Ever since the dawn of MTV and Friday Night Videos, the music video has significantly impacted musical tastes and pop culture. It might not be as extreme as when the Buggles declared that "Video Killed the Radio Star", but there is no arguing that the music video certainly could make or break a song's popularity. So this regular Flashback Video feature will serve to remember some of the music videos from the great '80s decade that made an impact on me in one way or another.
This issue we will cover "Come Go With Me" by Exposé. The all-girl group had seven Top 10 hits in a row during the late '80s and were the first group ever to have four singles from their debut album reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Those hits include “Come Go With Me”, “Point of No Return”, “Let Me Be the One” and “Seasons Change”. That debut was titled Exposure, released in March of 1987, remains one of the most successful dance albums of all time. The first single released was “Come Go with Me” which went to #1 on the Dance chart for two weeks at the end of January and then later peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot in April. Jeanette Jurado, Gioia Bruno and Ann Curless helped usher in an era of what would later be called Freestyle dance music. You couldn't listen to pop radio in the late '80s without regularly hearing one of their hit songs.
The music video for "Come Go With Me" was directed by Peter Lippman who also created "The Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh, "Two of Hearts" for Stacey Q, "Prove Your Love" for Taylor Dayne and "What's On Your Mind" for Information Society among others. Lippman would also direct Exposé's second music video "Point of No Return". Many of Lippman's videos have a similar feel and "Come Go With Me" is no exception. The stage performance part is shot in grainy black and white with a hand-held camera. Then there are quick transitions/edits to color shots of the girls performing in front of a set piece as well as some action shots out and about. It includes a bit of choreography from the trio and definitely shows off the beautiful women performing. I think it accomplished what they needed by introducing us to Expose' and setting them up for future success. Here is the music video for “Come Go With Me” by Exposé…
I had the pleasure of an interview with Gioia Bruno of Exposé and you can find out more about all of their hit songs there, but here is what she had to say about music videos and the role MTV played in the '80s:
I think MTV gave music a face and allowed artists to be seen and express themselves in a new and unique way.
These girls do not get enough recognition for their incredible accomplishments as well as the trail they blazed for artists to follow. Exposé has to be considered one of the most successful girl groups of all-time and one of the most successful groups period of the late '80s.
Hope you enjoyed another trip back to the '80s thanks to Flashback Video!