MTV Top 20 Videos of 1984

John Waite stars in the music video for his song "Missing You".

The music video for "Jump" was directed by David Lee Roth. It is a straightforward performance clip, much like many of the hard rock videos of the time. It was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards, and won "Best Stage Performance" for the video. The video was groundbreaking and set the standard for performance videos that directors still try to emulate. To produce such a video, the band is recorded performing the song several times from beginning to end. Then, the band members are shot doing random stage moves without the pretense of actually playing the song (note that Eddie is seen playing the guitar at times when no guitar can be heard). Some candid footage is shot with the band goofing around, and then the footage is edited into a video.

Kenny Loggins performs in the music video "Footloose" from the original motion picture soundtrack for Footloose (1984) recorded for Columbia Records. Kenny Loggins sings over clips from the film featuring Kevin Bacon as he dances in a variety of settings.

The music video for Phil Collins' hugely successful power ballad, which reached number-one in the United States and number-two in the United Kingdom.

Music video for The Cars song, "You Might Think", notable for for its use of early computer graphics.

The video alternates between shots of Orr sitting in a disused nightclub, facing mannequins posed at the bar as customers and bartender, and scenes that depict the breakdown of a relationship between the characters played by Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova. Ultimately left alone, the woman cries and laughs hysterically for a time before visiting the nightclub. She looks sadly in through a dirty window at the stage, where tuxedo-clad mannequins of the band members are posed with their instruments as if playing a show, and turns to walk away as the video ends.

A promotional video for Prince's 1984 hit single "When Doves Cry."

Blue Jean performs the song "Blue Jean" before an audience in this music video made especially for MTV.

Night Ranger performs in the music video "Sister Christian" from their album "Midnight Madness" recorded for MCA Records. The band plays on a sound stage while clips play of a young woman graduating from high school and coming to age in a small town.

Huey Lewis and the News perform in the music video "The Heart of Rock and Roll" from the album "Sports" recorded for Chrysalis Records. The band performs on stage before a dancing crowd while clips are played of the band traveling through a variety of cities including New York City and Los Angeles.

Music video for the 1984 song "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. In it, Cyndi Lauper plays a young woman who is forced to leave her boyfriend when she becomes homesick and worried about her sick mother.

Billy Idol performs in the music video "Eyes Without a Face" from the album "Rebel Yell" recorded for Chrysalis Records. The music video begins with a closeup of Idol's sneering face as he sings. The video also features women dancing as they sing backup and a guitar solo by Steve Stevens.

Billy Squier performs in the music video "Rock Me Tonite" from his album "Signs of Life" recorded for Capitol Records. Squier awakens on a bed with pastel-colored satin sheets. He sings and dances as he gets dressed ultimately putting on a pink tank top before grabbing a pink guitar to join his band to play the song.

The music video for "Magic" by The Cars.

ZZ Top performs in the music video "Legs" from the album "Eliminator" recorded for Warner Brothers Records. A employee of a shoe store is harassed as she goes to see her boyfriend who is a cook at a diner. She returns to the shoe store only to be harassed by the workers there. Eventually, the Eliminator car arrives and three women exit. They take the woman on a shopping trip and give her a make over. She goes to the diner and leaves with her boyfriend.

The music video for "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and The Revolution.

Pat Benatar performs in the music video "We Belong" from the album "Tropico" recorded for Chrysalis Records. Pat Benatar sings with her band surrounded by white fabric strips blowing in the wind. Later she sings near a water fall before being joined by a child's choir.

Ratt performs in the music video for the song "Round and Round" from the album "Out of the Cellar" recorded for Atlantic Records. The band plays above a wealthy upper class family that is eating dinner. The music begins to irritate them before the guitarist crashes through the ceiling and forces them away from the dining table. Meanwhile, a woman attracted to the music goes upstairs and dances.

Scandal performs in the music video "The Warrior" from the album "Warrior" recorded for Columbia Records. A woman in a kimono is confronted by a pale male with long clawed fingers in a warehouse. The woman fights the man with long claws as people in rags dance behind them.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band performs in the music video "The Runner" from the album "Somewhere in Afrika" recorded for Arista Records. Manfred Mann sings and the band plays the song on a darkened sound stage while clips play from the Olympics including athletes running track and runners carrying the Olympic torch.