MTV signed on at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, August 1, 1981, according to Flavorwire. A channel made of music videos was about to change how a generation saw its favorite bands.

John Lack, the first chief operating officer of MTV Networks, opened the broadcast with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” Flavorwire says the opening was set against footage of a Space Shuttle Columbia launch countdown and the Apollo 11 liftoff.

Then came the music. Open Culture lists the first ten videos in order: The Buggles, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, The Who, Ph.D, Cliff Richard, The Pretenders, Todd Rundgren, REO Speedwagon and Styx.

Some of those names are still famous. Others have drifted out of memory, and a few carry a surprising “first” that most music fans never heard about. Here are six worth knowing.

Open Culture Says The Buggles Won The Race To Be Number One In 1981

The very first video MTV aired was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. Open Culture calls it the “first aptly picked video” of the bunch, which is hard to argue with.

Far Out Magazine calls it the perfect song to launch the channel and says it had been released “a couple of years earlier.” The same article states that “the Buggles were the first band to air a video on MTV.”

Think about the joke built into that choice. A channel set up to put pictures with songs opened with a song about pictures taking over from radio.

Wikipedia Credits Pat Benatar With Two Firsts On The Network’s Opening Night

Second in line was Pat Benatar with “You Better Run.” Far Out Magazine describes the clip as Benatar performing with her band in a black-and-white striped shirt, and calls it “not necessarily an innovative video.”

Plain or not, it made history. The Wikipedia list of the first music videos aired on MTV notes that Benatar was the first female artist on the channel, and that her guitarist Neil Giraldo was the first lead guitarist.

That is a lot of history for a video that was just a band playing a song.

Flavorwire Reports Rod Stewart Went On To Appear More Than Any Other Artist

Rod Stewart’s “She Won’t Dance With Me” ran third, and Far Out Magazine describes it as a more recent track at the time. Stewart would not be a one-night guest on the new channel.

Flavorwire reports that Stewart had the most videos aired, with 11, and that he was the first artist to have more than one played. The Wikipedia list adds that his bassist, Phil Chen, was the first non-white musician to appear on MTV.

A single three-minute clip carried more than one piece of television history.

The Who Became The First Act To Get A Repeat Spin, Flavorwire And Wikipedia Say

“You Better You Bet” by The Who came fourth. Far Out Magazine says it was released only a few months before the channel launched, which made it about as fresh as music got.

Flavorwire says it was the first video played twice. It also says the song, April Wine’s “Just Between You And Me” and Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” were each played five times, more than any other videos.

The Wikipedia list adds that it was the first top 5 U.S. mainstream rock hit song on MTV. For a band known for stadium thunder, the little screen suited them fine.

Cliff Richard Might Be The Name Younger Fans Know Least, Wikipedia Notes

Sixth in the opening lineup was Cliff Richard with “We Don’t Talk Anymore.” Far Out Magazine lists him among “some of the biggest names of the era,” a reminder of how big he was when the channel went on the air.

The Wikipedia list says it was the first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit to play on MTV. That is a quiet claim to fame, and it explains why a British singer is on a list full of American rockers.

If your grandchildren know only the big American names from that night, Cliff Richard is a fun one to surprise them with.

Wikipedia Says REO Speedwagon Brought The First Concert Video, Then Lost The Signal

Ninth was “Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon. Open Culture marks it with the note “(not original),” meaning it was not a made-for-MTV clip.

The Wikipedia list explains why. It was the first concert video aired on the channel, taken from the Live Infidelity home video. It was interrupted after 12 seconds by technical difficulties.

So the first concert footage ever shown on MTV lasted about as long as a sneeze. It is a nice reminder that the brand-new channel was figuring things out as it went.

The other four videos in the lineup were Ph.D’s “Little Suzi’s on the Up,” The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket,” Todd Rundgren’s “Time Heals” and Styx’s “Rockin’ the Paradise.” Together with the six above, they made up the first ten videos in Open Culture’s list.

If you want to relive the night, the Open Culture page collects the opening broadcast so you can watch it for yourself.

Next time a younger family member asks what MTV was like, you have the answer. It started with a joke about radio, two historic firsts for Pat Benatar and a concert clip that vanished after 12 seconds.

More Stories You May Like

• Fruit Stripe Gum And Hershey’s Kissables Are Among The Halloween Candies Fans Still Miss And Life Savers Holes Were Pulled Over A Choking Hazard
• Those Vintage Fiesta And Corelle Dishes Might Not Be Safe To Eat Off Because Some Old Glazes Can Contain Lead So Test Before You Serve
• First Pressing Heavyweight And Audiophile Labels Can Mislead Record Buyers Because Heavier Vinyl Is Not Automatically Better