ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles

[@TheAmazingBlackStar]

It’s 2023 time for some more new wave hits

[@ZapperRS]

Like which one? Katrina and the waves? The knack?

[@TheAmazingBlackStar]

@@ZapperRS oh man, a Katrina and the Waves episode would be awesome! I’ll take anything tho lol

[@ZapperRS]

@@TheAmazingBlackStar they're a band that truly deserved more. Their songs are amazing, really worth a listen. About the other band I mentioned, if their lyrics weren't so creepy, I would listen to them everyday lol

[@oculttheexegaming2509]

​@@ZapperRS Frankie Goes To Hollywood?

[@mitzo4526]

we just got 99 luftbaloons!

[@UnderdogRecords91]

Speaking of huge careers that started with The Buggles: The guy playing keyboards in the "Video Killed The Radio Star"-Video is Hans Zimmer.

[@nikitalane5543]

UnderdogRecords91 Ooohhhhh

[@cammyoungblood]

Filip Materna it's actually true 😀

[@exesiv4ce]

It's true.

[@WasLilChrisnowbigish]

Wow, that's quite good trivia

[@wolverineminer]

It's on the Wikipedia page. He's only briefly in it.

[@SavoxYT]

The Buggles deserved better as a _band._ Individually, both members have done great for themselves.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Absolutely. I didn't realise this before but Geoff Downes is the only consistent member of Asia for the band's entire history. Both of these dudes MADE IT.

[@newforestpixie5297]

If you didn’t know , he’s been Keyboards for Yes again since Rick Wakeman & Jon Anderson left the band again after “ Magnification “ in 2001 . He wears a cape I guess in respect of Wakeman. Trevor Horn produced the Yes album “ Fly From Here “ in 2013 which was mainly Buggles tunes from back in the day and is a good album compared to the Yes album after that. 👍.ps in my opinion Heaven & Earth is bloody lame . If it wasn’t Yes would anyone give it two listens ?

[@mariaquiet6211]

Trevor Horn basically invented the 80's so whatever

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

@@mariaquiet6211 Van Halen helped eith the 80s too along with Micgael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Motley Crue. How has he not done production work for them?

[@ConvincingPeople]

@@newforestpixie5297 It's worth noting that Horn also performed encores with them during I think one of their last tours before Chris Squire's passing, and actually recorded the vocals for the remastered version of Fly from Here at the urging of the rest of the band, so that's also pretty cool. It's kind of funny how, in the absolutely buck wild history of Yes, Downes and Horn seem like two of the most universally amiable guys… which, on top of their songwriting skills, would explain why they were drafted into the band in the first place.

[@IvyLeather13]

That little bridge "You aaaaaaaaaaare a radio staaaaaaaaarrrrrr" is just divine.

[@JoeMullanMusic]

I love how the female vocal starts that part drowned in reverb then gradually becomes more dry

[@AngraMalnyu]

"They joined Yes" i was listening to the video while working on some stuff, but after hearing this i just had to stop, take a deep breath, and turn 100% of my attention to the video.

[@asusmctablet9180]

And that Yes album was actually really good, considering it had The Buggles replacing Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.

[@Dahnlor]

@@asusmctablet9180 And decades later, after yet another falling out with Anderson and Wakeman, Downes and Horn would again re-join Yes and record another album (Horn was initially only the producer, with Benoit David on vocals, but they would release "Fly From Here: Return Trip" a few years with Horn replacing David). It was also really good, though I sometimes seem to be alone in that opinion.

[@andreasbaron9282]

Same here!

[@bigmcchickenmcsloppyjerky]

@@Dahnlor Fly From Here is one of my absolute favorite Yes albums.

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

@@Dahnlor Did Yes ever get over that 2nd falling out with Anderson and Wakeman? Have they established any secure connections where it wont repeat?

[@tealyg99]

Copyright strikes killed the music critic

[@phantomkitten73]

Not quite as catchy.

[@alejandrojerez1492]

You write commercials?

[@bobadcock6668]

Saw Trevor Horn at a music festival last year and yeah, it was basically just: 'Here's me and my friends (some of the best musicians ever) playing a bunch of songs that I wrote/produced/had some hand in, which is basically every song you have ever loved.' It was amazing.

[@harleymitchelly5542]

In short, modern music history exists because of a freakin' one hit wonder band living out the most WTF story in music to ever be told. Welcome to the American Dream. Guy sells a song with no expiration date, ends up being The Guy for the next 20-30 years.

[@ken131]

I'm glad to hear that he's still preforming. His personal life has been very tough. :'(

[@t4nkychannel921]

Ironically, it happened in Britain.

[@MagicalMysteryViewer]

I saw Nile Rodgers of Chic at a festival once and he basically did the same thing. It was amazing. "You guys like Le Freak? I wrote that, let me play it. How about Like a Virgin? That was me too. Now let me do Let's Dance. Oh and I know you all love Get Lucky, so that's next. If there's any time after that, I'll play Roam from that B-52's album I produced."

[@timetochronicle]

Considering his nationality, I'd say its the British Dream.

