Talk:Video Killed the Radio Star

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Former featured article candidateVideo Killed the Radio Star is a former featured article candidate. Please view the links under Article milestones below to see why the nomination failed. For older candidates, please check the archive.
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DateProcessResult
January 12, 2010Featured article candidateNot promoted
On this day...A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on August 1, 2018.

VTR to VCR[edit]

Maybe mention the fact the one lyric stating 'VTR' is replaced with 'VCR'? I'm guessing VTR is outdated and people wouldn't know what it is. Here is a link to the bands performance in 2004 with the lyric VTR changed to VCR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9slEfTBRXc&NR=1

-G —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.246.112.186 (talk) 21:48, 29 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

VTR isn't actually outdated, it's technical. The term is still used in the broadcasting industry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.133.8.248 (talk) 23:12, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
There is dispute about what the actual lyric is here. Both would be applicable for slightly different reasons or time frame. Even the fact that there is a dispute about the lyric and the related discussion about a VTR vs a VCR (which I always took it to be) should be mentioned but I don't like putting it in the lede paragraph. Trackinfo (talk) 04:32, 25 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
VTR is any machine that records video onto tape. VCR is a VTR where the tape is enclosed in a cassette. A VTR may not be a VCR but all VCRs are VTRs. Bizzybody (talk) 01:25, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The original lyric is "VTR" - at the time (1979) professional & broadcast video was recorded onto Video Tape Recorders using open reels - hence the phrase "Run VTR" in TV stations. Though VHS and Betamax VCR machines had arrived a few year earlier, they were still inferior in picture and audio quality and would not have been used for anything other than home and school use. BTW, the VCR started to become affordable by the average British consumer around 1981/82, although they were still around £400.00 to buy IIRC. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 14:50, 26 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

New Wave???[edit]

In what sense is this a New Wave song as opposed to Pop song? It sounds to me more like standard pre-punk pop and not at all related to the punk/new wave movement. The fact that Horn and Woolley were professional session musicians who had previous worked for Tina Charles would seem to confirm this.

Technically it belongs to a genre called Technopop, although Wikipedia seems not to distinguish this from a number of relatively unrelated musical styles, lumping them all together under 'New Wave'.
Other Technopop bands around at the time (1979-80) - apart from The Buggles - were New Musik and YMO - the latter actually having a track called 'Technopop' - while Sparks was also in there at the time with the 1979 Number One Song in Heaven album.
Generaly, technopop was synthesizer-based but had a much faster tempo up-beat sound with catchy tunes, i.e., tracks suitable for release as a pop single - sort of 'technical pop' - as opposed to album-orientated synthesizer bands such as Kraftwerk and perhaps Jean Michel Jarre. Technopop bands had a noticeable electronic element in their sound, often using sounds that were not possible with conventional musical instruments, so they sounded artificial, while still being musical.
The genre only lasted in the UK charts, at most, a couple of years, say 1979 to 1980-81, but it was very distinctive sounding. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 15:20, 26 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Other Versions[edit]

There was also a Japanese girly punk band that played this song. However, I cannot remember their name. There is also a Welsh band that did the song.

Yeah Dragonheart, I'm friends with one of the ex-members Casey. It got to number 11 in the Welsh charts I think? I Have the single!

ok[edit]

This clip shaped my youth. Listen to it! 81.70.252.138 19:56, 12 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

oh, yeah, you right, man. It's realy great clip and song. --Winterheart 20:59, 3 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Plastic Age/Living in the Plastic Age[edit]

Just in case anyone's wondering why, I've changed the link to the next single in the info box to the correct title for the single - the album version has the full Living in the Plastic Age title, but the single title was just The Plastic Age - see here: The Plastic Age, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition - 1988 Ian Dunster 18:47, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Buggles?[edit]

Isn't the name of the group "Buggles", not "The Buggles"?

Internet Killed The Video Star[edit]

does anyone know if the parody version has been commercially released?

Fair use rationale for Image:Video Killed the Radio Star single cover.jpg[edit]

Image:Video Killed the Radio Star single cover.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot 04:56, 14 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Aquabats[edit]

Does anyone know if the Aquabats covered this song? I have a version of this song credited to the aquabats and I don't know if this is correct.

Covers[edit]

The article mentions that the song "has also been covered by the Violent Femmes, Pixies,The Offspring, and Radiohead." I have downloaded versions of the song, attributed to these bands, and several of them turned out to be the same version. (Just like "Stuck in the Middle With You" often turns up attributed to the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, etc., and the bluegrass cover of "Gin and Juice" to Phish and String Cheese Incident.) So I suspect that this comment MIGHT be based on mis-tagged MP3s rather than the actual recording history of the song. PurpleChez 18:47, 1 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]


I agree. For example, the 'offsping' version is actually the presidents of the USA cover. Probably should remove until verified. 207.6.121.17 00:21, 1 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"VKRS" in GTA 3 + LCS???[edit]

The song appeared ONLY in Vice City, its not even credited in GTA3! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zimdudealchemist (talk • contribs) 19:05, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Video games[edit]

