What was the first music video shown when MTV launched in the United States in 1981?

The first music video shown when MTV launched in the United States in 1981 was “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The Buggles song began MTV’s American broadcast at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on August 1, 1981.

The song was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley, and the Buggles released it as a single in 1979. Its futuristic video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, became especially memorable because its lyrics addressed changing technology and the decline of older media forms.

MTV’s launch was carried by a small group of cable systems and introduced the channel with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock ’n’ roll.” The opening sequence showed an astronaut placing an MTV flag on the Moon. A common mix-up is confusing the first video with the first video aired on MTV Europe, which launched separately in 1987.