Review:

on 2011-03-18 CharlesMartel Said:

This song was influential for many reasons, not the least because its advent heralded the MTV era - and became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy in the end. Whether or not the Buggles could ever foresee how prophetic this song would be is debatable - we often credit musicians with powers and abilities they do not, in reality, possess. However, there is no doubt that, deliberate or otherwise, the Buggles were onto something when they released this record. Perhaps that is why it has proved to be such an enduring success.

The first video ever played on MTV was not of itself responsible for the travesty that channel has become, but it did foresee it. In spite of the success of this record, the Buggles never really followed it up with anything worthwhile. And just to prove that truth really is stranger than fiction, the Buggle boys ended up joining prog-rock crashing bores Yes to carry on their musical journey. Perhaps it was Trevor Horn's skill as a producer which helped (he was responsible for the production of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" among others). The song may sound dated these days but it set a trend in pop which was to last throughout the eighties.
Rating: 9/10