Video Killed the Radio Star

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox song "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their debut studio album, English Garden, and by British new wave/synth-pop group the Buggles, which consisted of Horn and Downes (and initially Woolley). The Buggles' version of the track was recorded and mixed in 1979, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979 by Island Records, and included on their debut studio album, The Age of Plastic.

The song relates to concerns about, and mixed attitudes toward 20th-century inventions and machines for the media arts. The song has been positively received by music critics, with its reviewers praising its unusual musical pop elements. On release, the Buggles' version topped sixteen international record charts, including those in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. It also peaked in the top 10 in Canada, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa, but only reached number 40 in the United States. It has also been certified Platinum in the United Kingdom and France, and has sold 5,000,000 copies worldwide.

The accompanying music video was written, directed, and edited by Russell Mulcahy. It was the first music video shown on MTV in the US, airing at 12:01Template:Nbspa.m. on 1 August 1981, and the first video shown on MTV Classic in the UK on 1 March 2010. The song has received several critical accolades, such as being ranked number 40 on VH1's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s".<ref name="VH1">Template:Cite web</ref> The song has also been covered by many recording artists, including Ben Folds Five, The Presidents of the United States of America, Robbie Williams, and Erasure.

Background and lyrics

The Buggles, who formed in 1977, first consisted of Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley.<ref name="Bio"/> They recorded the first demo of "Video Killed the Radio Star" on a Revox A77 tape recorder, one afternoon in 1978, in Downes' flat located above a monumental stonemason's in Wimbledon Park, London.<ref name="P-interview"/><ref name="GD"/><ref name="RB-interview"/> The piece was built up from a chorus riff developed by Woolley.<ref name="GD">Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of the three Buggles songs on which Woolley assisted in writing, the two others being "Clean, Clean" and "On TV".<ref name="Bio">Template:Cite web</ref> A later, more detailed demo of the song, featuring Horn's then-girlfriend Tina Charles on vocals, was recorded at Camden's Soundsuite Studios, and engineered by studio owner Peter Rackham. This demo became the blueprint for the final record, and helped the group get signed to Island Records to record and release their debut album The Age of Plastic, as well as producing and writing for the label, after Downes' girlfriend, who worked for Island, managed to get it played to executives there.<ref name="Bio"/><ref name="SOS"/><ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> Woolley left during recording to form his own band, The Camera Club, which did their own version of "Video", as well as "Clean, Clean" for their album English Garden.<ref name="Bio"/>

Horn has said that J. G. Ballard's short story "The Sound-Sweep", in which the title character—a mute boy vacuuming up stray music in a world without it—comes upon an opera singer hiding in a sewer, provided inspiration for "Video", and he felt "an era was about to pass."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Horn claimed that Kraftwerk was another influence of the song: "It was like you could see the future when you heard Kraftwerk, something new is coming, something different. Different rhythm section, different mentality. So we had all of that, myself and Bruce, and we wrote this song probably six months before we recorded it."<ref name="RB-interview">Template:Cite web</ref> In a 2018 interview Horn stated: "I'd read JG Ballard and had this vision of the future where record companies would have computers in the basement and manufacture artists. I'd heard Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine and video was coming. You could feel things changing".<ref name="guardian"/>

All the tracks of The Age of Plastic deal with positives and concerns of the impact of modern technology.<ref name="SOS"/> The theme of "Video Killed the Radio Star" is thus nostalgia, with the lyrics referring to a period of technological change in the 1960s, the desire to remember the past and the disappointment that children of the current generation would not appreciate the past.Template:Sfn The lyrics relate to concerns of the varied behaviours towards 20th-century technical inventions and machines used and changed in media arts such as photography, cinema, radio, television, audio recording and record production.Template:Sfn According to Horn, the band initially struggled to come up with a line to follow the song's opening ("I heard you on the wireless back in '52"): he eventually came up with "Lying awake intent at tuning in on you", inspired by memories of listening to Radio Luxembourg at night as a child.<ref name="guardian"/> Woolley worried about the song's name, given the existence of a band with the name Radio Stars and a song titled "Video King" by singer Snips.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Buggles version

