Hey Y'all,

What video(s) do you consider to have the best storyline?

I would have to go with:

"Like A Prayer" by Madonna
"Janie's Got A Gun" by Aerosmith
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
"Take On Me" by A-ha

I woudl agree with Janie's Got a Gun, great story. My ex wife never understood what the song was about until the video came on and I was talking about how Fed up the story was. Then she realised what was up and was like "Hey, that's wierd"

I liked "Don't Loose My Number" By Phil Collins, where he is trying to decide WHAT his story line should be, and they go through all the different Video cliche's throughout the song.

If you have seen the new Alien Ant Farm video for thier song "the movies" (or something like that) The band is in a crowded theater and they jump into the movie screen and are acting out scenes from some famous movies. GHOSTBUSTERS, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, and even THE KARATE KID (with guest appearance by Mr Miagi). FUNNY as hell!

One more to go with what's already been listed off the top of my head....being I just watched it again recently is the 2 part 'Goonies 'R Good Enough' video....humorous little adventure story :lol:

Into the Great Wide Open- Tom Petty

"Voices Carry" by 'til Tuesday has a great storyline, with Aimee Mann coming out of her shell and telling her controlling and abusive boyfriend to "Go to Hell" during a performance at Carnegie Hall. Love that video!

Also, "Cloudbusting" by Kate Bush is great. Donald Sutherland plays her scientist father who people think is crazy after he invents a rain making machine! Great video!

Who's That Girl? The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book (http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0%2D595%2D21014%2D7)

Originally posted by 80sTrivia
"Voices Carry" by 'til Tuesday has a great storyline, with Aimee Mann coming out of her shell and telling her controlling and abusive boyfriend to "Go to Hell" during a performance at Carnegie Hall. Love that video!

Also, "Cloudbusting" by Kate Bush is great. Donald Sutherland plays her scientist father who people think is crazy after he invents a rain making machine! Great video!

Who's That Girl? The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book (http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0%2D595%2D21014%2D7)

Welcome back Michael!!

I forgot about "Cloudbusting" by Kate Bush, you're right, that is a great storyline!! :thumb: As a matter of fact, I listened to it at work today! :)

One of my all time favorite videos has to be the long version of David Bowie's "Blue Jean" (called "Jazzin' For Blue Jean"). It is about as long as "Thriller" and has a funny storyline. Bowie is just always great as an actor or singer.:thumb:

"I'm On Fire" by Springsteen.

Bowie's Jazzin' For Blue Jean or Duran Duran's A View To A Kill. :)

Originally posted by Cartoon_Chris
"I'm On Fire" by Springsteen.

This is a great one, Chris!!! The Boss as a Grease Monkey with the hots for some wealthy socialite who wants him to tune up more than her car! Bruce gave a very convincing performance in this one!!! :cool:

Who's That Girl? The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book (http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0%2D595%2D21014%2D7)

I love "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"......with her real mom in it, the wrestler guy, and just her dancing around having fun with her friends. That's what the 80s were about to me....fun!:D

A-Ha's Take On Me video has THE BEST story line. It even made me cry when i first saw the end of it (and try as i might, I have NEVER been able to find a dress like hers, alhough my hair is like hers in the video).

Other videos I love are Visage's Fade to Grey, Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' (another one to cry to) and Ultravox's Vienna.....

Kayleigh, I am a big "Fleetwood Mac" fan and I have never seen the "Everywhere" video, could you describe it to me? I think that their video for "Little Lies" was sad in a way, because Lindsay was in it, but he'd already made his departure from the group. I can imagine Christine and Stevie sort of singing this to him directly.

A-ha's "Take On Me" IS a great video. I can't say it's ever saddened me, but it was exciting. :thumb:

Ready for this...

It starts off at night with car headlights lighting up an old house. Then theres a flash back of a 17th century bar maid and her lover who is a highway man. The law are after him and set a trap. They tie the bar maid to a rifle and wait for him to come to her, but she pulls tha trigger to warn him and gets killed. He makes a run for it ,but is caught and shot. It finishes back to present date with car headlights illuminating the house with the shadows of the girl running to her lover (i.e as ghosts they are together in death)

Originally posted by Kayleigh
Ready for this...

It starts off at night with car headlights lighting up an old house. Then theres a flash back of a 17th century bar maid and her lover who is a highway man. The law are after him and set a trap. They tie the bar maid to a rifle and wait for him to come to her, but she pulls tha trigger to warn him and gets killed. He makes a run for it ,but is caught and shot. It finishes back to present date with car headlights illuminating the house with the shadows of the girl running to her lover (i.e as ghosts they are together in death)

Thanks Kayleigh, that sounds beautiful. I know there was a group out on the net, signing a petition for Fleetwood Mac to release a video compilation. If they get the release, I hope "Everywhere" is included. I HAVE to see this video. Thanks again. :)

Glad I could help!

