presentation that was birthed in the pit of hell. ♪ ♪ john lennon was shot by an unknown at this time white male. >> the world has reacted with immense shock and grief to the first rock and roll assassination. >> it was like in one moment the '60s and the '70s got murdered. >> in his life he's given more love than most men and women on the face of this earth. we're here to prove that love is not dead, even though john is. >> you start the decade with the death of a beatle. you don't really know where you're going to go from that point. you know, culturally or musically. >> for a while it seemed there was nothing new on the horizon. announcing the latest achievement in home entertainment. the power of sight. the power of sound. >> stereo. >> mtv. music television. >> we all are so excited about this new concept in tv. we'll be doing for tv what fm did for radio. >> at the time the world was saying we don't think anybody's going to watch videos over and over. but we knew we had something special. ♪ my little pretty one, pretty one ♪ ♪ when you gonna give me some time sharona ♪ >> mtv made you feel like those artists were in the room. you had a personal concert all day. ♪ crack that whip ♪ >> when you have the rotation of, say, maybe 100 different videos being rotated over and over on mtv, they do a great job of exposing new acts. ♪ here in my car where the image breaks down ♪ ♪ will you visit me please ♪ ♪ when i open my door in cars ♪ >> britain was ahead of the curve. they had a ton of videos in their inventory. and that was what paved the way for this accidental second british invasion. >> if you look at some of the groups on the popular music charts in america today you can't help asking where on earth did they come from? well, the answer is the same today as it was two decades ago. they come from britain. >> the music isn't anything like the famous group that came from there, the beatles. >> you've got to understand, they were 20 years ago. we're a new generation. a new wave. ♪ you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar ♪ ♪ when i met you ♪ >> by the early 1980s new wave is used to describe these sleek dressy cool bands that are coming out of england. ♪ don't you want me, baby ♪ ♪ don't you want me, oh ♪ >> british artists all understood how to use visuals in a way that i think american artists didn't necessarily get that quickly. ♪ do you really want to hurt me ♪ ♪ do you really want to make me cry ♪ >> do you really want to hurt me is a good song. it's a song old people like and young people like. so i think the proof is in the pudding. buy it and eat it. >> mtv actually met with duran duran's managers and said we're looking for kind of like james bond videos on location. and their managers are the ones that went to the band members and said look, we really need to up the ante with these clips. you know, we need to give this channel something they've never seen before. ♪ moving up the floor now, babe, you're a bird on paradise ♪ >> there are some that have accused your videos of being soft porn. >> well, excuse me! >> we like to call them tastefully smutty. ♪ her name is rio and she dances on the sand ♪ ♪ just like that river twisting through the dusty land ♪ >> when i first met duran duran, they were saying that they thought they looked like rock stars. so why not become rock stars. ♪ don't stand ♪ ♪ don't stand so ♪ ♪ don't stand so close to me ♪ >> why do you think we're so popular over there? >> well, there's a tradition that goes back over the past 20 years from the days of the beatles and the rolling stones where british bands seem to be better at it than americans. >> the police have sold 4 million albums in one year. "rolling stone" chose them as best new band of the year. taking note of the swirling, dreamy soaring quality of the sound. ♪ giant steps are what you take ♪ ♪ walking on the moon ♪ >> it was incredible to see them. and i couldn't believe what i was hearing out of three people. i was shocked. >> i once read that you were called the pink floyd of the '80s. what do you think of that? >> we're not at all. we're the cure of the '80s. ♪ and i know i was wrong when i said it was true ♪ ♪ that it couldn't be me and be her in between without you ♪ >> the holy trinity of alternative british music is the cure, depeche mode, and the smiths. all three of them started out as these fringe bands that by the end of the '80s were selling out stadiums. ♪ will you take the pain i will give to you ♪ ♪ again and again and will you return it ♪ >> what's new order? computer programmers or musicians? >> i'd say neither, actually. >> what are you, then? >> bank robbers. ♪ how does it feel ♪ ♪ to treat me like you do ♪ ♪ when you place our hand upon me ♪ >> in the u.k. disco did not suck. it never sucked. and bands like new order combined it with the new synthesizer sound and they gave us these incredible songs that got us out on the dance floor. ♪ and i still find it so hard to say what i need to say ♪ >> i like what's happening at dance places now, over the last year or two. i think the music is becoming very healthy. some of my best memories growing up, were cooking with mom. she always said, “food is love.” so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ i want to make the most of every meal we have together. