Living in the Plastic Age
Encyclopedia
"Living in the Plastic Age" (on some releases simply listed as "The Plastic Age") is a synthpop
song by The Buggles
recorded in 1979 and released as the second single from their debut album The Age of Plastic
on 14 January 1980. Although it is the first track on The Age of Plastic, it was recorded after Video Killed the Radio Star
. The single reached #16 in the UK charts. The lyrics allude to plastic surgery
and the stress of modern culture. The Buggles also created an unusual, futuristic and illusion
-like music video
for this song which came out in January 1980. The video was only rarely shown on music channels but VH1 Classic
occasionally airs the video.
The Music Video for the song takes place sometime in the future, with 3 young boys dressed as demons, wearing coloured goggles
(as part of a futuristic appearance) entering out of a dark cave. One of them points to a building in a small city-scape which appears to be a model
. In a mechanical room, Trevor Horn awakes from a moving bed wearing yellow rubber glove
s and a grey suit. Horn opens a door and sees a woman in white make-up, almost semi-nude, who throws a mysterious spark
(the spark reappears throughout the video). Horn then staggers through a stylised "neighbourhood," wearing a silver
suit
. Geoff Downes
is playing a keyboard
, dressed as a beggar in an overcoat
and hat
, holding out his hand for spare change. There are also two girls in bright, plastic rain gear and coloured glasses, sitting on a railing
reaching for Horn, who grabs at his chest. He then appears in a small box
-like room with a ceiling
only about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. An unseen figure drags him through the door.
In one of the video's more memorable scenes, light comes up in a stark white room where Downes (here wearing black leather
clothing and pink rubber gloves) is playing two "keyboards": two older girls painted in black body paint and black face
, their backs arched and imprinted with piano keys. Horn is then seen in an English "phone booth," another girl made up in red and white body paint.
A boy in plastic rags runs away (ostensibly from the mock "city"); he is pursued and apprehended by "heart police" (a reference in the song) on flying kick scooter
s, wearing black leotards. Horn is seen squatting on a slowly-revolving yellow flying saucer
. Downes appears in the white room again, wearing a white tuxedo
and playing a white piano
. Horn reappears in similar garb, being grabbed by the dancing "heart police." Horn, Downes, and the two girls in rain gear run in front of a rear-projection of the video game Space Invaders
. At the end, the Demons from the beginning of the video lift their heads singing the chorus and Downes flies overhead playing a Sequential Circuits
Prophet 5
Extreme Metal
band Carnival in Coal
covered this song for their 2005 album Collection Prestige
.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
song by The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
recorded in 1979 and released as the second single from their debut album The Age of Plastic
The Age of Plastic
-Chart performance:-Personnel:The Buggles*Geoff Downes – keyboards, drums, percussion*Trevor Horn – vocals, bass guitar, guitarAdditional musicians*Paul Robinson - drums*Richard James Burgess – drums...
on 14 January 1980. Although it is the first track on The Age of Plastic, it was recorded after Video Killed the Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
. The single reached #16 in the UK charts. The lyrics allude to plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
and the stress of modern culture. The Buggles also created an unusual, futuristic and illusion
Illusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....
-like 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...
for this song which came out in January 1980. The video was only rarely shown on music channels but VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...
occasionally airs the video.
Music video
The music video for "Living in the Plastic Age" employed bright colours, harsh source lighting, lots of color keying, and provocative motiffs (women in body paint portraying inanimate objects).The Music Video for the song takes place sometime in the future, with 3 young boys dressed as demons, wearing coloured goggles
Goggles
Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as well,...
(as part of a futuristic appearance) entering out of a dark cave. One of them points to a building in a small city-scape which appears to be a model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
. In a mechanical room, Trevor Horn awakes from a moving bed wearing yellow rubber glove
Rubber glove
A rubber glove is a glove made out of rubber. Rubber gloves can be unsupported or supported . Its primary purpose is protection of the hands while performing tasks involving chemicals. Rubber gloves are worn during dishwashing to protect the hands from detergent and allow the use of hotter water...
s and a grey suit. Horn opens a door and sees a woman in white make-up, almost semi-nude, who throws a mysterious spark
Electrostatic discharge
Electrostatic discharge is a serious issue in solid state electronics, such as integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are made from semiconductor materials such as silicon and insulating materials such as silicon dioxide...
(the spark reappears throughout the video). Horn then staggers through a stylised "neighbourhood," wearing a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
. Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
is playing a keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, dressed as a beggar in an overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...
and hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
, holding out his hand for spare change. There are also two girls in bright, plastic rain gear and coloured glasses, sitting on a railing
Railing
Railing may refer to:* Guard rail, a structure blocking an area from access* Handrail, a structure designed to provide support, such as on a staircase* Insufflation , the act of inhaling a substance, generally a drug...
reaching for Horn, who grabs at his chest. He then appears in a small box
Box
Box describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood"....
-like room with a ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
only about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. An unseen figure drags him through the door.
In one of the video's more memorable scenes, light comes up in a stark white room where Downes (here wearing black leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
clothing and pink rubber gloves) is playing two "keyboards": two older girls painted in black body paint and black face
Black Face
Black Face is the south wall of an east-west ridge in Arena Valley, south of East Beacon, in the Quartermain Mountains, Victoria Land. The feature is a prominent landmark and is formed by a dolerite dike which rises over above the floor of the valley...
, their backs arched and imprinted with piano keys. Horn is then seen in an English "phone booth," another girl made up in red and white body paint.
A boy in plastic rags runs away (ostensibly from the mock "city"); he is pursued and apprehended by "heart police" (a reference in the song) on flying kick scooter
Kick scooter
A kick scooter or push scooter, originally scooter, is a human-powered vehicle with a handlebar, deck and wheels that is propelled by a rider pushing off the ground. The most common scooters today have two hard small wheels, are made primarily of aluminium and fold for convenience...
s, wearing black leotards. Horn is seen squatting on a slowly-revolving yellow flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
. Downes appears in the white room again, wearing a white tuxedo
Tuxedo
A tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
and playing a white piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Horn reappears in similar garb, being grabbed by the dancing "heart police." Horn, Downes, and the two girls in rain gear run in front of a rear-projection of the video game Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
. At the end, the Demons from the beginning of the video lift their heads singing the chorus and Downes flies overhead playing a Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits Inc. was a California-based synthesizer company that was founded in the early 1970s by Dave Smith and sold to Yamaha Corporation in 1987. The company, throughout its lifespan, pioneered many groundbreaking technologies and design principles that are often taken for granted in...
Prophet 5
Covers
FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Extreme Metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
band Carnival in Coal
Carnival in Coal
Carnival in Coal was an extreme metal/avant-garde metal band from France. Founded in 1995, the band mixed death metal, black metal and other extreme metal genres with genres such as easy listening, disco, and pop.-History:...
covered this song for their 2005 album Collection Prestige
Collection Prestige
Collection Prestige is an album from French duo Carnival in Coal, and their only album released which was correspondent to the band's deal with Earache Records. The disc features a number of guest appearances, listed below...
.