The 10 best alternative music videos of the 1980s

20 July 2023, 12:05

The 1980s were the glory years of the music video - and some of rock's best alternative and indie acts were also producing some amazing clips. See the best here.

1. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

   

   Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (Official Video)

   Taken from the New York art rock band's fourth album, Remain In Light, the remarkable video for this single was directed by frontman David Byrne and choreographer Toni Basil (of 80s hit Mickey fame).

   The pair studied religious rituals from around the world, alongside evangelist preachers of the sort seen on American TV, constructing a series of bizarre movements for Byrne to perform, dressed in his "nerd" outfit. The clip is a fine example of visuals complimenting the music perfectly.

2. The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

   

   The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (Official Music Video)

   Morrissey and Johnny Marr were very retro in their atttude. They loved the format of the 7" single, dressed in 50s-styled clothes and wouldn't have anything to do with the tacky 80s world of the music video. As their career progressed, their resistance crumbled.

   This clip was shot for Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, the second single from the band's final album Strangeways Here We Come, but the release was cancelled, leaving the video to be matched to I Started Something... Here is the video as originally intended.

   By the time the single appeared in the shops, The Smiths had announced their split, meaning the footage of Morrissey riding around Manchester pursued by clones was strangely poignant; the band's memory lived on in the hearts (and haircuts) of fans.

3. The Cure - Close To Me

   

   The Cure - Close To Me

   When frontman Robert Smith consulted with The Cure's director Tim Pope about the video for this 1985 single, he suggested a mood of claustrophobia and fear - a bit like being stuck in a wardrobe that was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Smith was surprised to find Pope had taken him at his word, devising a shoot that crammed the band into a set that was rapidly filled with water and organising an actual wardrobe to be tipped off the side of Beachy Head in East Sussex.

4. Joy Division - Atmosphere

   

   Joy Division - Atmosphere [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

   The Manchester band shot precisely one promo video in person - Love Will Tear Us Apart - before lead singer Ian Curtis died. When this classic song was re-released in 1988, it was up to photographer Anton Corbijn to provide the visuals, which feature hooded "monks" bowing respectfully before huge Corbijn images of the band. Atmosphere is either a glorious, respectful tribute to the fallen frontman, or a tacky cash in that crosses the boundaries of good taste. You decide.

5. Happy Mondays - Wrote For Luck

   

   Happy Mondays - Wrote For Luck (Official Music Video)

   Released in a remixed version by Erasure's Vince Clarke in the dying months of the 1980s, this was the Mondays' first tune to break through into the mainstream and after this there was no stopping them (apart from label Factory Records declaring bankruptcy, of course).

   Shot at Manchester club Legends, the shoot was given its own Factory catalogue number of FAC 209. The resulting queasy clip sums up the hedonism of the city at the time and is possibly the nearest visual representation of what it was like to be Bez in 1988.

   Warning: Flashing images!

6. Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It

   

   Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It (Official Video)

   Another band that mutated across the 1980s from pop sensations to dark, serious artists, Talk Talk worked with director Tim Pope - then known for his work with The Cure - to translate their music into images. The driving rhythm of this 1986 single is at odds with the nocturnal setting of this beautifully shot video, as animals and insects go about their business in the small hours of the morning.

7. Devo - Whip It

   

   Devo - Whip It (Official Music Video) | Warner Vault

   Akron, Ohio's New Wave pioneers found themselves the darling of the newly-launched MTV and proceeded to push the envelope with their increasingly inventive and often surreal video clips.

   This 1980 single marries a strange western retro vibe (note the whip-crackin' stunt act of yesteryear) with the band's futuristic "Energy Dome" outfits and things get weirder as the song progresses.

8. New Order - True Faith

   

   New Order - True Faith (1987) (Official Music Video) [HD REMASTERED]

   The Manchester legends were always uncomfortable in front of the camera, so employing the French choreographer Philippe Decouflé to direct the video for their 1987 singe was a masterstroke. Rather than focus on the band.

   Decouflé showcases dancers and mime artists reflecting the rhythm of the song and angst of the lyrics, while a woman attempts to translate Bernard Sumner's thoughts through sign language. The band themselves appear only as footage from Glastonbury 1987, with Peter Hook later moaning that you only get to see his knee in the clip. Come on, Hooky, it's ART.

9. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again

   

   Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (Official Video) (Heard on Episode 1 of The Last Of Us)

   As the 1980s progressed, the Basildon-born electro pop outfit's music and image grew darker. It was only apt that they should collaborate with Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn, who was enjoying success bringing style and depth to U2.

   The grainy super-8 footage caught for Never Let Me Down Again is a far cry from the jollity of Just Can't Get Enough as Corbijn pictures Dave Gahan driving a bubble car through endless European fields as the sun goes down.

10. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Happy House

    

    Siouxsie And The Banshees - Happy House (Official Music Video)

    For a band with such a "dark" reputation, the Banshees had an unerring knack of being able to create a brilliant pop tune. 1980's Happy House marks the point where Siouxsie waves goodbye to her 1970s reputation as one of the original punks and begins to embrace her status as the Goddess Of Goth.

    Her appearance here as a Pierrot-styled puppet is a nod to the sinister whimsy of the lyrics (the "happy house" is obviously some kind of institution), and her costume reflects that of the King himself, David Bowie, in his masterpiece from the same year, Ashes To Ashes.