[@Nekufan1000000]

To answer the question about video killing the radio star, yes. There was a wave of people who stopped listening to certain artists when they saw what they looked like. Awkwardly enough, there was a situation where some singers were almost never seen in person. Either they used a generic pretty boy for a front cover, or they were entirely radio stars (at the time of the vinyl album some artists thought it was a fad and never produced a record) so no one EVER saw their face. This led to people coming up with their own ideas of what they looked like, until TV came around. Then you had a lot of angry people glaring at their TVs because that one guy that sings those songs you like has brown hair and a crooked nose. People were just as angry about deceiving themselves by assumption as they are now.

[@TheProfessor529]

Or go whole hog and INVENT a band. Pull a Gorillaz/Studio Killerz/Savlonic.

[@seed_drill7135]

I know some have blamed MTV for the downturn Christopher Cross took after his huge debut. People liked him better as a flamingo.

[@oliviertilanus]

If you want a clear example of this just look at Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand. The actual singer is a small ugly french guy, he had to fight for the rights to his song because he had no way of proofing that it was him and not the young kid from the music video. here's a great video about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3jVe5igbKaNhbs

[@KejnTheImmortal]

Same thing happened during the transition from silent to sound films. Some great silent actors ended up sounding dumb as hell, a bit jarring for audiences.

[@gxtmfa]

Like how I’d be crushed if I ever saw Todd’s face. I’ve built it up to be far too handsome in my mind for anyone to realistically live up to.

[@wisemoon40]

"Video killed the radio star" is about how TV killed radio drama. It's obviously got a subtext about music video killing pop radio...but of course that didn't happen. And incredibly, podcasts have revived radio drama and radio fiction! Everything cycles.

[@jackthorton10]

The Cycle continues

[@SeanStrife]

@@jackthorton10 Wu-Tang. Wu-Tang.

[@asparagusnoodle]

thank you oh my god

[@Paul_Tuck23]

Yes. This. It’s not actually about music, but TV killing radio dramas and serials.

[@jaysunbrady]

Well being the first video on mtv it was prophetic.

[@BunchOfOats]

As an avid Yes fan, Drama has become that one album that everyone in the fandom agrees needs more love. It's really good

[@troyo.8294]

Indeed.

[@atlasking6110]

DRAMA is a damn solid album. Close to top-5 YES for me. Saw them on that tour too!

[@crojasa06]

Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit are amazing Yes songs 👌🏽

[@BunchOfOats]

Have you heard "Have We Really Got To Get Through With This?" It was a cut song from the album and it's soooooo damn catchy

[@mootbooxle]

One of my all time favorite albums! To me, Drama ranks up there with Yes’s best.

[@harleymitchelly5542]

I'm going to roughly quote Hey Arnold! on this one. "You managed to find someone so totally out, he's actually in."

[@harleymitchelly5542]

And then it turns out this is easily one of the most What The Fuck stories in music history... Is it safe to say this is the single most influential One Hit Wonderland entry on this list?

[@skimmington]

the piano at the beginning was so perfect

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

He seems very good at piano playing.

[@jadedemotions9891]

The piano was perfect. I believe I heard somewhere that he went to musical college

[@atlasking6110]

There's a video somewhere where Geoff Downes shows all the different keyboard parts going on in this song...it's amazing how much is going on. Downes is kind of an ass but I still like his work. He's been back in YES for years now. (I used to be a music critic myself and had a few go-rounds with him back in the day...he can be a most unpleasant fellow. But most rock stars are.)

[@omarflores1329]

Blue albums better...

[@edvaira6891]

The full album version with the keyboard/piano outro just is the cherry on top of this lovely, frothy all time classic !

[@RonnieBarzel]

The "post-hit" careers section is fascinating stuff. You could make a strong case for the music industry - at least in the '80s and '90s - as being "Six Degrees of Trevor Horn."

[@Kylora2112]

You can basically link all modern music to some combination of The Buggles and Deep Purple, since those two bands have touched just about EVERYTHING. Like, seriously: The Go-Go's -> Belinda Carlisle/George Harrison (guest guitar solo on her song "Leave A Light On") -> The Beatles/Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band -> Zak Starkey/A.S.A.P. -> Adrian Smith/Iron Maiden -> Janick Gers/Ian Gillan Band -> Deep Purple.

[@Chelaxim]

@@Kylora2112 I said it on another one hit Wonderland comment section but I've noticed pretty much the music industry is kind of ran by one hit wonders.

[@Unsilence409]

aside from Trevor Horn being fucking incredible, let's also talk about how the concept behind The Buggles greatly mirrored & basically predicted that of PC Music/all of that "hyperpop" we have in 2020 that aims to deconstruct music + hazy nostalgia (or in the present, meme culture) and finds a sound and image through exploring (and disregarding) sound and song structure.

[@Champiness]

Wasn’t there myself but I saw at least one photo of a fan at PC Music’s big SXSW coming-out party wearing a shirt with the ZTT Records logo - which was basically Horn’s attempt to do something similar back in the 80’s, and a _huge_ recommend from me (to whoever’s reading this) if you’re a hyperpop fan with any interest in pop music from a few decades ago. Horn & friends did production work for groups like Propaganda and Frankie Goes To Hollywood full of Fairlight CMI tricks that would still be sonically and conceptually impressive (if much easier, in a technical sense) coming from present-day audio software, packaged in sleeves as information-dense as any of the Web 2.0-core sites that PC Music designed for their songs. (If nothing else I’d highly suggest checking out the Grace Jones album that the ZTT crew made, which is just one monster hit single bookended by 40 minutes worth of experimental remixes built up from different parts of it.)