Development and composition

The Buggles' version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a new wave and synth-pop song.<ref name="Allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It performs like an extended jingle,<ref name="Allmusic"/> sharing its rhythm characteristics with disco.Template:Sfn The piece plays in common time at a bright tempo of 132 beats per minute.<ref name="sheet">Template:Cite web</ref> It is in the key of D♭ major,<ref name="GD"/><ref name="sheet"/> and six basic chords are used in the song's chord progression.Template:Sfn According to Geoff Downes, "It's actually a lot more complicated piece of music than people think, for instance part of the bridge is actually suspended chords and minor 9ths. A lot of people transcribed the song wrongly, they thought it was a straight F# chord. The song was written in D flat. The suspended gives it a slightly different feel."<ref name="GD"/> Writing in his book, Pop Music: Technology and Creativity: Trevor Horn and the Digital Revolution, Timothy Warner said that the "relatively quiet introduction" helped the listener detect a high amount of "tape hiss" generated through the use of analog multi-track tape recorders, as well as the timbre of the synthesized instruments, give an indication of the technical process and time of producing the song.Template:Sfn

Horn and Downes tried to interest labels in the song, but were turned down multiple times, including by Island Records. Downes' then girlfriend worked for Island and was able to get the song listened to again. The demo ended up being heard by Chris Blackwell, who chose to sign the band.<ref>Template:Cite interview Template:Cbignore</ref> The song took more than three months of production.<ref name="GD" /> In 2018 Downes stated that the version that was released was rewritten from that recorded for the band's demo tape: the verses were extended and Downes contributed a new intro and middle eight, with the bulk of the original song having already been written by Horn and Woolley when he joined.<ref name="guardian" /> The instrumental track was recorded at Virgin's Town House in West London in twelve hours, with mixing and recording of vocals held at Sarm East Studios.<ref name="RB-interview" /><ref name="SOS" /><ref name="Smash" /> The entire song was mixed through a Trident TSM console.<ref name="SOS" /> "Video" was the first track recorded for the group's debut LP, The Age of Plastic, which cost a sum of £60,000 (Template:Inflation) to produce,<ref name="Smash">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the song was mixed by Gary Langan four or five times.<ref name="SOS" /> According to Langan, "there was no total recall, so we just used to start again. We’d do a mix and three or four days later Trevor would go, 'It's not happening. We need to do this and we need to do that.' The sound of the bass drum was one of his main concerns, along with his vocal and the backing vocals. It was all about how dry and how loud they should be in the mix without the whole thing sounding ridiculous. As it turned out, that record still had the loudest bass drum ever for its time."<ref name="SOS">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The song includes instrumentation of drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, synth strings, piano, glockenspiel, marimbas and other futuristic, twinkly sounds, and vocals.<ref name="Allmusic"/><ref name="GD"/>Template:SfnTemplate:Text-source inline Downes used a Solina, Minimoog and Prophet-5 to create the overdubbed orchestral parts.<ref name="GD"/> Both the male and female voices differ to give a tonal and historical contrast.Template:Sfn When Langan was interviewed in December 2011, he believed the male vocal was recorded through either a dynamic Shure SM57, SM58, Sennheiser MD 421, or STC 4038 ribbon microphone, and that four or five takes had to be done.<ref name="SOS"/> The male voice echoes the song's theme in the tone of the music, initially limited in bandwidth to give a "telephone" effect typical of early broadcasts, and uses a Mid-Atlantic accent resembling that of British singers in the 1950s and '60s.Template:Sfn The Vox AC30 amplifier was used to achieve the telephone effect, and Gary Langan says he was trying to make it "loud without cutting your head off". Gary Langan and Trevor Horn also tried using a bullhorn, but they found it too harsh. Langan later compressed and EQ'd the male vocals, and he said that doing the compression for old-style vocal parts was a "real skill".<ref name="SOS"/> The female vocals are panned in the left and right audio channels,<ref name="SOS"/> and sound more modern and have a New York accent.Template:Sfn