Does anyone out there remember the video for Roger Taylor's Man On Fire single? Was it realeased in America, as the video was banned in England.....

The best storyline video's for me are
"Don't Come Around Here No More" Tom Petty
"Money For Nothing" Dire Straits
"Toy Soliders" Martika
Doesn't it seem like the 80's just came and went--just like that??

My favorite video storyline EVER is in the video for Skid Row - "I Remember You". To refresh your memory, the storyline is about a homeless man. He looks at pictures of perhaps his dead wife or girlfriend or a lost love, then at the end he burns them. Well, I didn't make it sound very interesting, but if you have seen the video, you know what I mean. It's just a beautiful and sad video, it's amazing.

I think Slaughter's "Fly To The Angels" has a fantastic storyline!!
It's based on the story of Amelia Airheart and her fateful flight. It'a a beautifully done video. It show's Ms. Airheart's love of flying, and preparing for her last flight. I think it even gives us a glimps of her going down and landing safely in a tropical setting, if I'm not mistaken. This song, alone, is the reason I bought the "Stick It To Ya" album!!! :thumb:

I'm not a big Metallica fan but I've always dug the video for "One",I've always wanted to see the movie they took the footage from but I can't find it anywhere.

Skid Row's "18 and Life"is a cool video story too.

I like the stroy line of the Beastie Boy's video "fight for your right to Party".:D

The best that I have seen so far as far as storylines in music vids go (I'm not talking about imagery used as they did in "Fade To Grey") is UB40's "Red, Red Wine." I absolutely love that video. I guess my second choice would be "Holding Back The Years" by Simply Red. Both those vids evoke a weird sense of helplessness, angst, and loneliness. The cinematography is top-notch, imho.

I can't believe no one said "Legs" by ZZ Top. I also loved the video for "Two tribes" from Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Love the story in Yes's "Owner of a lonely heart"....there's so many, why don't video's today have stories?

At a time where you'd be hard pressed to find an original movie storyline, it doesn't surprise me no one can think up an original music video storyline :p The world needs a major injection of creativity :p

To me the best story line for a Music Video has to be
Stay -- Shakespears Sister
... While it's not an 80's tune it is a gread vid :-D

The best storylines in videos are:

"My Foolish Friend" - Talk Talk (about a relationship between a father and son (played by Mark Hollis) gone sour)
"Vienna" - Ultravox
"Cludbusting" - Kate Bush (that video just takes me away everytime I see it, Donald Sutherland should win an award for his performance, and Kate's great as a little boy)
"Experiment VI" - Kate Bush (about scientists making a sound machine that makes people go mad, starring Hugh Laurie and Dawn French)
"Pipes of Peace" - Paul McCartney

There's another Ultravox video that has a great storyline, but I can't remember the name of the song. I know the word "Adventure" is in it. Midge Ure's an Indiana Jones-like character who is trying to rescue a woman.

I agree. More video today should have story lines and if you look closely, you can find them.

Or interept your own. :)

Check this out

Rock the Casbah
The Clash

Haffid and Samuel, the Texas Jew, travel through the lone star state on their way to the Clash concert. High jinks include a live armadillo, eating Whoppers, spitting bear into a pool, and stealing tickets from Scalpers.


I've started a blog that talks about as many videos as I can watch and I give them a synopsis of what is going on in the video. Most of it I try to be humorous at, including some eighties sterotypes. When I have at least a month's worth of stuff typed, I'll post the link so everyone can have something to laught at. If you want to go ahead and read it, please email me.

Thanks for your time. I think I am going to like beings with fellow eighties freaks.

Wave Man

What about the most ambitious video movie storyline of the 80's...it's gotta be 'Thriller' - MJ, directed by John Landis, of (American Werewolf in London) fame. great storyline, not very scary, brilliant makeup effects. and a whopping 15 mins long. hard to beat, it was the big budget equivalent of a film for the music world, I first saw it here in the uk on a late showing on tv on a music programme called 'The Tube' (not aired anymore), hosted by Jules Holland and Paula Yates (R.I.P.). Great show, great video.

A-ha - Take On Me also was very good..mixing anime and film.

And last for my selection...was Pink Floyd - Anoher brick in the wall...great animated video, and storyline for the song, was at no.1 here in the uk for some time.

Later gang
SD
:)