[@evanwright9016]

@@Champiness PC Music & ZTT fan here. 👋

[@colerieger7300]

Jim Morrison predicted the rise of music made with computers in the 60's. He saw that as the future of music.

[@Unsilence409]

@@colerieger7300 I'm not talking about music made with computers. I'm talking about music made to sound perfect and modern to an intentionally extreme degree, like this song. also "PC Music" is the name of an artist collective that makes similarly "perfect" pop music

[@jockohomosexual]

if only hyperpop kept going with that deconstruction and didnt just become really shitty pop music. :/

[@Mallen151]

I just started watching your channel this month so the “I’m not covering 80’s New Wave again until 2023” joke is pretty funny to me!

[@merinoteflon1128]

I've been watching this channel for yonks, but never saw this one...until just having watched his new one on 99 Red Balloons! I think Nena is on to something with these conspiracy theories.

[@davidlathrop9360]

So, essentially, the Buggles, and "Video Killed the Radio Star", birthed a massive section of modern pop music... Huh.

[@jtverland7224]

It was also the start of the carieer of one Hans Zimmer, featured in the video playing keyboards.

[@leonardotube]

"The Age of Plastic" is an amazing album, everyone who likes 80s music or just great pop records should listen to it at least once in their lives.

[@psukebariah3435]

I really enjoyed it. Watching the Proles on Parade.

[@lastguy8613]

Yeah/nah, haven't we just paid our dues here?

[@o7o7o7o7o7]

I know I'm 5 years late but I can't recommend the album enough. I listened to it once because I was really into Yes and liked Video Killed the Radio Star and it just floored me even though it wasn't really my type of music at the time. Banger after banger. You can see how Horn became such a prolific hitmaker because he had the knack for writing incredible hooks.

[@CGFillertext]

My favorite on the album (aside from Video Killed The Radio Star obviously) is Living in the Plastic Age “They send the heart police to put you under cardiac arrest!” is such a fun lyric, I love it

[@Bluecho4]

Between becoming the first music video on MTV, their brief stint in Yes, and the lead singer going on to become Producer on many other wildly successful songs, The Buggles are a kind of nexus point for all of pop music after 1979. It's weird. Also, I need to go listen to more of their music.

[@returnedtomonkey8886]

Not the buggles, just Trevor Horn. The guy was the G-man of music. Always out of sight, but always there. Doing his thing.

[@davidnissim589]

The keyboardist went on to start the band Asia too

[@billyweed835]

I think Trevor's future work confirms that, yes, this song seems so eerily prescient because the man ABSOLUTELY had and still has his finger right on the pulse of popular music, and, also, possibly, the ability to see the future.

[@SeanStrife]

Especially in the wake of AI now being used to make music.

[@user-sf4fy8bq1h]

“Living in the Plastic Age” and “Johnny on the Monorail” were near-daily listens for me in highschool (in 2007)

[@darkdialga777]

same, just in 2015. just gotta throw in "Clean, Clean"

[@ProBenja5]

When "Kiss from a rose" appeared my jaw dropped to the floor, that's really impressive.

[@christiansumner1023]

Horn not only produced the song, he co-wrote it and played bass on it too

[@EmperorTigerstar]

One Hit Wonders I hope he covers eventually: Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer I Say Hey - Michael Frante What is Love - Haddaway The Promise - When in Rome

[@LeonheartDelta]

They did not make it to the year-end list with that song, but it did hit Number 32 at one point in 1999. Does that count as a hit?

[@Foxpawed]

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

[@HaydenX]

+LeonheartDelta I would say it counts.

[@PTSDSquirrel]

hamster dance ... MAHAHAHAHAhhahahahahah!

[@gummy6489]

EmperorTigerstar nah, kiss me isn't a one hit wonder. they did there she goes too!

[@jamesanthony5874]

Headcanon- Trevor Horn as a timetraveller. Unable to go home (except by the long way), he turns to his passion, music of the 80's. Insinuating himself into the music scene, he contrives to produce all the songs he loved listening to growing up.

[@hiimemily]

When I saw "All the Things She Said" among Trevor Horn's producer credits, I nearly went through the roof.

[@NoNo-rf4do]

I'm not going to check ur channel but I have a strange feeling I've seen you in stuff relating to ddr

[@hiimemily]

@@NoNo-rf4do correct

[@heymistercarter.]

Now THAT would make an interesting future One Hit Wonderland episode!

[@SeanStrife]

@@heymistercarter. Yeah... the story doesn't end well for the girls... last I heard, the girls are actually beefing now.

[@katherinewilkins3478]

Bruce Woolley is actually the nicest dude ever. He sent me his album with “Video” and “Clean Clean” on it and I wouldn’t have known about it with you Todd. So thank you for introducing me to a new artist I love!

