You must of course play this video as you read my lyrics. The beautiful irony is too sweet to pass up.
I saw you on the screen in nineteen eighty one
I’d watch the videos and just stare at everyone
If I was young it didn’t stop you having fun
Oh a oh
They take an image whenever they step in a room
Rewrite some words and sing them all in autotune
And now I understand your problems all too soon
Oh a oh
I met your grand-children
Oh a oh
What did you tell them?
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
Streaming came and broke your heart
Oh, a, a, a, oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio
We watch the playback and it seems so long ago
And you remember the jingles used to go
Oh-a oh
You were the first one
Oh-a oh
You were the last one
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
In my mind and on my phone,
they’re always there; i’m never alone
Oh-a-aho oh
Oh-a-aho oh
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
In my mind and on my phone,
they’re always there; i’m never alone
The Internet came and stole your bae
You can’t compete when they mash ‘replay’
Oh, you are an internet star
You are an internet star
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
On-demand killed the video czar
Photo credits:
Some rights reserved by gaspaston (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaspaston/33095628194/)
Some rights reserved by AdamCohn (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamcohn/26342532773)
Video backstory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Killed_the_Radio_Star
I wrote this in response to a meme about the ‘M’ in MTV standing for ‘Moron’.
But MTV wasn’t the end of a journey; it was rather a means to an end. The TV station has indeed changed, but it’s not like it’s lost its way. The way is still here. We have just found a different path.
And the original song? It gloriously announced the rise and fall of 24-hour music video programming. I remember thinking, “this is incredible!” followed by, “and what’s next?”.