3 Overplayed Music Videos From the 80s You Want To Forget but Can’t

When Music Television still aired music videos, you ran into the same issue one has with the radio: overplayed songs. MTV broadcast certain videos endlessly, but you couldn’t just flip to another music channel like an FM dial. (VH1 often had the same issue.)

Videos by American Songwriter

Occasionally, a bad video ruined a great tune. Or worse, bad videos reinforced lesser songs, with artists trying to act while directors unwittingly made comedy out of earnest clips and corny props.

Many overplayed videos made you grateful for the day MTV changed course and started airing shows like Jersey Shore and Jack*ss. In fact, you might beg for a storyline involving some guy called The Situation instead of the 80s videos you want to forget but can’t.

“Patience” by Guns N’ Roses

After excellent bangers like “Welcome To The Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, it’s hard to find patience for “Patience”. The whistling is a deal breaker, but also, Axl Rose’s snake dance seems better suited to raging through “Rocket Queen”. Drummer Steven Adler made his final video appearance with the band, though he doesn’t play on the track. Before the outro, Rose smashes a neon telephone, perhaps reinforcing the need for serenity. However, thanks to a fine unplugged guitar solo from Slash, all is not lost when enduring the visual for GNR’s folk rock hit.

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police

The Police became the world’s biggest rock band after releasing Synchronicity. And before the trio imploded, “Every Breath You Take” topped the charts for weeks, and the music video remained an MTV staple. Watching Sting glare deeply into the camera, in stark black-and-white footage, only reinforces the creepy vibes of the lyrics. There are scenes where multiple upright bass-playing Stings appear, promising his obsession that he’ll be “watching you” no matter where this person breathes, steps, or moves.

“Lick It Up” by Kiss

Kiss removed the makeup for its 1983 album Lick It Up. When the title track appeared on MTV, it was the first time most people saw the band without its signature costumes. Dressed in standard 80s rock attire, Kiss strolls through what appears to be an all-female post-apocalyptic city. But Paul Stanley’s dancing tells you he’s right where he wants to be. The band and the ladies eat without manners and squeeze weird tubes of stuff into each other’s mouths. Lick it up? No, thank you.

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