[@theunknowncommenter3444]

That is so cool!

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

Does he gave a website you can buy Bruce's stuff on? Interested to hear how he sent you an album.

[@katherinewilkins3478]

@@Thomasmemoryscentral I don’t believe he does. He was nice enough to email them to me for free. Stand up guy ❤️

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

@@katherinewilkins3478 neat. Btw you notice that the beat to Clean Clean sounds as if it's a demo version of Billy Idol's Rebel Yell?

[@SilverSwordsman385]

When I heard the keyboardist was named Geoffrey Downs, I immediately thought"is that the same guy who got into Yes and Asia?" I had no idea I'd be right

[@FalconPain]

And now you find yourself in 1982 The disco hotspots holding no more charm for you You can concern yourself with bigger things to do (Ooh, ooh)

[@nick-playercharacter8583]

Trevor Horn literally became the mad scientist in his own conspiracy theory. Dear God...

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

He should check out Thomas Dolby sometime, another one hit wonder with a gimmick of bad scientist who went on too bigger success but in tech instead.

[@pitmatix1457]

So that's two prophecies fulfilled? If I meet him I'm gonna ask him to pick my lottery numbers.

[@totalrobot]

From the iconic keyboard riffs, the perfect background vocals, to the skipping bounce of the bass line... This song is a MASTERCRAFT OF SONGWRITING.

[@camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303]

Horn is actually an amazing bass player

[@Darkcur]

It's 2023 and Todd did an episode on 99 luft balloons. Guess he kept his word.

[@AngelRipper1023]

I am a massive fan of Yes. When I realized the Buggles were the ones performing on Drama it blew my mind. The first time I saw Yes in concert was the tour they played all of Drama for the first half of the set and they played sides one and four of Tales from Topographic Oceans. A lot of the older people at that show said they didn’t like Drama at the time but love it now, some are more bitter about 90125 than they are about the change in sound Drama introduced. Quick fun fact: Trevor Horn was inspired to play the bass because he was a huge fan of Yes bass player Chris Squire. I can only imagine how star struck he was when the band approached him to play with them.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

90125 has some masterpieces on it. I hate fans who don’t understand bands must change with the times and make money, otherwise they will cease to exist

[@Aquatarkus96]

​@@trashyraccoon2615 Changes is a fantastic fucking song. Same with Owner of a Lonely Heart. One of my favorite pop songs

[@trashyraccoon2615]

@@Aquatarkus96 Agreed! Leave It is also a huge favorite of mine on there

[@DavidRinkevich]

Cinema is a ​favourite of mine, Alan White sounds like he's playing with 6 arms, and it won them their only Grammy award. @@Aquatarkus96

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

Jesus, he produced all those other hits? He practically produced the rest of the best of the 80s music? May not have gotten what he deserved, but his cloud has more than a silver lining. In fact, he's got golden linings in the sky everywhere!

[@timetochronicle]

Trevor Horn clearly has a passion for music. He may not have the greatest voice, but he clearly knew what works and when.

[@quietrioter]

You're saying He wrote the songs that makes the world turn?

[@superanimenerd13]

I think I need a separate series where Todd goes through the history of prog rock bands. Please.

[@tomborosa1328]

nah. It would be a 10 hour, five-part special

[@superanimenerd13]

Where are those toastyfrog prog band retrospectives? That sounds up my alley.

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

You'd need a 4-dimensional diagram just to keep track of the band members. The timeline of Yes' band members alone had to have it's own Wikipedia page.

[@superanimenerd13]

I have since listened to Drama and the Yes catalog post Fragile and tbh, Drama is a good ass album and the songs Trevor Horne wrote for Yes are some of their best ngl.

[@superanimenerd13]

Honestly you're kinda right. I say kinda because I like 90125 and Fly From Here. There's a better universe where Trevor Horne became a permanent writer for Yes and Union NEVER HAPPENED.

[@rockisheaven]

As a hardcore Yes fan, I can confirm that Drama is a pretty okay album--with the exception of Tempus Fugit, which kicks ass and you should all give a listen to. And for those who aren't familiar with the history of Yes, Geoff eventually joined back up with them in the early 00s and remains their keyboard player to this day; I've seen them in concert twice and he was great!

[@ComicDrake]

Been going through all of your videos here in 2023. Hyped for more New Wave content!

[@l0sts0ul89]

Oh hey its the comics reviewer whose name is Drake, ComicDrake.

[@philiphart6688]

“A strange band that wrote the future”. Perfect description.

[@MR2Di4]

This episode defines the reason I love this series. A bit of history and nostalgia with a surprising twist about people who went on to create music that defined the 80's and produce hundreds more hits. They had "one hit" and went on to become "wonders" of the music scene...

[@Roserae16]

When Todd said the keyboardist went on to form Asia, I thought THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! I always thought Video Killed The Radio Star and Heat of the Moment were done by the same band, and now I know why

[@happypants9428]

It makes sense after the initial shock wears off. Asia is a fun rock band, but there’s a corniness lurking underneath their riffs.

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

@@happypants9428 Can Asia qualify as a one hit wonder? In the 80s, they scored a few hits and yet, Heat Of The Moment is their highest charting and most known hit

[@emperorcupcake]

I... really like that plastic age song. I need to own it.

