In our previous '50s, '60s and '70s examinations of Feel-Bad Hits of the Summer, a song had only to depress, distress and oppress listeners on its own merits, be it regrettable lyrics, ill-chosen instrumentation or unseemly intentions. With the advent of MTV, we had another component that could reach out and trash someone’s day: the dreaded music video.
When we were spoon-fed imagery of an artist or video director’s choosing, our vivid imaginations were forever stuck replaying the same infelicitous mental pictures whenever we heard said song. It’s impossible to hear “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and not see ninjas.
As Valerie Perrine told a then-Bruce Jenner in the prophetically named Village People movie "Can’t Stop the Music," “This is the Eighties, doll, you're gonna see many things yo