find this clip featuring the Modernaires, the back up singers Miller had with his civilian band, from 1944.

Goodman and Kyser and Miller
Help to make things bright.
Mixin’ hot licks with vanilla
Jukebox Saturday Night!

Jukebox Saturday Night

Unfortunately, it seems like MTV doesn’t play much music videos anymore. Despite the Buggles proclamation, I guess video didn’t quite kill the radio star.