MTV: Dr. Hook’s fast track to the corn dog circuit

MTV was a boon for many artists when it appeared and proceeded to completely dominate the music of the early to mid-’80s.  What a wonderful new medium!  Check out all of this exposure for all of these great artists!

But its power was enough to destroy completely some ’70s hangers-on.  Plenty of artists who had known some significant degree of success only a few years earlier tried to do the MTV thing and immediately faced Waterloo.

Exhibit A:  “Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk,” Dr. Hook.

Now there is a lot that is correct about this song and video.  It’s undeniably catchy, with a great, um, hook (sorry).  And a pretty posterior in form-fitting denim is always in fashion.  But there were some key assumptions that did it—and Dr. Hook—right in:

Bad assumption #1:  The artist must appear in the video.  (Yipes, guys.  Come on.)

Bad assumption #2:  The artist, upon appearing in the video, must move in time with the music.  (This is the greatest sustained chuckle for me.  I particularly like the tortured efforts to keep it up while they’re walking backwards and singing to her.)

Bad assumption #3:  Aforementioned classic visual of a great butt in tight jeans is enough to overcome #1 and #2.

Enjoy—and cringe:

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6 thoughts on “MTV: Dr. Hook’s fast track to the corn dog circuit”

  1. That badunkadunk belongs to 80’s actress Randi Brooks from The Man With Two Brains and Wizards and Warriors. Who cares that there’s music or a guy with an eyepatch?

    Reply
  2. This one of the Dr. Hook’s Classic hits and its my first time to this video. Well I really say this this is not a good MTV because with the time and fashion difference from 70’s, 80’90’s and 2000’s was really different from each other.

    Reply

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