MTV Sunglasses
MTV Sunglasses
MTV and Sunglasses!
On August 1, 1981, the music industry was forever changed by the launch of MTV. The initials stood for music television, but the concept stood for broadening the public’s exposure to the musicians behind the music. By its very nature, music is an auditory experience and was dominated by DJs, disc jockeys, since the early days of radio. MTV birthed the VJ, video jockey, and an opportunity for bands to show themselves to an audience larger than any tour could reach. With this tremendously large exposure came the opportunity for bands to show-off the stage image they had worked so hard to foster. The most widespread and universal characteristic the early stars of MTV seemed to have in common was their love of sunglasses.
Since the early days of Rock and Roll, musicians had been widely known to wear sunglasses both on and off the stage. Though Roy Orbison may have been one of the first to incorporate sunglasses as a permanent accessory to his performance styling, many other musicians quickly adopted the coolness of shades soon after. Bob Dylan continued the tradition, but these and other performers of those past generations were only ever seen in photographs and concerts. The majority of their fans may have loved their music but knew very little about their image. MTV gave musicians an opportunity to show the world a glimpse of just how cool these bands could look.
The maiden voyage that launched a thousand videos was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. The first video ever played began with a high contrast image of Trevor Horn in black and white with what appears to be a pair of oversized sunglasses. Later, as he is shown in normal exposure, you see that they are actually simple eyeglasses that appear to have exceptionally thick lenses that enlarge his pupils. Sunglasses first make their debut when The Buggles backup singers make their appearance in what appeared to be white-framed Ray Ban Wayfarers.
The Ray Ban Wayfarers were incredibly popular throughout the 1980s due to performers like Corey Heart and his popular song "Sunglasses at Night" that debuted on MTV in 1983. The 1980s popularized shades on many of the MTV musicians, but the majority of them seemed to be sporting Ray Bans. This was partly due to the fact that movie stars were popularizing them as well, but it was also partially because of the limited availability of sunglasses at the time. Ray Ban was an American brand that was easily found in the States, so it translated to a self-perpetuating cycle; that is until New Wave was born.
When people recall the popular culture of the 1980s, wild neon colors and large plastic sunglasses are often remembered. However, for those that lived through that era, most remember that it was New Wave bands like Flock of Seagulls and the Eurythmics that first exhibited that type of fashion. Both bands debuted on MTV featuring band members in sunglasses, but the really wild and exotic plastic sunglasses did not appear till years later.
