The Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star | 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏

In the 10^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏, we highlight “Video Killed the Radio Star” performed by The Buggles.  

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 10^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏, we dive into 🎵 “Video Killed the Radio Star”,  the one hit wonder by 🎙 The Buggles.

“Oh-a oh-a.” Sigh, that’s an iconic moment from an iconic song! The song is 🎵 “Video Killed the Radio Star”, the sole hit by 🎙 The Buggles in the United States.  Of course, such fun, but silly lyrics aren’t the sole reason this 1979 record earned the English new wave band notoriety.  This record reflects on technological advancements, particular how such advancements have had a negative impact.  “They took credit for your second symphony,” 🎙 Trevor Horn sings in the first verse, continuing, “Rewritten by a machine on new technology / And now I understand the problems you could see.” Does a machine really need to rewrite a masterpiece such as a symphony? Food for thought.

Even though “Video Killed the Radio Star” arrived in 1979, eventually appearing on The Buggles’ 1980 album, 💿 The Age of Plastic, is what the band sings about dated at this point? No, because technology doesn’t stop, and new technology consistently replaces old.  In a musical context, look at how music is consumed these days. sure, “Video killed the radio star / Pictures came and broke your heart” back in the 80s but look at how music is consumed now. Streaming has surpassed physical sales of music, for example.  Trevor Horn, assisted by 🎙 Debi Doss and 🎙 Linda Jardim  continues to talk about the changes in the second verse: “And now we meet in an abandoned studio / We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.” Besides thought-provoking lyrics, tongue-in-cheek vocals, and respectable lead vocals by Horn, the music on this  Horn, 🎼 ✍ Bruce Woolery, and Geoff Downes penned track is exuberant – totally rad 🤘. One hit The Buggles may have had, but 🎵 “Video Killed the Radio Star” is an awesome one that never gets old 💯!

🎙 The Buggles • 💿 The Age of Plastic • 🏷 The Island Def Jam Music Group • 🗓 1980

The Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star: 1 Hit WONDERful 👏👏👏 No. 10 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; The Island Def Jam Music Group; Julia Larsen, Kurchakto, RDNE Stock project, Victor Terrell from Pexels; Andrew Martin from Pixabay]