The History of Sexy Music Videos, Part 1: "Girls On Film" and the Birth of MTV

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I am starting this history in 1981 with the birth of MTV. I am sure I will find pre-1981 sexy music videos if I continue looking.

1981

Duran Duran filmed the raunchy "Girls On Film" video just weeks before the launch of MTV, expecting it to be played at nightclubs with video screens or on pay channels such as Playboy TV. It was of course heavily edited for its MTV release.



"Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band



Olivia Newton-John's video for "Physical" was one of the early MTV videos to "get physical." Although there is more male skin on display than female, this is certainly an early classic in the sexy music video genre. Although the video itself was not banned by MTV, the network cut it off early so as not to play the closing scenes of the video.

1982

Queen's video for "Body Language" became the first video to get banned on the brand-new MTV network.



Joan Jett became a music video icon when her band Joan Jett & The Blackhearts released her music video "I Love Rock & Roll" and the even sexier follow-up "Crimson and Clover" on MTV.



Madonna debuted this year as well with the video "Everybody." She would go on to release much more sexual videos in later years, but with her very first video she was already marketing herself as sexy pop diva.



Now shooting much less explicit videos for release on MTV, Duran Duran scored their breakthrough hit with "Hungry Like the Wolf." While this video does have a few sexy parts, the band followed up with the sexier video for "Rio."



Like many of these earliest videos, "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow is relatively tame by today's standards but you should see why it deserves a place in the history of sexy music videos.