[@windowsuser321]

Hey, nothing wrong with that! I found myself liking some of the other Buggles songs he showed too.

[@garfieif8187]

The whole first album is a masterpiece, with the exception of Astroboy. It's really innovative, and it's too bad that Todd glanced over how musically complex it was for pop music. So many interludes and new ideas introduced, and their songs rarely relied on repetition for very long. Two songs have kazoo segments (Living in the Plastic Age and Clean Clean), three songs have an outdo unrelated to the rest of the song (Clean Clean, Elstree, Johnny on the Monorail), and believe it or not, Trevor Horne is a hell of a bassist, going as far as to incorporate bass chords into their music. Their second album.... ehhh.

[@tracepetersen3908]

Gage beck I agree although I do feel the second album is a little underrated and would check out adventures in modern recording,on tv,rainbow warrior, and the bonus songs on the deluxe edition.I would also say check out technopop and jhonny on the monorail (the very different version) if you really like there songs Melissa. Also avoid beatnik, vermillion sands, and Astro boy , because they are not there best works but are decent.

[@leonardotube]

@@garfieif8187 "The whole first album is a masterpiece" YES! "with the exception of Astroboy" So you have chosen death.

[@blazeallen4203]

Weird mix of Devo and ABBA? That sounds beautiful.

[@lewisb85]

so sounds like xtc then.

[@mmogaddict]

sounds a bit like Madness

[@robinchesterfield42]

I would...absolutely listen to that.

[@HecHocceH]

Well, Todd, it's 2023. It's time for another New Wave song!

[@deathsceane]

The process of them making their name, kinda sounds like they also predicted vocaloids.

[@Lucholosabe]

i am waiting for the Yes/Buggles colaboration "Owner of a Radio Star"

[@EpicB]

Well, you could call The Buggles the owners of a lonely hit.

[@DanaTheInsane]

Love yes, Love the Buggles. But Buggles in my Yes is like Pickles in my Peanut butter,

[@jasonholbrook2019]

They already collaborated.Check out Yes' album 90125.Trevor Horn produced that entire album.

[@UnanimousDelivers]

wait wait wait, hold the hell on, that Trevor Horn is THAT TREVOR HORN?? I didn't expect this to turn into Paul Harvey's "the rest of the story" like this did

[@KaseyWynne]

"I'm not going to touch at another new wave song till like 2023" oooh, something to look forward to in the new year.

[@solidcoffee1643]

Honestly I have to thank Todd for introducing me to one of my favorite albums with this video. The Age of Plastic is a phenomenal sounding record to me and just so cohesive and good with its sound. I know by some standards it wounds like it's kind of dated in places, but to me it feels so far beyond being a specific decade or period that it's almost ethereal to listen to. Maybe I just haven't heard enough 80s music to compare it to (which would be wild since I've heard a lot lol) but it just feels so unique and spacey that it doesn't exist in any point in time to me besides somehow existing in all of them. But to be fair, maybe that's because I heard "I Love You Miss Robot" on a bubblegum sci fi/robot playlist someone made devoid of the context of it being the Buggles and I thought it was a more recent song than it was that colors the whole album for me. Who knows -- I still absolutely love the whole thing

[@kfsfkakf]

The album they did with Yes, Drama, is actually fantastic. Check it out if you haven't. Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit are Yes classics

[@SpillAudio]

Octopus avatar? Niiice. I like In a Glass House a little more but Octopus is definitely among the best of the best.

[@Rockerbeck]

I agree. Also, "Does It Really Happen" will be stuck in your ears for the next five years to come.

[@yatz57]

Machine Messiah IS pretty amazing, but Tempus Fugit?! Surely, you're joking!

[@kfsfkakf]

Tempus Fugit is amazing. If Jon sang it, it'd be a Yes classic guaranteed

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

The whole thing was completely illogical, and yet it worked.

[@shadowlinkbds]

You know what one hit wonder I'm surprised that Todd hasn't gotten to yet? What is love from Haddaway. That is one review I want to see.

[@conorm.5331]

YES.

[@TheDukeofCheese12]

shadowlinkbds I'm still waiting for Blind Melon "No Rain"

[@spewn2123]

The Scatman - Scatman John

[@singerdude1992]

shadowlinkbds what is love isn't a one hit wonder in the US surprisingly enough. kinda like Rick Astley and Hanson

[@joewoods9612]

Nah, Scatman John had other hits

[@KaseyWynne]

I'm that person: it's VTR, not VCR. VTR was reel to reel, VCR is self contained.

[@ken131]

I wish I could pin this comment to the top

[@Foxpawed]

Watch the live version. Even if it was originally VTR, it's VCR now.

[@benphillips2947]

This song is in one of the "Just Dance" games and that even has the lyric as VTR.

[@dcbandnerd]

I also always thought the line was "the country whined 'we've gone too far.'" Not so much. Whoops!

[@TheProfessor529]

Oh, so I WASN'T mishearing it.

[@kellingc]

This was your best one to date! You captured and framed The Buggles very well. And the flattening of the range making the sound like the 30's and 40's radio is always effective.