The single version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" lasts for 3 minutes and 25 seconds. The album version plays for 4 minutes and 13 seconds, about 48 seconds longer than the single version, as it fades into a piano and synth coda, titled "Polythene Symphonia", which ends with a brief sampling of the female vocals.<ref name="SOS"/>

Critical reception

The song became a Billboard Top Single Pick on 3 November 1979. The publication found the chorus catchy and also highlighted the orchestral instruments supporting the backing singers.<ref name="Billboardreview">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Although there had been a mixed review of the single from Smash Hits by Andy Partridge of XTC, who found the song to be "too tidy, like vymura" (wallpaper),<ref name="Smashreview">Template:Cite magazine</ref> they listed it in a review of The Age of Plastic as one of the best tracks of the album, along with "Living in the Plastic Age".<ref name="Smashrank">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Timothy Warner wrote that, although several common pop elements were still present in the song, it included stronger originality for its own purpose than most other pop hits released at the time.Template:Sfn These unusual pop music characteristics include the timbres of the male and female vocal parts, and the use of suspended fourth and ninths chords for enhancement in its progression.Template:Sfn He also felt it was unnecessary to dislike it as a "novelty song".Template:Sfn AllMusic's Heather Phares said the track "can be looked on as a perfectly preserved new wave gem", "just as the song looks back on the radio songs of the '50s and '60s". She concluded her review by saying that it "still sounds as immediate as it did when it was released, however, and that may be the song's greatest irony".<ref name="Allmusic" />

However, many writers called Woolley's recording of "Video" much better than the Buggles' version.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This included one critic who called both acts overall as of being very high quality, but felt that Woolley's version was more faithful to the source material than that of the Buggles, noting the filtered vocals and cute, female vocals of the latter rendition as giving it a novelty feel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, he also wrote of liking both versions of "Clean, Clean" on the same level. For what it's worth, the Woolley version ranked number 18 for 2 weeks on Canada's CHUM Chart, 19 and 26 May 1980.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2024, Billboard recognized "Video Killed the Radio Star" as one of the 100 greatest songs about the music industry, ranking it at number one.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Accolades

Publication/TV show/author(s)	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
20 to 1	Australia	Top 20 One Hit Wonders<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>	2006	3
Bruce Pollock	United States	The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	2005	*
Giannis Petridis	Greece	2004 of the Best Songs of the CenturyTemplate:CN	2003
Gilles Verlant, Thomas Caussé	France	3000 Rock ClassicsTemplate:CN	2009
The Guardian	United Kingdom	The Top 100 British Number 1 Singles<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>		53
Hervé Bourhis	France	Le Petit Livre Rock: The Juke Box Singles 1950-2009Template:CN	2009	*
Les Inrockuptibles		1000 Indispensable SongsTemplate:CN	2006
Mashable	United States	32 Unforgettable Music Videos<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2013
MSN Music	United Kingdom	Best Song Titles Ever<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2003	19
NBC-10	United States	The 30 Best Songs of the 80sTemplate:CN	2006	*
Pause & Play		Songs Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Track at Each WeekTemplate:CN
PopMatters		The 100 Best Songs Since Johnny Rotten Roared<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2003	73
Q	United Kingdom	The 1010 Songs You Must Own (Q50: One-hit Wonders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2004	*
Time	United States	Top 10 MTV Moments<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2010
Time Out	United Kingdom	100 Songs That Changed History<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>		100
Triple J Hottest 100	Australia	Hottest 100 of All Time<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1998	79
VH1	United States	100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80's<ref name="VH1" />	2009	40
		100 Greatest Videos<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2001	79
Volume!	France	200 Records that Changed the WorldTemplate:CN	2008	*
Xfinity	United States	Top 10 Groundbreaking Videos<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>		10
WhatCulture!		10 Controversial Music Videos That Look Tame Today<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2013	*
WOXY.com		The 500 Best Modern Rock Songs of All TimeTemplate:CN	2008	348
"*" indicates the list is unordered.

