The 80s were the decade of the music video. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most risqué music videos from the decade of decadence.
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00:00Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most risqué music
00:08videos from the decade of decadence.
00:1110.
00:12Let's Get Physical – Olivia Newton-John
00:27The music video may run with the G-rated meaning of the title, but the adult interpretation
00:33is heavily alluded to, like in the way Olivia Newton-John eyes the camera, and all the sweat-sheened
00:39muscles.
00:45The singer takes on the persona of a personal trainer, which leads to some over-the-top
00:49scenes that are a lot more humorous than sexy.
00:56Still, the titillation is impossible to miss with Newton-John's quintessential 80s activewear
01:05and the intercut shower shots.
01:07In the, is-saying-a-cheeky ending, too, on the nose?
01:11In the end, the trainer is able to find herself a tennis partner.
01:159.
01:16If I Could Turn Back Time – Cher
01:24Cher is forever iconic, and performances like this prove exactly why.
01:29She put on a concert for the crew of the USS Missouri, wearing a fishnet outfit that covers
01:35pretty much only what it needs to, if that.
01:44It was considered so scandalous at the time that quite a few networks said no to broadcasting
01:49the video, with MTV outright banning it.
01:52Cher commands the attention of all as she parades across the ship's stage, and it's
01:57a miracle we're able to focus on her voice at all.
02:08Everyone say, thank you, Cher!
02:108.
02:11Alice Cooper
02:18Rana Kennedy is undoubtedly the centerpiece of this video, even with Alice Cooper himself
02:24commanding his usual scope of attention.
02:26Much of the video was clearly inspired by the lyric,
02:29I don't wanna break these chains, which certainly ups the heat.
02:42Two versions of the video were actually filmed, with the original having to be censored due
02:46to nudity.
02:47In that initial cut, the chains played an even bigger role, tying down Cooper to some
02:52sort of odd mechanism.
02:55That's not to take away from the safer version, which still calls for a glass of cold water.
03:047.
03:08Kiss Me Deadly – Leta Ford
03:10Credit where it's due, 95% of the allure comes from Leta Ford alone.
03:18Sure, the lighting and camera are doing a little work, but it's pretty much all Ford,
03:26her skin-tight leather pants, and her guitar.
03:34She moves with effortless sensuality, not to mention all of the time she spends on her
03:38knees or otherwise crawling.
03:40It's not too overt, and you get the sense that there wasn't a ton of intense staging.
03:46It's just Ford rocking out and being hot.
03:53The music video also made it onto the New York Times list of the 15 essential hair metal
03:59videos.
04:00Which, how could it not?
04:016.
04:02Is This Love?
04:03– Whitesnake
04:04Many point to Here I Go Again as Whitesnake's most lascivious video, who can resist Tawny
04:13Katayne rolling around on the hoods of cars, after all?
04:16Well, we raise you, Is This Love?
04:25Tawny Katayne is back, and this time she's swaying around in heels and well-fitting garments.
04:31The scenes with her, and then-boyfriend David Coverdell, are especially steamy, whether
04:36she's dancing for him in front of the bed, or he's holding her clothes in the mist.
04:47It's so passionate, it almost feels like we're intruding on a private moment, or several.
04:525.
04:53I Want Your Sex – George Michael
05:03This is the kind of video you'd dissect in your college film class.
05:06Nearly every shot calls something salacious to mind, the black silk sheets, the blindfold,
05:11the body parts sprayed with water, and it all paints a vivid story for a song whose
05:16message is perfectly unambiguous.
05:19Timing its cuts with the music, and alternating between black and white and color, this visual
05:24accompaniment fits right in with popular editing techniques of the time.
05:36With lacy lingerie, legs tangled in bedsheets together, and words written in lipstick, this
05:41is definitely a shift away from the sappiness of Careless Whisper.
05:514.
05:55Kiss – Prince and the Revolution
05:57Where do we even begin with a song and a video so legendary?
06:07From the sets to the choreography to the outfits, one of which slowly but surely comes off,
06:13sex appeal drips from every corner of the frame.
06:16Prince is as perfectly flamboyant as always, and he absolutely commits to every flair and
06:22finish.
06:30He's helped along by Monique Manon, in the sheer veil and sunglasses, and Wendy Melvoin,
06:35the guitarist, each who bring rather different energy to the overall ambience.
06:39If the word tease could be enveloped in just under four minutes, it would be this video.
06:493.
06:53Express Yourself – Madonna
06:54Like a Virgin is up there with provocative videos, but the queen of pop really has no
06:59shortage of seductiveness.
07:02If we have to pick just one Madonna music video, we're giving it to Express Yourself.
07:09It actually had the highest budget ever for a music video at the time of its creation,
07:18and its cool effects, dynamic set, and fun props really reflect that.
07:28Full of rippling muscles, tempting silhouettes, and some especially potent imagery, the video
07:34for Express Yourself is definitely a step up above your average promo.
07:39We especially love Madonna in that power suit.
07:42The end is a knockout too, with the singer and her partner expressing themselves indeed.
07:502.
07:56Cold Hearted – Paula Abdul
07:58So, have you even seen this dance?
08:00I haven't, but it's a Bob Fosse kind of thing, it's gonna be really, really hot.
08:05Yeah, but tastefully, it's tastefully hot.
08:09Is a tricky line to toe, but Paula Abdul does it wonderfully.
08:13The first half of the video is exactly that, fascinating and sexy, but restrained.
08:26That is, until the blinds go down.
08:28The dance moves become full-on simulations of what should only be seen behind closed
08:33doors.
08:34Beyond the way the performers are dressed, the routine seems to tout a lesson about the
08:37power of dance and playing to people's most baseline impulses, if that one guy's
08:42fogged glasses are anything to go by.
08:48It doesn't sound like the executives had any notes either.
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09:121.
09:14Wicked Game – Chris Isaac While you might know the song from 1990's
09:18Wild at Heart, you're missing out on a whole lot of sultriness if you skip the music video.
09:25Kisses, close-ups, and soft touches, among some other things, all make for staggering
09:34intimacy between Chris Isaac and supermodel Helena Christensen.
09:39The video has been ranked on a few other lists, including VH1's 50 Sexiest Video Moments,
09:45where it nabbed fourth place.
09:47It also got number one on Rolling Stone's The 30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time and
09:52on Fuse's 2010 40 Sexiest Videos.
10:01It's all indisputably well-deserved, as few other music promos come close to the ardent
10:06visuals in Wicked Game.
10:13Which scandalous 80's music video did we miss?
10:16Let us know in the comments!