[@AubriGryphon]

Also, Asia had the most 80s album covers of all time. Like a truck loaded with copies of Neuromancer and Chariots of the Gods crashed through a Lisa Frank outlet.

[@cringeRick_Lamar]

Quite carefully observed

[@Cephalopod51]

Thanks for covering this song, as well as the history of the Buggles. The part about the Buggles joining Yes was weird, yet it makes sense, considering that both bands had different renditions of the same song, "I Am a Camera" / "Into the Lens." I'm still fond of "Living in the Plastic Age," as well as its music video. It's funny that you made the Devo comparison, because I like to think that The Buggles combine aspects of Devo with those of The Rutles (the parody of The Beatles). The music video for "Plastic Age" resembles a fusion of Devo videos, Logan's Run, that low-budget Brave New World tv film, and MST3K. I still find The Buggles and Devo inspiring or their weirdness and creativity.

[@ncisfan1002]

I predict the JoJokes are going to come soon since you played a bit of Yes' "Roundabout"

[@adamf.charles5857]

He also mentioned King Crimson. Oh no

[@kfoley275]

@@adamf.charles5857 Devo too

[@tyblazitar]

i love how Yes is now considered an anison band

[@Skaven_Trans_Girl]

​@@kfoley275and ASIA

[@Eddyoshi]

When you showed the "Running through my head" bit I shouted out OH COME ON at the exact same time as you!

[@Carewolf]

How did that even happen?

[@thecosmicblueautie]

Eddyoshi Serendipity!

[@Noobie2k7]

Because he is a very intelligent man and knows exactly what to invest and put time into at any given moment. The guy is actually a god of Producing music. He can do basically anything.

[@QJ89]

'All The Things She Said' is cancer to the ears, no matter what language its in.

[@r1nkam3991]

QJ89 I beg your pardon!

[@3rdworldofficer296]

I always felt a tinge of bittersweetness in this song, the march of technology, and the "You are a radio star" line always left me with chills. Just something about the whole thing, makes it my favorite song.

[@Moirarchia]

I went to look up Trevor Horn production discography and I found out that he produced Robbie Williams' "Reality Killed the Video Stars" which is neat. Also he produced for some pretty big names in Italian pop music which was surprising (he produced the only Eros Ramazzotti song I will ever admit that I love)

[@dekkacat8517]

When I was a kid this song and Elstree , the Buggles ode to faded cinematic glory, would blow my Abba-loving, eleven year old mind! I think I could sense then something of the bittersweet longing for the past that adults feel but kids cannot. This is what these songs provoked in me then. Now they make me nostalgic again, but not for Mr Horn's dreams of the past rather for my own.

[@lynngreen7978]

And now MTV is dead. Replaced with a soulless Reality TV channel.

[@KindOfYans]

Ya know... this song is amazing, and I really did not expect that the legacy of this band will be as cool as it ended up being. Great video, BTW.

[@LordToasterOven]

I remember when you uploaded this, I was so stoked. I even learned some things. The Buggles were and are one of my favorite bands/projects to date. I simply love everything ever put out under the Buggles name. Music that sounds like them, especially The Age of Plastic is so hard to come by. It's just so Atomic era retro futuristic. They literally sound like what The Jetsons look like.

[@Aa-dn1oq]

Your section on Yes hammers home how sorely needed a complete Yes retrospective is sorely needed. All the current ones available are either incomplete or, in the case of the Rolling Stones video, literally skip over entire albums and members for the sake of time. They straight up erased the Moody Blues keyboardist that played on Relayer

[@OutsideGalaxy]

the first time I heard this song was a questionably recorded live cover by the Japanese band "the pillows" that I obtained through dubiously legal methods in Middle School.

[@megano2000]

Katelyn Hill How interesting...

[@josh-oo]

Katelyn Hill The Pillows are a great band.

[@Tensen01]

I read that as 'The Middle East" and was thinking there must be a hell of a story there.

[@Hakajin]

Aren't they the ones who did the music for FLCL? I don't listen to much Japanese music, but I really did like the music in that series. Especially that outro.

[@OutsideGalaxy]

Hakajin yes! I honestly enjoy their whole discography.

[@timusforlife]

Plastic Age is a great album, Elstree is probably one of my favourite songs from it,

[@lovablebill]

So glad you finally touched this song. The Age of Plastic is such an incredible album.

[@magnusalexander2965]

The Buggles' name's origin story predicted the A.I. era

[@mikedavey1996]

The Age of Plastic was a great album. Still is. Elstree, Clean Clean, Living in the age of Plastic, Astroboy, I Love You. The production quality of the CD is pretty high. I like that the songs have dynamic range and aren't compressed beyond all recognition. I bought the CD about six months ago. Yes, I still buy CDs.

[@ken131]

Thanks for not mentioning Trevor Horn's recent personal life, Todd, it would've really killed the mood. My heart breaks for this man. RIP Jill Sinclair.

[@vjretro]

How about Bittersweet Symphony for the next review?

[@alternativebassist]

12:45 as a muse fan, just hearing that idea nearly made me have a stroke

[@varmintx0]

Oh, 2023 is almost get here. Get ready for an 80s New Wave One Hit Wonderland.