Commercial performance

"Video Killed the Radio Star" was a huge commercial success, reaching number one on 16 national charts.<ref name="Peel"/> The song made its debut on the UK Singles Chart in the top 40 at number 24, on the issue dated 29 September 1979.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The next week, the track entered into the chart's top ten at number six<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before topping the chart on the week of 20 October.<ref name="UK"/> It was the 444th UK number-one hit in the chart's entire archive.<ref name="Peel">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, the single was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for UK sales and streams of 600,000 units.<ref name="BPI"/>

In Australia, "Video Killed the Radio Star" reached number one, and for 27 years it held the country's record for best-selling single.<ref name="Peel"/> In late 1979, while the single was still in an eight-week run at Number one in the charts, the single was awarded a platinum disc by Festival Records, the record's distributing company, for sales of over 100,000 copies in Australia.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song also made a number-one peak in France and Spain,<ref name="France"/><ref name="Spain"/> where it was certified gold and platinum, respectively, as well as Austria,<ref name="Austria"/> Ireland,<ref name="Ireland"/> Sweden<ref name="Sweden"/> and Switzerland.<ref name="Switzerland"/> In other parts of Europe and Oceania, "Video Killed the Radio Star" was a number-two hit in Germany and New Zealand,<ref name="Germany"/><ref name="New Zealand"/> and also charted in Flanders on the Ultratop 50<ref name= "Ultratop"/> and in the Netherlands, on the Nationale Hitparade Top 50 (now the Single Top 100) and Dutch Top 40.<ref name="Dutch100"/><ref name="Dutch40"/>

"Video Killed the Radio Star" did not start charting in North America, however, until November 1979. In the United States, the song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, barely breaking into the top 40 on both charts.<ref name="awards"/><ref name="Cashbox"/> In a 2015 list from Billboard, it tied with Marvin Gaye's recording of "The End of Our Road" as the "Biggest Hot 100 Hit" at the peak of number 40.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Video Killed the Radio Star" debuted at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of 10 November 1979,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while on the Cash Box Top 100 it debuted at number 83 that same week.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It started also at number 83 on the Canadian RPM Top Single Chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> By January 1980, it entered the top 40 at number 31,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and on 2 February made it into the top 20 at number 11.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Two weeks later, the song earned its peak in the top 10 at number 6 and issue dated 16 February 1980.<ref name="Canada"/>

Music video

Production and concept

In a white studio, Geoff Downes is playing multiple keyboards and Trevor Horn playing a bass guitar, both wearing silver suits. A woman in a tube behind Horn is also wearing a silver costume.

Trevor Horn (right) and Geoff Downes (left) as they appear in the video.

The music video for "Video Killed the Radio Star", written, directed and edited by Australian Russell Mulcahy,<ref name="MyMTV"/><ref name="IntheCity"/> was produced on a budget of $50,000.<ref name="P-interview">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The video was shot in one day in South London,<ref name="MyMTV">Template:Cite book</ref> and was edited over two days.<ref name="IntheCity">Template:Cite AV media</ref> Around 30 takes were required for shots of the actress in the tube. The tube falls over in the video, although Mulcahy claims it was not intended to be shown in the final edit.<ref name="MyMTV" /> Hans Zimmer can be briefly seen wearing black playing a keyboard,<ref name="CoS" /> and Debi Doss and Linda Jardim-Allen, who provided the female vocals for the song, are also seen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The video begins with a young girl sitting in front of a radio. A black-and-white shot of Trevor Horn singing into an early radio-era microphone is superimposed over the young girl by the radio. The radio explodes by the time of the first chorus, then in the second verse, the girl is seen transported into the future, where she meets Horn and a silver-jumpsuited woman in a clear plastic tube. Shots of Horn and Geoff Downes are shown during the remainder of the video.<ref name="CoS">Template:Cite web</ref>