I am strongly tempted to remove the "Video games" section, as it is classic WP:TRIVIA and is adding very little to the article. Any objections?--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 17:46, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Agree, unless it passes WP:N. So, agree, then. --Rodhullandemu 17:52, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Camera Crew[edit]

Woraboot the Camera Crew then? ! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Uypwfapotsewutrnhsbsthacc (talk • contribs) 15:48, 26 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What about them? AnonMoos (talk) 23:12, 26 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Covers[edit]

I notice people keep adding Nicki Minaj as a cover. That doesn't strike me as a cover, but rather a sampling of VKtRS. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pasqu3s (talk • contribs) 03:02, 5 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Music video cast?[edit]

Obviously the band members and Debi Doss and Linda Jardim - but what about the young girl and the woman in the plastic tube? According to http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=681 Linda Jardim says one of the other girls was an Australian model they called Sydney Australia. I assume she'd be the tube/flying woman.Bizzybody (talk) 01:35, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Buggles Version Personnel[edit]

The Buggles version doesn't credit the female backing vocals. I'm guessing they are the same as the 'Bruce Woolley' version. The page intro mentions the backing track, so could someone with reliable knowledge made a note to the effect, (perhaps rather than duplicating the personnel list).

(I am not sure that the "Buggles Version", that I can now access on a streaming service, is the same version as I heard when the track was released. There are subtle things that seem different, so I can't offer firm knowledge from experience).

Buggles Template[edit]

There's something wrong with it (at the bottom).Curb Chain (talk) 16:02, 19 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

A table was not closed properly, which I fixed. The table itself is an atrocity to WP:SONGCOVER, but that may be a lost war. --Muhandes (talk) 10:21, 20 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

"In popular culture" section[edit]

I am sorely tempted to remove the entire section. There is only source in it, and many of the references are minor. Let's avoid this criticism.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 07:10, 1 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect date?[edit]

I was doing some research around MTV for an article I'm writing, and found a discrepancy.

- The MTV entry says it debuted (and this song was played) on August 1, 1980
- This entry says it debuted on August 1, 1981

Which is correct? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hoppy44 (talk • contribs) 02:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Screenshot of video[edit]

The screenshot of the video is unsatisfactory. Trevor Horn on bass guitar is not facing the camera, while Geoff Downes on keyboards cannot be seen clearly at all. The screenshot does not show Hans Zimmer, as stated in this edit. He is seen only at around 2:56 here. The main instrument Zimmer is shown playing in the video is a Roland System 700, which Zimmer owned back in the late 1970s and used for session work. The screenshot should be changed to something that clearly identifies the musicians involved.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 08:00, 29 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Bruce Woolley single[edit]

The article mentions that the song was originally recorded by Bruce Woolley, and has an image of the single cover, but there's nothing about the single release. Did it chart anywhere? Was it re-released after the success of the Buggles version? It seems that the version included on English Garden (and presumably released as a single) was slightly different from the version on the US-only Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club. -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 17:18, 28 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

"tonalitic"[edit]

The adjective "tonalitic" is explained by Wiktionary as "relating to tonalite". Tonalite is an intrusive igneous rock. So we might reasonably expect that "male and female voices differ to give a tonalitic and historical contrast", as the article currently has it, only in a rock song! ;-) Similar text accompanies the audio clip of the final chorus of the subject song. I think the writer wanted to say that the male and female voices differ in tone, i.e. tonally, or possibly that they differ in tonality. However, the second reading is not supported by the reference cited, though the first is. And of course, the reference doesn't even begin to imply any geological kind of contrast between the voices, so I'm about to replace both occurrences of "tonalitic" with "tonal". yoyo (talk) 14:57, 8 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. yoyo (talk) 15:02, 8 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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Infoboxes[edit]

Per WP:INFOBOXUSE, EditorE, an infobox is not necessary but recommended. However, an extra lead infobox would be unnecessary and... clunky. The absence of the infobox about the original release does not affect the readers' understanding of the song. The readers will realize that, by reading just the text, the prior version existed. Also, the image of the original version is just redundant and unnecessary per WP:NFCC. The purpose of the infobox is summarizing, not replacing (synonymous with supplanting), the key facts. Having the infobox of the original would emphasize too much the original version and not summarize the key facts as the Buggles infobox does. --George Ho (talk) 16:47, 24 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

RfC: Retaining an infobox[edit]

The consensus is to keep both infoboxes. Editors said that having two infoboxes better summarized the article. Cunard (talk) 04:56, 2 January 2017 (UTC)

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

This article now has two infoboxes: one for the original recording of the song by the lesser known Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, and one for the well-known re-recording by The Buggles. The members of The Buggles were also members of the other band. I tried to remove one infobox, but someone else reverted it. I started the conversation above, but I have not yet received a response for one week. Therefore, I'm starting the discussion for consensus. Which infobox(es) shall be retained? Which image(s) shall be retained? --George Ho (talk) 03:02, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Summoned by bot (pinging the original reverter). I don't think it's clunky at all, and your removal seems to be based on personal taste. Furthermore, the two infoboxes are clearly reflecting the article content in a succinct manner so that the reader quickly realises there are two versions of the song. Removing such a hint is actually hindering the reader's experience. You seem to be incorrectly fomenting some sort of WP:COMMONNAME idea to an article's infobox. Best, FoCuS contribs; talk to me! 15:04, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