[@LeoMidori]

This was by far one of the best OHWL you've done, Todd. Well edited, well analysed, and man, what an interesting and unexpected lesson in music history for me of acts I love but didn't know much about. Cheers, man~! :3

[@JRock424]

When Todd mentioned that Trevor Horn produced everything, he wasn't talking about just pop and new wave. He co produced Malcolm McLaren's Duck Rock, an album heavily influenced by rap. The famous Hobo Scratch and Double Dutch tracks were produced by him.

[@Champiness]

Yeah, when people talk about Malcolm McLaren's influence on hip-hop they need to note that he was basically the DJ Khaled of that album while Horn did all the work of making _Duck Rock_ an actual audio product you could listen to.

[@keyscored3710]

@@Champiness damnnnnn I actually loved that album, funniest story I head about about it was that they were gonna make World's Famous Supreme Team do a rap version of a amos and andy sketch, and they REALLY didn't want to do that so out of that fuckery they came up with Buffalo Gals instead

[@Champiness]

@@keyscored3710 Something tells me that idea was a McLaren Original™

[@russell2449]

SOOO, Todd I'm here thanks to Joe Scott's recent video and I have to agree (at least so far) that your work is great, and I'm someone who was around when this song came out, and also a BIG Yes fan, and your video BLEW MY MIND, lol. I never knew about the Buggles/Yes connection, the Asia thing but especially not to mention all the amazing work that Trevor Horne has/is doing. Of course my excuse is that I was pretty much STONED for much of the 70's - 80's, lol.

[@Insider2000]

I honestly think this song is just... flawless. Even if you find the "Oh-wa-oh's" to be annoying (which I don't), the music and symphony is just so beautiful and well done. Even if it was a request, thanks for this review. I adore this song, and was very much interested in its background.

[@jessherselfable]

I’ve been binging these one hit wonder videos and this is the first one where I will probably actually listen to more of the artist after. Also the amount of work they were involved in seriously blew my mind.

[@ScottWozniak]

16:19 Amazed that nobody pointed out a young Hans Zimmer on keys here.

[@DrMcFly28]

If you read a book called "I want my MTV" which is about, well, the rise and fall of MTV, you can learn that, yes, video very much killed the radio stars. The only relevant music stars in the 80s were those who started heavily relying on music videos, while those who didn't make the jump (or tried, but weren't successful because of their age, lack of image etc.) simply faded away.

[@twilliamspro]

"KZbin killed the TV Star"

[@floydsghost]

Internet killed the video star- The Limousines

[@dracofirex]

Definitely the internet in general, Ebaums world, Newgrounds and Albinoblacksheep were already killing TV slowly before KZbin came around.

[@BainesMkII]

If you look at it beyond music, there were radio stars that failed the transition to TV, just as there were silent movie stars that didn't transition well to talkies. You also have situations like the JFK-Nixon debate, where allegedly Nixon "won" the debate on the radio broadcast but "lost" on the TV broadcast. Even in the area of music, you do have the situation where music videos created new stars (who might not have been stars otherwise), which did presumably push some previous stars down the charts.

[@SWLinPHX]

@@jamieflowers1493 Yeah, tell that to Christopher Cross.

[@bryede]

Love Geoff Downes. Right now he's in the sideshow that's the remnants of Yes, but he's just done so much great keyboard work. He's not a high-speed virtuoso like Wakeman, but he created a lot of atmosphere and grandiosity in his songs.

[@KuLaydMahn]

Hey, it's 2023 now - got anymore New Wave one hit wonders coming our way?

[@ChristyAbbey]

"Johnny on the Monorail" remained in my top 10, until I heard the alternate version from the album remaster (noted as (a very different version) if you're looking for it), and that took the other's spot. Back during the days of the original, I would have dismissed it as fake punk. My tastes have broadened.

[@progrockdude2691]

One of my all time favorite songs, this is!!! And I don't think Trevor Horn is that bad of a singer, tbh. Oh, and the Yes album "Drama" isn't just okay; it kicks some major ass!!! Honestly one of the best albums in their entire discography, imho (And also one of their most stand-out ones, and I'm not just talking about the personnel here).

[@ussglowcloud6988]

He's a pretty good singer actually. He did a pretty decent impersonation of Jon Anderson while in Yes in my opinion. Also, I have to completely disagree with him about Trevor horn being ugly.

[@oliviertilanus]

Indeed Trevor Horn is a good looking man. However, if you look at his vocal range there is clearly something to be desired. He sounded great on Drama but that was partially because of him singing two-part. He does have a unique voice and I wish he had made another Buggles album.

[@bronzewolf6464]

This is my favorite one hit wonderland episode yet. Great work, Todd!!

[@PeaceLoveHeavyMetal]

This video made me really listen to the song and realise just how much I love it! It is an impeccable song!

[@davidnicholson6680]

I was a young kid when this song first hit. I loved it then and I love it now. It's strangely powerful. Also, that simple, descending synth line on the chorus combined with Horn's great bass line just works.