Broadcasting and reception

The music video was first released in 1979,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> when it was originally broadcast on the BBC's Top of the Pops for promotion of the single, in lieu of doing live performances.<ref name="P-interview"/> Zimmer recalled in 2001 that the video drew criticism from some viewers who watched it before it aired on MTV, due to being Template:"'too violent' because we blew up a television."<ref name="P-interview"/> The music video for Video Killed the Radio Star is notable as the first video ever played on MTV, when the US channel began broadcasting at 12:01 AM on 1 August 1981.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 27 February 2000, it became the one millionth video to be broadcast on MTV.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It also opened MTV Classic in the UK and Ireland. The video marked the closing of MTV Philippines before its shutdown on 15 February 2010 at 11:49 PM.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> MTV co-founder Bob Pittman said the video "made an aspirational statement. We didn't expect to be competitive with radio, but it was certainly a sea-change kind of video."<ref name="P-interview"/> In July 2013, multiple independent artists covered the song for the launch of the TV channel Pivot, which launched with the music video of the cover on 1 August at 6Template:Nbspam.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Track listing

1. "Video Killed the Radio Star"
2. "Kid Dynamo"

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart

Year	Chart	Peak position
1979–1980
	Argentina (CAPIF)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	15
	Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
	Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
	France (IFOP)<ref name="France">Template:Cite web</ref>	1
	Italy (Musica e Dischi)<ref>Template:Cite web Set "Tipo" on "Singoli", then search "Video killed the radio star" under "Titolo".</ref>	1
	Japan (Oricon International Chart)<ref name="Japan">Template:Cite web</ref>	1
	Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)<ref name="Japan"/>	25
	South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	6
	Spain (AFE)<ref name="Spain">Template:Cite bookTemplate:Page needed</ref>	1
	US Billboard Hot 100<ref name="awards">Template:Cite web</ref>	40
	US Cash Box<ref name="Cashbox">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	40
	2013

Year-end charts

Year	Chart	Position
1979	Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	18
	Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	94
	France (IFOP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	3
	UK Singles (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	17
1980	Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus80">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	46
	Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	14
	Canada (RPM Top Singles)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	30
	Germany (Media Control Charts)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	43

Personnel

Musicians

• Geoff Downes – keyboards, percussion
• Trevor Horn – lead vocals, bass guitar
• Debi Doss – backing vocals, chorus vocals
• Linda Jardim-Allen – backing vocals, chorus vocals
• Dave Birch – guitars
• Phil Towner – drums

Technical

• Gary Langan – mixing, recording
• Hugh Padgham – recording, audio engineering
• John Dent – mastering

Sources:<ref name="SOS" /><ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club version

Woolley's version was the first to be released, as a June 1979 single with his group the Camera Club on Epic Records, backed with "Get Away William" (written by Woolley and Dave Birch). It was also included on their debut studio album English Garden later that year. Their version was recorded in the same year as the Buggles' version, and was produced by Mike Hurst. Thomas Dolby, who helped produce the Buggles' version, play the keyboards on Woolley's version. Another contributer to the Buggles' version, Dave Birch, also contributed guitars to Woolley's version.

