All Songs Considered: "What are the greatest videos of MTV’s golden era?"

Host: Robin Hilton, NPR
Guests: Stephen Thompson, Anne Powers
Date: January 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Robin Hilton is joined by NPR music writers Stephen Thompson and Anne Powers to celebrate and debate the most groundbreaking, influential, and personally beloved music videos of MTV’s golden era. Prompted by rumors (and clarifications) about MTV’s demise, the team embarks on a nostalgic and passionate roundtable: What were the greatest videos from the first two decades of the iconic channel, and why did they matter?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Record Straight: Is MTV Really Gone?

• Robin recounts headlines of MTV being "officially dead," clarifying that while some European music video channels have closed, music videos continue to air on U.S. outlets like MTV Classic.
  • “The story was that the parent company Paramount had completely pulled the plug on music videos once and for all. ... But the problem with all of this is it's not true. Not entirely true.” (00:39)
• Stephen points out the long history of dire pronouncements about MTV’s fate.
  • “I feel like we've been seeing this exact headline for 30 years.” (00:35)
• Ongoing nostalgia for the original, video-centric MTV is a jumping-off point for revisiting its most lasting artifacts.

2. Ground Rules: What Counts as MTV's Golden Era?

• Early MTV defined roughly as 1981 (launch) through the late 1990s/early 2000s.
  • “I think of the era beginning certainly in 1981 when it first goes on the air. I think by 2000, 2001, 2. I think we're done.” – Robin (04:54)
• Focus on videos that were impactful within MTV’s context, not necessarily the “greatest of all time.”
  • “We're specifically talking about mtv. And I think it's fair to say we're pretty specifically talking about early days of mtv.” – Stephen (04:38)
• Some consensus classics are automatically included.

3. The Five Untouchables: Consensus Classics

Robin rattles off five videos so essential they “don’t even need to be mentioned”:

• “Thriller” – Michael Jackson

• “Take On Me” – A-ha

• “Sledgehammer” – Peter Gabriel

• “Money for Nothing” – Dire Straits

• “Video Killed the Radio Star” – The Buggles

  • “You have to include it whether it's great video or not, because it's too important. It's like the title track of mtv.” – Anne, about "Video Killed the Radio Star" (06:01)

4. Personal Picks & Why They Mattered

a. "Take On Me" – A-ha

• Stephen’s #1 pick: technical innovation (animated/live action hybrid), aspirational stardom.
  • “Not only is it a great song … it still looks amazing ... I wanted to look like Morten Harket more than I wanted anything else in the world.” (07:09)

b. "Nothing Compares 2 U" – Sinead O’Connor

• Anne: Simplicity and pure emotion; the radical power of a close-up.
  • “It shows you how simplicity can be so radical. Right. And so effective.” (09:03)

c. "Rhythm Nation" – Janet Jackson

• Robin: The zenith of dance in music video, a “masterclass.”
  • “I think, to this date, greatest dance video of all time. I have pulled this video up just to show my kids … Watch this Janet Jackson video from 30, 35 years ago.” (11:46)

d. "Brass in Pocket" – The Pretenders

• Anne: Early storytelling and representation, 7th video ever played on MTV.
  • “It was one of the early examples of storytelling in these videos—you're getting an entire little movie in about three minutes.” – Robin (20:08)

e. "Addicted to Love" – Robert Palmer

• Stephen: Masculinity templates—suavity, iconic imagery.
  • “This was a picture of suavity. … There were many versions of that, none of which I could possibly attain.” (22:23)

f. "Freedom! 90" – George Michael

• Robin: The allure and aspiration of that era.
  • “There was this whole universe that I wished I could live in and be. … No video made me feel smaller and make me want more than George Michael’s Freedom 90.” (22:49)

g. "Human Behaviour" – Björk (dir. Michel Gondry)

• Anne: Surrealism and artistry in the MTV era.
  • “Björk, in that it's both magical and you want to enter that realm. But in her Icelandic way, she's always like, look, bears are cool, but they will eat you. And I think that's an important message.” (26:15)

5. MTV’s Formative Power: Personal Origin Stories

• Stephen: Seeing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics (14:43), obsessively tracking pop charts.
  • “I basically immediately became obsessed with pop music.” (15:29)
• Robin: First video ever seen was “Mickey” by Toni Basil, in a Kansas City hotel (18:16).
• Anne: Experiencing an MTV preview at a festival, reinforcing the channel’s mythic allure. (17:19)

