Innovations and Evolutions

The Evolution of Music Videos: From Silent Films to MTV (1920s-1990s)

    Music videos are now widely accepted in music industry promotion as a means to additional creative expression in a visual sense. But have you ever thought that what kind of influence music videos have into the decades? From starting their lives as short films to the birth of the music television station, music videos has come a long way. In this post, I’ll discuss the great and vast history of music videos. 

    In history, music videos as a concept were limited to short clips that acted as a film showcasing musicians singing live during the 1920s. Generally, these “soundies” or “film shorts” were introduced in cinemas and generally they moved along with musical recordings. History.com describes soundies as being, "an early form of music video which generally included a singer singing or an instrumental playing". These early videos created the foundation for further wastes. Musical films started in the 1930s and some films of this kind included Top Hat (1935) and Singin’ in the Rain(1952). These were films that laid foundation to the contemporary music video production. 

Gene Kelly Singing in the Rain

     In the 1960s and 1970s, promotional films which were basically films used in marketing singles were established. By far; Beatles are perhaps the most profound example in the early period with two of their songs; Strawberry Fields Forever released in 1967 and Penny Lane the same year. According to Britannica.com, “These films were often experimental and psychedelic reflecting the counterculture of the age.” Other artists, such as The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, also made music videos as well. These early videos became the foundation for 1980s music video revolution. 

The Beatles Penny Lane

     The advent of MTV (Music Television) in the year 1981 really set fire to the music video business. MTV’s round the clock music video programming revolutionized how people wished to engage with their music. Historytimelines.com states the first day of MTV had 116 music videos VIDEOS violated MTV’s first day with 116 music videos included Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. Pop legends Michael Jackson himself his surge, Prince’s Bat Dance and Madonna Like a Virgin are ideal examples where video made a substantial impact. MTV’s impact really changed the evolution and strategic role of music videos. 

Madonna Like A Virgin

    Sometime during the late 80’s through early 90’s, with the aid of campaigns such as the Alternative Nation rock and grunge, emerged with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Radiohead coming up with videos that depicted the new era. RollingStone.com says that the demographics of the 1990s, especially in term of the music videos, were different from the previous one, and they had more experimental and avant-garde vision. This period talented directors like Mark Romanek as well as Spike Jonze were on the rise, many of their work were often surreal making music videos. The 1990s allowed future music video ventures. 

Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit

From black and white movies, to pop-up videos, music videos have come a long way in about half a century. The beginnings of the substance could be seen in brief performance clips, but became rich, visually impressive creations. Music videos remain relevant in the industry promoting artists’ creativity and engaging the fans. It will be greatly interesting to observe how the aesthetics of the music videos will proceed in the future with the further technological development.

Sources

Carson, Tom. “Music Video.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., 14 Sept. 2023, www.britannica.com/art/music-video.

Donchano. “Rolling Stone (US): The 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time.” Acclaimed Music Forums, 31 July 2021, www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10328.

“MTV: History Timeline.” History Timelines, historytimelines.co/timeline/mtv. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

Shukla, Neel. “History of Music Videos: Evolution from TV Screens to Digital Streams.” Broadcast2World: Best Animated Explainer Video Production Company, Broadcastworld, 12 June 2024, www.b2w.tv/blog/history-of-music-videos.