In the 80s movie theatres–always desperate to try to be “hip” and “relevant’ and “in on what the cool kids are doing” started mixing a music video in with the trailers before a feature. A “Video ZAP!” they called it, I kid you not.
Yes, this was one of those “Video Zaps”. Try to imagine this on a huge screen, David and Mick cavorting and mugging and shaking their asses while 30 feet tall…
All jokes about the video aside, I think the song is so goddamn bad as well. The horribly cheesy drum sound. Somehow they have no vocal chemistry. Bowie feels so out of place in this sound and the overbearing cheeriness of it all is so nauseating.
While I actually think that the [original video for ‘Space Oddity’](https://youtu.be/tRMZ_5WYmCg?si=Y9_qrE2j9ROrUGpn) is better than the more successful later one, if this was the only version of the song his career might never have achieved lift-off!
You’re looking at this video through the 2023 glasses. Yes it looks cheesy now, but in the 80s this was a perfectly good video for a song that got tons of air play.
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The thing about the 80s is it wasn’t possible to go over the top. We hadn’t discovered the top yet.
ETA: Arguably Billy Squire did ruin his career with his Rock Me Tonight video.
https://youtu.be/2V9pLyEL5Ko?si=bOr2olLSmI5GxQDZ
The video makes more sense without the music
https://youtu.be/BHkhIjG0DKc?si=OLE_1TDsCF6C7UE5
[I’ll just leave this here](https://youtu.be/BHkhIjG0DKc?si=rJFrrAG0RjNPr47k)
I knew the video before clicking 😱
Cocaine is a helluva drug
Love it
In the 80s movie theatres–always desperate to try to be “hip” and “relevant’ and “in on what the cool kids are doing” started mixing a music video in with the trailers before a feature. A “Video ZAP!” they called it, I kid you not.
Yes, this was one of those “Video Zaps”. Try to imagine this on a huge screen, David and Mick cavorting and mugging and shaking their asses while 30 feet tall…
So high you think you can fly .
Jeez this sounds bad
Today, not back than.
Yes, just imagine if Billy squier had made that video…
All jokes about the video aside, I think the song is so goddamn bad as well. The horribly cheesy drum sound. Somehow they have no vocal chemistry. Bowie feels so out of place in this sound and the overbearing cheeriness of it all is so nauseating.
While I actually think that the [original video for ‘Space Oddity’](https://youtu.be/tRMZ_5WYmCg?si=Y9_qrE2j9ROrUGpn) is better than the more successful later one, if this was the only version of the song his career might never have achieved lift-off!
It was made for Live Aid/Band Aid to raise money so wasn’t exactly a full production crew behind it. I.e. it was made on the quick and cheap.
Tell me you weren’t alive in 80s/90s without telling me OP.
Definitely puts context to [Moves like Jagger](https://youtu.be/iEPTlhBmwRg?si=-8-Ab9BxJgXCobPV).
You’re looking at this video through the 2023 glasses. Yes it looks cheesy now, but in the 80s this was a perfectly good video for a song that got tons of air play.