Tag Archives: Videos

Most people think of music videos as being a product of the Eighties. While the Eighties is when the music video format rose to prominence, like most modern musical traditions, music videos can trace their roots back to The Beatles. The first music video to achieve broad access was created as promotion material for the June 1966 release of single for “Paperback Writer” and the connected B-side “Rain” by The Beatles. The term “music video” is attributed to disk-jockey J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson in 1959. There were three music videos that accompanied “Paperback Writer” and “Rain.” One, recorded May 20, 1966 at Chiswick House in London follows The Beatles as the sing and walk through a garden. The other two music videos were very similar. The first was a black and white soundstage performance by the band, and intended to air in the UK. The other was a color version, intended for The Ed Sullivan Show. The two performance videos were filmed on May 19, 1966. The performance videos would set the tone for music videos for a long time to come. The Kinks music video was one of the first released with a plot not connected to the … Continue reading