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 "Your Wildest Dreams" by The Moody Blues. It was released as the first single from the band's 1986 album The Other Side of Life. "Your Wildest Dreams" was a peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and making it to #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. This was the band's highest charting U.S. single since "Nights in White Satin" in 1972 which was a #2 over 14 years earlier. This song introduced The Moody Blues to a whole new generation. To be honest, I was not even familiar with them personally prior to this song. A big reason for the song's success was its music video which received heavy rotation on MTV.
The music video for "Your Wildest Dream" was directed by Brian Grant who was one of the most prolific music video directors of the decade. Grant is also responsible for bringing us Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey", Duran Duran's "New Moon on Monday", Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money", Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", Tina Turner's "Private Dancer", Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" and Jody Watley's "Looking For a New Love" among many others. I had the pleasure of an interview with Brian Grant and, though I did not ask him about this video specifically, you can find out a lot about his other work by reading that.
The music video for "Your Wildest Dreams" depicts Justin Hayward (the song's writer and lead vocalist) with a woman (played by Janet Spencer-Turner) showing how their relationship drifted apart as the band's success grew. Both are shown moving on while also wondering about each other and what might have been. The woman is shown attending one of their performances and trying to meet him backstage but she is unsuccessful as he is ushered away before they can reunite. In flashback scenes, the young Moody Blues are represented in the video by the British band Mood Six. Here is the music video for "Your Wildest Dreams" by The Moody Blues...
At the 8th Annual Billboard Video Music Conference held in November 1986, the music video for "Your Wildest Dreams" was recognized as Best Overall Video and Best Group Performance while Brian Grant was awarded the top director honor.
The 1988 hit single "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" was written as a sequel of sorts by Justin Hayward, so that music video also was a sequel to "Your Wildest Dreams" once again co-starring Janet Spencer-Turner as the lost love. Hope you enjoyed another trip back to the '80s thanks to Flashback Video!
Comments