"We can't go back, we've come too far." August 1st, 1981 was the launch date of MTV Music Television. Happy 29th Birthday to the platform that gave us so many amazing memories throughout the years. Though they have been slacking in the "music" department as of late, I won't forget the revolutionary attitude the company projected toward the masses in a cool but urgent fashion.. I wish they would have held on to more of their music-related programming but guess the money calls and they got in as long as they (kind of) fit in. Hey, at least they are giving indie bands a break while broadcasting shows like The Jersey Shore. ["For more info about the music you heard during this episode, head over to blahblah dot mtv dot com."] Still, thanks for the good times MTV. It was history in the making. Next year marks the big 3-0. Yes, thirty fucking years of MTV. Hit the jump to watch the official launch of MTV Music Television and I also compiled a few more clippings from previous MTV anniversaries taken from old Billboard Magazines and newsletters.
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On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV: Music Television launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack. Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song, a crunching guitar riff written by Jonathan Elias and John Petersen, playing over a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. With the flag having a picture of MTVs logo on it. MTV producers Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert used this public domain footage as a conceit, associating MTV with the most famous moment in world television history. Seibert said they had originally planned to use Neil Armstrong's "One small step" quote, but lawyers said Armstrong owns his name and likeness, and Armstrong had refused, so the quote was replaced with a beeping sound.
At the moment of its launch, only a few thousand people on a single cable system in northern New Jersey could see it.
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