The Innovation and Evolution of Music Videos

hi friend!

Let's talk about the innovation and evolution of music videos. 

In the early 2000's, music videos were the highlight of my day - before school and after school. The influence music videos had on my everyday life was huge and I'm so grateful for the creativity and effort put into them. I remember my mom always watching VH1's pop up videos, watching the Yellow Submarine (as well as playing all kinds of Beatle's songs in my high school orchestra for fun), and Pink Floyd's The Wall. I was also obsessed with picking apart music videos and finding their hidden meanings behind them, if any. Music videos can change how people perceive music itself and leaves lasting memories to the consumer.

the early days

The origins of the music video is difficult to determine. In 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern worked with an electrician and other artists to help promote the sales of their song, "The Little Lost Child". They used a magic lantern where still images were projected on a screen. This became known as an illustrated song. In the 1920's Musical Short Films became a thing of popularity with the arrival of talkies (a sound film that's a motion film), soundies (three-minute musical films), and musical shorts. I love how these music videos sound, they give you such a vintage feeling. The aesthetic and presentation was so important even back then and it really adds to the feel of the music. Different camera angles, different lighting, and electronic effects were a big part of this time period. Below is a Vitaphone music short dating back to 1928 featuring The Band Beautiful performing their version of "Chasing the Blues." Check it out, it's really neat and it reminds me of early Mickey Mouse cartoons.

the 1950's

Television become widely popular in the 1950's and artists like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry were featured on television doing live and pre-recorded performances. The videos were in black and white, and choreography was important. I know I've seen video clips of Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley all throughout my life, and it truly is a defining video in history. During this time period, I think of all kinds of young women ooh-ing and aah-ing over their television heartthrobs in poodle skirts. 

the 1960's

In the 1960's, very few artists recorded videos due to lack of time with touring schedules. Some artists, however, took advantage of "promotional videos" to help market their tours and music. During this time, most artists still preferred live performances. A great example is the Beatles (after they decided to slow down on touring). Oh my goodness, the Beatles - I could gush about them for days. They are one of my favorites... their versatility, creativity, melodies, and lyrics have always had such an important impact throughout my life. The Beatles Strawberry Fields Forever was an important music video because it was one of the first to show reverse, slow motion, fade, and camera filters. I think it's important to say that these visuals also have an impact and feeling for the lyrics, "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see" because the video reflected that the world is scary and confusing. It was this music that sent the ball rolling for others artists to make music videos too! 

Check out Strawberry Fields Forever for yourself below! 

the MTV age - 1981

MTV (Music Television) is an American cable channel that was launched in 1981 aimed to teenagers and young adults with 24/7 viewing of music videos. The first music video on MTV was the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." This was a very high budgeted production that displayed overlaying, (very obvious) green screen, costumes, set design, and played a central role for marketing the artists. Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" music place was one of the most successful music videos of all time, it even made it to the national film registry! It became important for artists to consider more than the music itself, they had to now compete with the attitudes towards the way in which consumers listen and view their music.

The Buggles really did say it best, "video killed the radio star." This really was a massive pivot in the music industry (video below). 

the late 90's

Britney Spears 1998 "Baby One More Time" was a special music video because it changed the tone of videos again (#savebritney). Her video was different, and not in a way that it was more complicated or innovational, it was evolutionary in a way that it was just simple. The video gave her instant worldwide fame with very few special effects, perfect synchronization between the song and the choreography. It wasn't over the top and really gave artists the opportunity to step back and do something simple while still having an impact. She connected with her audience through an everyday life music video. 

the early 2000's and youtube

In 2005, we saw the launch of YouTube - this changed the way viewers could watch online videos faster and easier. Some music artists had success on only releasing their music video online! An iconic video example is OK Go's "Here It Goes Again." I personally remember googling this song to view it on YouTube and shared it with friends MANY TIMES. The great thing about YouTube and online streaming services, was that it was instant! You didn't have to wait for a release from MTV. Check out OK Go's genius below (you may also remember Professor Kljaich's example in our elements of music review of the "Needing/Getting" music video). I love the synchronization they use and how they utilize each beat to coordinate a physical motion. With YouTube, I feel like shock value also became important, because with YouTube... anyone could make a music video. Think about how Justin Bieber became a star! 

the present

Music videos are still an important part of the music industry, even more so now with the individual musicians political views. "This Is America" by Childish Gambino at first glance gave me a, "what?" reaction. After talking to my boyfriend and reading reviews and learning more about the meaning behind it, I was suddenly re-awakened to racial justice in America, wow! This song was originally released online in 2018, but caught much more attention again in June 2020 when the Black Lives Matter movement caught the headlines in the political world. Music videos have become more than just about the music itself; it’s a chance for entertainers to use their platform and speak against what they believe is right, and it’s up to us on whether we agree with them or not. The world of music is forever evolving and innovations are constantly coming into play. I've included the music video below for Childish Gambino for you to enjoy and interpret!

the conclusion

Music videos have, do and will continue to change how people perceive music itself and leaves lasting memories to the consumer. I'm not sure if music videos will survive the future, but we can hope it does. It brings the artist and the viewer/listener closer to the music and really connects them on a different level. I mean... I can't tell you how many times as a pre-teen that I pretended I was in a music video (some cringey moments of my past). I enjoyed learning about the history of music videos and I hope you do too! It was fun to hear and see how the quality of the music video has improved since it's inception. Have a great weekend! 

- Megan

sources:

Hans, Simran. "A Brief History of the Music Video." Crack Magazine, Sep. 14, 2020, https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/history-music-video-beyonce-queen-missy-elliott-madonna/.

Cawley, Christian. "From MTV to YouTube: A Brief History of Music Videos." Make Use Of, May 17, 2015, https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mtv-youtube-brief-history-music-videos/.