6. Other Icons & Cultural Shifts

• The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket”: illustrating early video storytelling, the desire to “be seen.”
• “Twisted Sister” – “We’re Not Gonna Take It” & “I Wanna Rock”: camp, rebellion, “seared into my brain in a way that … I will forget members of my family before I forget these videos.” – Stephen (27:38)
• “Rocket” – Herbie Hancock: robots, surrealism, hip-hop on MTV.
• “Nothing But a G Thang” – Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg: MTV as window into Black culture, LA, and hip-hop’s everyday life.
  • “It is just these guys driving through South Central, going to a barbecue ... completely puts you into that milieu.” – Anne (33:12)
• “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys (dir. Spike Jonze): parody and style.
  • “It is a perfect marriage of amazing song, hilarious, amazing visuals.” – Stephen (35:32)
• “Weapon of Choice” – Fatboy Slim (dir. Spike Jonze, starring Christopher Walken): signals the end of MTV’s truly golden video era.

7. Innovation & Directors

Discussion highlights the role of major filmmakers who cut their teeth on music videos:

• David Fincher (“Freedom! 90”)
• Michel Gondry (“Human Behaviour”)
• Jonathan Glazer (“Virtual Insanity”)
• Hype Williams (Missy Elliott)
• Spike Jonze (Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim)

8. Final Top 20 (+3 Tie-breakers)

Consensus Top 20 MTV Golden Era Videos (in the order mentioned):

1. Thriller – Michael Jackson
2. Take On Me – A-ha
3. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
4. Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
5. Video Killed the Radio Star – The Buggles
6. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
7. Rhythm Nation – Janet Jackson
8. Brass in Pocket – The Pretenders
9. Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer
10. Freedom! 90 – George Michael
11. Human Behaviour – Björk
12. We’re Not Gonna Take It/I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister
13. Rocket – Herbie Hancock
14. Nuthin’ But a 'G' Thang – Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
15. Sabotage – Beastie Boys
16. Weapon of Choice – Fatboy Slim
17. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) – Missy Elliott
18. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
19. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

Final slot (tie among):

• Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
• Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
• Kiss – Prince & The Revolution

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Reality of MTV’s Demise:
  “The problem with all of this is it's not true. Not entirely true.” – Robin (01:05)
• On Early MTV’s Appeal:
  “We thought we had landed on another planet. … Everything about it was mind blowing because not only did I start hearing all of these songs for the first time, I started seeing what the artists looked like.” – Robin (18:30)
• On the Power of Simplicity in Sinead O’Connor’s Video:
  “It’s as simple as it gets. But man, it shows you how simplicity can be so radical.” – Anne (09:03)
• On Janet Jackson’s Dance Masterclass:
  “If you want to know about dance and how music and dance intersected in the 80s and the 90s, this is where you’re going to find the masterclass.” – Anne (12:31)
• Reflecting Generational Impact:
  “I was surrounded by great music as a little kid, but it wasn't mine. Watching MTV, it suddenly became mine.” – Stephen (15:40)
• On the Denial of Coolness in "Kiss":
  “There is a gigantic number one hit single in which someone says, you don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to be cool. … God bless that man.” – Stephen (52:08)
• On Omitted Videos:
  “We left out literally thousands… I’m sure everyone is going to disagree with all of our picks, and there’s so many things that we didn’t include. ... You could fill an entire filing cabinet with all the ones we’ve gotten so far.” – Robin (53:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• MTV’s “death” and the real story: 00:15–03:10
• Setting ground rules for their choices: 03:34–04:54
• The untouchable five: 05:04–05:57
• Personal picks and explanations begin: 06:12–
• Origin stories: hosts’ first MTV experiences: 14:25–19:05
• Notable directors/future filmmakers: 24:54–25:17, 30:07–31:24
• MTV’s impact on identity and culture: 22:49–24:43
• Final tie-breaker and closing thoughts: 46:52–53:46

Tone & Style

The conversation is nostalgic, enthusiastic, and peppered with personal anecdotes, warm banter, and irreverent asides. The hosts’ selections reflect both cultural significance and personal resonance, remaining true to the mixtape spirit of golden-age MTV—part curatorial, part confession.