Track listing

1. "Video Killed the Radio Star"
2. "Get Away William"

Personnel

Musicians

• Bruce Woolley – vocals, guitar
• Dave Birch – guitar
• Matthew Seligman – bass
• Thomas Dolby – keyboards
• Rod Johnson – drums

Technical

• Richard Goldblatt – engineering

Template:Anchor Live performances and cover versions

• A notable interpretation of the melody was released in 1979 by French singer Ringo, using French language lyrics by Étienne Roda-Gil supplying a new title Template:Lang ("Who is this big black raven?")<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Foucault">Template:Cite web</ref> Ringo's version peaked at number 8 in France.<ref name="Foucault" />
• Ben Folds Five included a studio recording in the 2005 remastered release of 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen, as it was a staple of their live shows.
• The Presidents of the United States of America recorded a cover of the song which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1998 film The Wedding Singer starring Adam Sandler.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• A rare live performance of the song by Horn and Downes came at a ZTT showcase in 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed by a performance of the song at a Prince's Trust concert celebrating Horn's 25 years as a record producer on 11 November 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In November 2006, the Producers played at their first gig in Camden Town. A video clip can be seen on ZTT Records of Horn singing lead vocals and playing bass in a performance of "Video Killed the Radio Star". Tina Charles appears on a YouTube video singing "Slave to the Rhythm" with the Producers<ref>Template:YouTube</ref> and Horn reveals that Charles was the singer and originator of the "Oh Ah-Oh Ah-Oh" part of the song; fellow 5000 Volt member Martin Jay was also a session musician on The Buggles record.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Robbie Williams performed the song with Trevor Horn at the BBC Electric Proms on 20 October 2009.<ref name="RW">Template:Cite news</ref> He also parodied the song's name for his eighth studio album, Reality Killed the Video Star, released that same year and produced by Horn.
• Erasure covered this song as a final track to their Other People's Songs album. Vince Clarke in an interview said that he considers it "the perfect pop song".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Anne Dudley, composer and co-founding member of The Art of Noise with Trevor Horn, performed the song on solo piano on her album Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Samples and interpolations

• In 2010, Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas and Nicki Minaj released the single "Check It Out" for the latter's debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). The song heavily samples "Video Killed the Radio Star". Upon its release, it charted at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also peaked within the top 10 on charts in Belgium<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Japan,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was certified Silver in the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2025, Lil Tecca, released the second and final single to his fifth studio album, Dopamine (2025), entitled "Owa Owa". The song samples "Video Killed the Radio Star" in its chorus, with the song's title referencing the portion used. Upon its release, the single charted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and peaked within the top 10 on charts in Malta<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The song's name will be used for the upcoming British horror film Video Killed the Radio Star, which takes place in 1979,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the same year the song was recorded and released in.

In popular culture

In February 2002, while on international duty with England, David Beckham became involved in an argument with journalist Rob Shepherd during a press conference after Shepherd made a joke about David and Victoria Beckham's habit of finishing second (David finishing second in the recent FIFA World Player of the Year vote, and Victoria's inability to have a number 1 hit). Beckham sarcastically asked Shepherd, "What do you know about music? How many people in your family have ever had a number one?" Shepherd replied, "One. My sister was in The Buggles." His sister was Linda Jardim-Allen, who sang vocals on the song.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In mid-2020, the song became popular among TikTok users as a trend to revisit celebrity death conspiracies,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and across the internet when a deepfake of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin singing the song went viral on multiple social media sites.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Reality Killed the Video Star, a 2009 album by Robbie Williams produced by Trevor Horn
• "Internet Killed the Video Star", a 2010 song by the Limousines
• "Check It Out", a 2010 song by Will.i.am and Nicki Minaj which heavily samples the song.
• "Owa Owa", a 2025 song by Lil Tecca which also heavily samples the song.
• Video Killed the Radio Star (film)

No. 1 chart lists

• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
• List of European number-one hits of 1980
• List of number-one singles of 1979 (France)
• List of number-one singles of 1979 (Ireland)
• List of number-one hits of 1980 (Italy)
• List of number-one singles of 1980 (Spain)
• List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
• List of number-one singles from 1968 to 1979 (Switzerland)
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1970s
• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book