[@aydenflanigan3477]

The buggles are what 80s ELO should have been

[@blacckat74]

Apparently ELO's bandleader got ahold of some demo tape Trevor Horn worked on before the Buggles and riffed off of it to make 1981's Time album

[@kingpin1331]

Just saw Asia and Yes on their Royal Affair tour, they all played together and Asia preformed Video Killed The Radio Star lol

[@taylorfrench6722]

So, apparently this was age-restricted. Did KZbin kill the MTV star?

[@ZJohnnyBGood]

That was one of your best videos. Really interesting stuff and you seemed to enjoy it. It even made want to listen to the Buggles

[@RatelHBadger]

15:00 almost all of those Trevor Horne produced songs could be their own One Hit Wonderland episodes.

[@TheCountofToulouse]

You should watch the LIVE version of this song when they reunited for some charity event with the royal family in attendance. They utterly KILLED it.

[@annamonson212]

Thank you for commenting this! Immediately went over and enjoyed it

[@Radio_freewill]

Meanwhile, here in 2024, I’m marveling at Trevor Horne predicting shitty AI art.

[@MrIdylex]

if I ever got to submit a patreon request, it would've been this song

[@pdoglarsen]

Idylex I'd like to request In A Big Country.

[@nikitalane5543]

Idylex I would've requested Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

[@antoniopossidoniocamposnet1324]

FuzzzWuzzz Todd should do a One Album Wonderland for Europe.

[@TerribleResults]

FGTH's second hit, "When Two Tribes Go To War", sounds exactly like Relax. It makes me feel kinda funny, feel kinda sad.

[@palaguin]

AWESOME idea Antonio. I love most of the song there, especially Cherokee and Lovechaser.

[@Gigas0101]

"Weird mix of Devo and Abba" I'm getting more of a less threatening Pet Shop Boys from Living in the Plastic Age. Straaaaaaange that he went on to produce those guys. Also this is the best episode of your work so far, Todd. Fitting that I saw it it on youtube opposed to that guy with the glasses. Thanks for this one! The stuff with Asia and Yes blew my mind. I'm a fan of both bands but I never read into them that deep.

[@briaweea02]

Art of Noise? "Moments In Love" Art of Noise?!?! And "Kiss From A Rose", my mind is blown! Especially because I actually love "Video Killed The Radio Star", wow. That's really cool Edit: I let out the loudest "wtf?" at "All The Things She Said", like, come on lmao

[@blazicgd]

Can't Fight The Moonlight, Kiss From A Rose, and All The Things She Said??? Those 3 songs are soooooo different, yet the same man produced all 3?

[@CrisKRA]

It's 2023, I'm waiting on that new new-wave review

[@cdubsb3831]

Grew up with this album. As a toddler, I fell asleep to it every night and it honestly remains one of my top albums despite it's problems. I was surprised to know that my friend heard of them as well, and I'm glad that I grew up with them almost 20 years after it came out.

[@speedformercy]

while Drama was a bit divisive amongst Yes fans, although nothing like the war going on now, it was pretty well received at the time. I remember it vividly when it came out and it's a strong album with a ton of decent musicianship on all 6 tracks. Horn lacking Anderson's vocal range caused the other members to step up with their vocals, and oddly enough, in spite of the Buggles' pop sensibilities, it still has a bunch of very "prog" moments: songs speed up and slow down, switch from electric to acoustic, go on for more than 5, even 10 minutes, etc. Tempus Fugit is a good enough track that Yes continued to include it as part of bassist Chris Squire's extended solos 2 decades after Horn left the band for good. To be honest Drama was easier for many Yes fanatics to accept - at first, anyway - than 90125 by a long shot! As for Downs, he is the only consistent member of Asia, which could have been a phenomenal band if they ever kept a consistent line-up for more than 5 minutes, or if they could commit to a sound & mission statement. Otherwise Downs has been in and out of Yes for ages. He's not bad, but he lacks the distinct sound & stage presence of some of Yes's other keyboard wizards. Quick note: Horn didn't just produce the singles Relax and Kiss from a Rose, he produced the entire album Welcome to the Pleasure Dome (the extended version of the title track features none other than Yes guitarist Steve Howe!!) and Seal's 1st and 2nd albums. I figure Todd already knows all this but you can only put so much in one video. Back in the 80s the rumor was that the "band" Frankie Goes to Hollywood really didn't have much talent - witness by their lack of success after a very short run at the top - and basically it was Trevor Horn doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of any creativity. Seal is incredibly talented and probably could have made it big regardless of who produced his music but Horn's production + industry connections certainly didn't hurt

[@MattMcIrvin]

The thing that gets me about this song is, I don't think I ever even *heard* it back in the day-- I just heard *of* it as an answer to a trivia question. I don't remember it actually getting a lot of play; it was just this oddity. I've heard it all over the place only recently, as a nostalgia item. I think KZbin allowed the song itself to become more widely known, as a piece of music, because people could go look up the actual song and video that had that iconic status. And, you know, that's really on the nose itself, since the Internet killed the everything star. And... I like the song! I think it's a good song. Thoughtful, wistful lyrics, a meditation on history and loss. That surprises me. It's also clear that MTV chose the song as its opener in a very self-conscious way to promote themselves as harbingers of a new age.