Q 01/05

Which song's video was the first ever played on MTV when the channel launched in 1981?

A) Video Killed the Radio Star

B) In the Air Tonight

C) Just Between You and Me

D) You Better You Bet

Answer · why

A) Video Killed the Radio Star

Video Killed the Radio Star was an odd choice of opener: the Buggles single dated from 1979 and had only reached number 40 in the US, where few people...

Q 02/05

Who directed Michael Jackson's 1983 'Thriller' video?

A) John Landis

B) Martin Scorsese

C) Steven Spielberg

D) Spike Lee

Answer · why

A) John Landis

John Landis got the call after Jackson saw his horror comedy An American Werewolf in London. By the director's account, the singer wanted to turn into...

Q 03/05

In 2009, 'Thriller' became the first music video added to which American archive?

A) The Smithsonian's permanent collection

B) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vault

C) The National Film Registry

D) The Grammy Museum

Answer · why

C) The National Film Registry

The National Film Registry is the Library of Congress's list of films to preserve. Its coordinator said the time was right for Thriller after Jackson'...

Q 04/05

The pencil-sketch animation in a-ha's 'Take On Me' video was created using which technique?

A) Claymation

B) Stop motion

C) Cel shading

D) Rotoscoping

Answer · why

D) Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping means tracing over live footage frame by frame. An earlier version of the song had flopped in Britain; with this video it reached number o...

Q 05/05

Which video won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, still the most for a single clip as of 2025?

A) Sledgehammer

B) Money for Nothing

C) Walk This Way

D) Land of Confusion

Answer · why

A) Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer was shot one frame at a time, and Peter Gabriel spent 16 hours lying under a sheet of glass for a single sequence.