Grammy Award for Video of the Year
Encyclopedia
The Grammy Award for Video of the Year was an honor presented to recording artists at the 24th Grammy Awards in 1982 and the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983 for music video
s. The Grammy Award
s, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
First presented in 1982 to Michael Nesmith
for Elephant Parts
, the award was reserved for quality "video cassettes or discs in any format created specifically for the home video market". In 1983, Olivia Newton-John
was presented the award for Olivia Physical
. Beginning with the 1984 Grammy Awards, the Video of the Year award category was replaced with the categories Best Video, Short Form and Best Video Album (now known as Best Short Form Music Video
and Best Long Form Music Video
, respectively).
for One Night Stand: A Keyboard Event, the band Blondie
for Eat to the Beat, Bruce Seth Green
for the participative video collection of puzzles and games known as The First National Kidisc, and former member of The Monkees
Michael Nesmith
for the hour-long video Elephant Parts
(also known as Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts). One Night Stand was a recording of a jazz program billed as "an evening of all-stars" at Carnegie Hall
, with appearances by Kenny Barron
, Arthur Blythe
, George Duke
, Herbie Hancock
, Roland Hanna
, Bobby Hutcherson
and ten other musicians. Blondie's video cassette Eat to the Beat accompanied their 1979 album of the same title
. The First National Kidisc, one of the first interactive and educational videodisc
s, contained activities designed for children. Without "fancy digital effects", Green's Kidisc provided five to ten hours of interactive capability within a 30-minute video through the use of dual audio tracks, freeze framing, slow motion and other techniques. Features included plane flying, jokes, paper plane
construction, music performance and other games.
The award went to Nesmith, who is known for creating one of the first companies to distribute television programs and films on home video and for establishing the television music video format that eventually became MTV
. In 1976, Nesmith produced a video for his song "Rio", and later incorporated the video into the "montage of music and gags" called Elephant Parts after starting the company Pacific Arts Video Records. In 1985, Elephant Parts was adapted into a seven-episode
summer series on NBC
titled Michael Nesmith in Television Parts.
Nominees for the 25th Grammy Awards included Elton John
for Visions: Elton John, Olivia Newton-John
for Olivia Physical
, the rock band The Tubes
for The Tubes Video, a recording of Jacques Offenbach
's opera The Tales of Hoffman by the Royal Opera conducted by Georges Prêtre
with Plácido Domingo
, and the interactive disc for children Fun and Games by various artists (produced by Margaret Murphy). Both Visions and The Tubes Video were directed by Russell Mulcahy
. Visions consisted of "artistic" videos for all of the songs on John's 1981 album The Fox
. According to The Tubes' official site, the now out of print
video collection contained music videos primarily for tracks that appeared on their 1981 album The Completion Backward Principle
. The award was presented to Newton-John (then her fourth Grammy Award) in February 1983 at the Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles
. Released a few years following her role in the 1978 film Grease
, the aerobics
video contained songs from her 1981 album Physical
as well as enough sexual innuendo
and provocation to generate controversy.
in 1984
, the top award of which is also presented for Video of the Year
. The Academy replaced the category with the awards for Best Video, Short Form and Best Video Album beginning with the 26th Grammy Awards. For the awards held in 1988 and 1989, the criteria changed and honors were presented for the categories Best Concept Music Video
and Best Performance Music Video
. The Academy returned to the previous format in 1990, though the two categories are now known as Best Long Form Music Video
and Best Short Form Music Video
.
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. The Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
First presented in 1982 to Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
for Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, former member of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts, using money he inherited from his mother, the inventor of Liquid Paper...
, the award was reserved for quality "video cassettes or discs in any format created specifically for the home video market". In 1983, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
was presented the award for Olivia Physical
Olivia Physical
Olivia Physical is a 1982 video collection featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John and various of her songs, most from the album Physical. A somewhat expanded version of the video was aired as an ABC prime-time special, Let's Get Physical, which was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings...
. Beginning with the 1984 Grammy Awards, the Video of the Year award category was replaced with the categories Best Video, Short Form and Best Video Album (now known as Best Short Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
and Best Long Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs...
, respectively).
Recipients
For the 24th Grammy Awards (1982), Video of the Year nominees included Eubie BlakeEubie Blake
James Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans...
for One Night Stand: A Keyboard Event, the band Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
for Eat to the Beat, Bruce Seth Green
Bruce Seth Green
Bruce Seth Green is an American television director.His credits include Knight Rider, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Angel, Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Law & Order, Diagnosis Murder, Baywatch and other series.His last directorial credit...
for the participative video collection of puzzles and games known as The First National Kidisc, and former member of The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
for the hour-long video Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, former member of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts, using money he inherited from his mother, the inventor of Liquid Paper...
(also known as Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts). One Night Stand was a recording of a jazz program billed as "an evening of all-stars" at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, with appearances by Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
, Arthur Blythe
Arthur Blythe
Arthur Blythe is an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. His stylistic voice has a distinct vibrato and he plays within the post-bop subgenre of jazz.- Biography :...
, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Roland Hanna
Roland Hanna
Roland Hanna was an American Jazz pianist.Hanna studied classical piano as a boy, but was strongly interested in jazz. This increased after his time in military service.He studied at Eastman School of Music and Juilliard School...
, Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
and ten other musicians. Blondie's video cassette Eat to the Beat accompanied their 1979 album of the same title
Eat to the Beat
Eat to the Beat is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It reached no.1 on the UK album charts in October 1979, no.9 in Australia and no.17 in the US.-History:...
. The First National Kidisc, one of the first interactive and educational videodisc
Videodisc
Videodisc is a general term for a laser- or stylus-readable random-access circular disc that contains both audio and analog video signals recorded in an analog form...
s, contained activities designed for children. Without "fancy digital effects", Green's Kidisc provided five to ten hours of interactive capability within a 30-minute video through the use of dual audio tracks, freeze framing, slow motion and other techniques. Features included plane flying, jokes, paper plane
Paper plane
A paper plane, paper aeroplane , paper airplane , paper glider, paper dart or dart is a toy aircraft, usually a glider made out of paper or paperboard; the practice of constructing paper planes is sometimes referred to as aerogami , after origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.-History:The...
construction, music performance and other games.
The award went to Nesmith, who is known for creating one of the first companies to distribute television programs and films on home video and for establishing the television music video format that eventually became MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. In 1976, Nesmith produced a video for his song "Rio", and later incorporated the video into the "montage of music and gags" called Elephant Parts after starting the company Pacific Arts Video Records. In 1985, Elephant Parts was adapted into a seven-episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
summer series on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
titled Michael Nesmith in Television Parts.
Nominees for the 25th Grammy Awards included Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
for Visions: Elton John, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
for Olivia Physical
Olivia Physical
Olivia Physical is a 1982 video collection featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John and various of her songs, most from the album Physical. A somewhat expanded version of the video was aired as an ABC prime-time special, Let's Get Physical, which was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings...
, the rock band The Tubes
The Tubes
The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band, whose 1975 debut album included the hit single, "White Punks on Dope". During its first fifteen years or so, the band's live performances combined quasi-pornography with wild satires of media, consumerism, and politics...
for The Tubes Video, a recording of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's opera The Tales of Hoffman by the Royal Opera conducted by Georges Prêtre
Georges Prêtre
- Biography :He was born in Waziers , and attended the Douai Conservatory and then studied harmony under Maurice Duruflé and conducting under André Cluytens among others at the Conservatoire de Paris. Amongst his early musical interests were jazz and trumpet. After graduating, he conducted in a...
with Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, and the interactive disc for children Fun and Games by various artists (produced by Margaret Murphy). Both Visions and The Tubes Video were directed by Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
. Visions consisted of "artistic" videos for all of the songs on John's 1981 album The Fox
The Fox (album)
The Fox is the 15th studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1981. The track "Elton's Song" was banned from radio play in some countries due to its content, which included references to homosexuality...
. According to The Tubes' official site, the now out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
video collection contained music videos primarily for tracks that appeared on their 1981 album The Completion Backward Principle
The Completion Backward Principle
The Completion Backward Principle is the sixth studio album from the rock group The Tubes.-Side one:#"Talk to Ya Later" #"Sushi Girl"#"Amnesia"#"Mr...
. The award was presented to Newton-John (then her fourth Grammy Award) in February 1983 at the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Released a few years following her role in the 1978 film Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, the aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
video contained songs from her 1981 album Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John album)
Physical is a 1981 MCA Records studio album by Olivia Newton-John. It is her most successful studio album, being certified double Platinum in the US. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 matching the then record of most weeks at No....
as well as enough sexual innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
and provocation to generate controversy.
Category retirement
The Video of the Year category was discontinued with the establishment of the MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
in 1984
1984 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1984 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 14, 1984, honoring the best music videos from May 2, 1983, to May 2, 1984. The show was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
, the top award of which is also presented for Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...
. The Academy replaced the category with the awards for Best Video, Short Form and Best Video Album beginning with the 26th Grammy Awards. For the awards held in 1988 and 1989, the criteria changed and honors were presented for the categories Best Concept Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video was an honor presented to recording artists at the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988 and the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989 for quality concept music videos...
and Best Performance Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video was an honor presented to recording artists at the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988 and the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989 for quality performance music videos...
. The Academy returned to the previous format in 1990, though the two categories are now known as Best Long Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs...
and Best Short Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
.
See also
- Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoLatin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoThe Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is given every year since the 7th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. The award is given to the performer, director and producer of the video.- 2010s :- 2000s :...
- Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoLatin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoThe Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is given every year since the 1st Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. The award is given to the performer, director and producer of the video.-2010s:-2000s:...
- List of awards and honors received by Olivia Newton-John
- List of Grammy Award categories