Ever since the dawn of MTV and Friday Night Videos, the music video has significantly impacted musical tastes and pop culture. It might not be as extreme as when the Buggles declared that "Video Killed the Radio Star", but there is no arguing that the music video certainly could make or break a song's popularity. So this regular Flashback Video feature will serve to remember some of the music videos from the great '80s decade that made an impact on me in one way or another.
This issue we will cover "New Song" by Howard Jones. This was the debut single for Howard Jones released in September of 1983 in the UK, but not until 1984 in the U.S. when his debut album, Human's Lib, was also released. "New Song" spent 20 weeks on the UK charts peaking at #3 and then spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. peaking at #27 in March of 1984.
"New Song" is telling us we can achieve our dreams if you keep working hard at them, no matter what others may think. Howard Jones has said, "I was working in the factory at the time - I was doing the gigs at night and I was working in the factory. And I wanted to say to people, 'You can. It is possible to do what you really want to do if you've got enough guts and determination. You can do what you're really good at in this life if you set your mind to it.' And so really that's what that song's about. It's about letting go of fear and seeing both sides of an argument and throwing off the things that hold you back mentally."
The music video is a very literal interpretation of what Jones is trying to say in the song. It shows him escaping the factory life and becoming liberated through music, along the way he visits London's Holborn Station to perform for the patrons then gets a window cleaner to take a break from his work and then lastly even imparts his message to school children by standing on a desk and warning them: "Don't be fooled by what you hear." The children then follow Jones outside to play on the lawn as the video ends. Here is the music video for “New Song” by Howard Jones…
As with most Howard Jones songs, it features a catchy synth-pop beat along with fantastic lyrics. I am a fan of much of Jones' work from the decade, but this first single is still one of my favorites.
Hope you enjoyed another trip back to the '80s thanks to Flashback Video!