Some of the greatest songs and videos of all time were created in the 1980s! The decade was also responsible for some of the worst music videos ever made. Here are 15 of the worst music videos ever made in the 1980s:
Going Down to Liverpool by The Bangles
This one made the list because the females appear to be unconcerned about being in the film, and it shows.
Accept – It’s a Balls-to-the-Wall Situation
This is one cheesy video for a kick a$$ song and band, and the lead singer’s “puppet” body on top of the wrecking ball at the end takes the cake and catapults this video into ultra-cheesy territory!
Rock Me Tonite by Billy Squier
“Video killed the radio star,” as one of the early MTV music videos stated, and Billy Squier’s music video for “Rock Me Tonite” basically ruined his music career. His hard rocking followers had seen (and, regrettably, heard) enough of Squier after seeing him dance about a bedroom for almost four minutes, and his career never recovered.
Separate Paths on the Journey
Although this is one of the most successful songs and videos from the 1980s, it is undeniably a bad music video. And, when a Washington family made their own version during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, it proved just how terrible this video is. However, because it’s a fantastic song by a wonderful band, it’s more amusing than cringe-worthy.
Up The Creek is a cheap trick.
This is simply a poor video. “The video was the worst we’ve ever done,” remarked lead guitarist Rick Nielsen in a 1997 interview with The A.V. Club. We’ve done a lot of horrible ones, but that was the worst.”
Desert Moon by Dennis DeYoung
All you have to do is watch the opening 30 seconds of this video to see why it made the cut. The music was a top ten smash, but not so much the video. Are we, however, that surprised? Have you seen Styx’s Mr. Roboto video?
Survivor – The Tiger’s Eye
‘Eye of the Tiger’ is one of the finest rock songs of the 1980s, thanks in large part to its role as the theme song for Rocky III. The band walks through the streets while singing and then performs on a stage that is finally saturated by rain in the music video. When you hear ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ you don’t always think of images of tigers.
Dancing in the Streets by David Bowie and Mick Jagger
Oy. Dancing in the Streets is a disaster for two of the most famous rock artists of all time. “Hey, you two just go out there and do whatever you want,” the filmmakers appear to have remarked in the footage. We can’t stop shaking our heads while watching it, so it’s entertaining.
Laura Branigan is a self-control expert.
Laura Branigan, riding high on the success of Gloria and Solitaire, directed one of the most weird, sexual, and awful music videos of the 1980s.
Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me – Oingo Boingo
The only negative aspect of this video is the music video itself. This one was a complete disaster. It’s a fantastic song put to a bad video, like a lot of ’80s videos…
Torture by the Jacksons
Simply simply, watching this video is torturous. According to Jeff Stein, the video’s director, the filming was “an experience that lived up to the song title,” a perspective mirrored by others engaged in the production. It was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. The Jacksons themselves had stopped showing up towards the end. According to Stein, one of his team members lost control of her bodily functions due to the stress. “‘Death or victory’ used to be the crew slogan,” he explains. “I believe that was the one and only time we prayed for death.”
Will Powers – Success Adventures
Was this a music video or a motivational video? It was actually a parody of motivational films, but no one realized it at the time, and many people mistook it for a pretty awful motivational video.
Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
In this video, what the hell is going on? This video didn’t make sense back then, and it still doesn’t make sense now… “This is what happens when you go to the Renaissance fair on acid,” according to a Youtube comment.
Lick It Up – Kiss
What a fantastic tune! Fantastic band! This is a terrible video! We don’t have anything to say about this one. It’s really horrible, and it’s the first time the band has been seen without makeup. All we could think after viewing that was, “Put the makeup back on!”