How is the text not adequate enough to help readers realize the original version, FoCuSandLeArN? Are general readers trusted to realize the origins without the image and the infobox? What about Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)? That one doesn't have an extra infobox to tell readers that original version existed. --George Ho (talk) 22:02, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Also, what about (They Long to Be) Close to You, All Through the Night (Cyndi Lauper song), Don't Cha, I Feel for You, etc.? George Ho (talk) 22:57, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't say that; I said it summarises key points about both versions of the song at a quick glance. We could discuss those songs in their relevant talk pages, but isn't this RfC about Video Killed the Radio Star? Let's see what other editors think. Cheers, FoCuS contribs; talk to me! 00:50, 5 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
"It" or "both" infoboxes, you mean, FoCuSandLeArN? So does the lead section, which readers just read the most. They can look at the section and then move on. Even "Noel Coward" doesn't have an infobox... well, due to lack of consensus of having one there. George Ho (talk) 01:20, 5 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
It = both infoboxes. Infoboxes summarise the article, not the lede exclusively. Your argument seems to be all over the place: are we discussing the lede, are we discussing infoboxes in general, infoboxes in this article or are we discussing other songs? If the answer is different from "infoboxes in this article" then this small RfC appears to be misguided. FoCuS contribs; talk to me! 01:32, 5 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Just this song, FoCuSandLeArN. I was using the "other stuff exists" argument. If the argument is not applicable, I was thinking about MOS:INFOBOX. Its section WP:INFOBOXUSE says use an infobox when needed or approved by consensus. Moreover, WP:INFOBOXPURPOSE... well I can't (per WP:NOTBURO) describe what the section says without explaining the spirit of the guideline. Nevertheless, infoboxes are lengthy to edit. Having two in the lead section can make the lead section less easier to edit. Also, mobile versions would have the original band version on the very top and the well-known Buggles infobox below that. The less parameters an infobox contains, the more efficient editing the article is. --George Ho (talk) 01:46, 5 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep both It is far better to have more information than less, and people researching this will already know something about the snog and the two most popular performers for the song. More information is always better than less provided it is not confusing (and it is not in this case) and provided there are suitable references and citations to support the text (which in this case there is.) Damotclese (talk) 17:07, 13 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep both - Summoned by bot. Including both infoboxes better reflects/summarizes the body of the article. Also, it does not in anyway convolute the page or make it more difficult to navigate so I see no valid arguments for removing. Meatsgains (talk) 16:02, 21 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Prone to being misunderstood[edit]

'In Australia, "Video Killed the Radio Star" reached number one, where it was the best-selling record for 27 years.' This has been quoted as meaning that the record was at the top of the chart for 27 years. That can't possibly be true. It must mean that it was 27 years before another record came along that outsold it.BerkshireT (talk) 18:50, 3 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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UK Year End Chart[edit]

  1. 17 for 1979

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_in_British_music

End of Year Chart to early Dec not Dec 31. Coachtripfan (talk) 19:40, 19 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Erasure cover[edit]

I believe their cover, released on their 2003 album Other People Songs as the final track, is worth mentioning in the article with at least one sentence. Since VKTRS is considered an iconic song of early pop, pioneering what will later in some form become electro-pop/synth-pop sound, and having also the significance of prolific Vince Clarke (with all his projects and collaborations) as an artist to the electro-pop/synth-pop sound and genre, the fact that the Erasure cover wasn't released as a single and didn't chart is I believe less relevant than the fact that we have a true electro-synthpop cover (of multi-decade veterans of synthpop) of an iconic proto-electropop/synthpop song (and Vince Clarke after their cover album even said in an interview that he considers VKTRS a perfect pop song), unlike any other covers/versions (at least of those mentioned in the article), and this important synthpop-cover is completely ignored by wikipedia. I'm sure some of you would agree... 198.1.201.95 (talk) 04:42, 22 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hans Zimmer[edit]

In a recent interview with the Professor of Rock, Geoff Downes reveals Hans Zimmer contributed to VKTRS in a programming capacity (October 2020) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C7:606:EB01:40F7:42AE:2919:227E (talk) 16:51, 1 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

It's been known for many years that Hans Zimmer was one of the session musicians on the song providing additional keyboards. There is a screenshot here showing him with a Moog modular, Roland System-100M and Roland MC-8.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 17:14, 1 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
why was HZs's name removed from list of contributers? 2A00:23C4:B85C:3B01:CEF2:1699:3C65:A559 (talk) 16:14, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
It is about sourcing. Zimmer did session work on the track, and this is why he has a brief appearance in the accompanying video. What exactly he did on the track remains something of a mystery.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 17:20, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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