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette trelegy for copd. 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>> we have to try and do what we think not only new york and los angeles will appreciate but also some town in the midwest that will be scared to death by prince or a string of other black faces. >> interesting. okay. thank you very much. >> when are we going to see anybody of color on mtv? because you said music television. when are you going to start covering all genres of music? >> music has no color. it shouldn't have color. i don't believe in that. i don't want it labeled black or white, i want it labeled music. ♪ >> 1983, motown has this big tv special, motown's 25th anniversary. at that time "thriller" is out and "thriller" is doing well. but michael jackson couldn't get "billie jean" on mtv. ♪ she was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene ♪ >> when the rest of the world was going crazy and he can't get on mtv? michael jackson? come on. ♪ >> when he does that moonwalk, if you were sitting on the couch by the end of it you were on the floor in front of the tv. you couldn't believe what you were seeing. >> i would say the moonwalk was really one of the first viral moments that affected rock history. the next week "thriller" started selling a million copies a week. >> i like michael jackson because he's bad, he knows how to dance. >> he's so sexy and so gorgeous. >> he's exciting! >> michael jackson is the man of the '80s. >> mtv starts to get pressure from cbs records, which was michael jackson's label. >> rock and roll in itself was really the thing that broke a lot of rules. when you're very successful, you try to make your own rules occasionally. >> as the story goes, cbs essentially said we will pull every other artist we have on mtv if you don't play this. they had to be essentially blackmailed into doing it. ♪ it doesn't matter who's wrong or right ♪ ♪ just beat it ♪ >> he was the artist that mtv really needed. they didn't know they needed him, but boy, when we started to see those michael jackson videos, it was just unbelievable. then there was the domino effect. suddenly you see prince videos from warner brothers do the same thing. ♪ tonight ♪ ♪ we're gonna party like it's 1999 ♪ >> prince wasn't just materializing out of nowhere. where was he before this video was done? >> prince was a huge star on black radio stations. i mean, people -- he had a really underground cult following and he was a very sexy, hot performer. ♪ the sweat of your body covers me ♪ ♪ can you, my darling, can you picture this ♪ >> prince loved the idea that he was taking his punk funk music and turning it on to a white audience, and that wouldn't have happened if not for mtv. ♪ this is what it sounds like when doves cry ♪ >> when i was younger, i always said that one day i was going to play all kinds of music and not be judged for the color of my skin but the quality of my work. ♪ i want to see you i want to see you ♪ ♪ in the purple rain ♪ >> prince had a great androgyny. he blurred the gender line. he sings, he writes, he plays. every time i see him it's just like, really? okay, i quit. ♪ >> when he plays guitar, it's just part of his body in a way that i've never really seen before. and it's not contrived. it's just -- it's just happening. >> what was his music? was it r&b? his music was just straight down the middle mainstream grab you by the throat and balls pop. ♪ we go down to the river and into the river we die ♪ >> at this point a lot of it is about being there, which is why we haven't done too much of the video thing. a lot of it allows too much distance. like what our band is about is about breaking down distance. ♪ at night i wake up ♪ >> bruce was all about credibility and intelligence and integrity. so how would he translate his music and his attitude toward the world to what seemed like this frivolous world of the music video? bruce is not going to be next to a winking model on a sailboat. ♪ you can't start a fire ♪ ♪ you can't start a fire without a spark ♪ ♪ this gun's for hire ♪ >> he ends up doing essentially a concert video starring a then unknown courteney cox. it's like this weird recreation of something that organically happens in a bruce springsteen concert. ♪ born in the usa ♪ >> if there was an artist in the '80s who transcended the music video he's the guy. he's the guy that didn't need to do great music videos to still be a great artist. he's bruce springsteen. it was great music. ♪ born in the usa ♪ knockoff ba, little miss cupcake never stood a chance. until, energizer ultimate lithium. who wants a cupcake? the number one longest-lasting aa battery. yay! case closed. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. david bowie. mick jagger. billy joel. rod stewart. all famous, all rich, and all men. rock and roll has been pretty much dominated by men until the last few years. ♪ heartbreaker ♪ >> pat benatar is hot. really hot. three albums in the last three years, all top sellers. the latest album hit the top of the charts in just one month. her style is defiant, raucous, tough and very sexy. ♪ we are young ♪ ♪ heartache to heartache we stand ♪ ♪ no promises no demands ♪ >> it appears to me that the one on stage is what i would picture a modern woman to be, someone who is aggressive and soft at the same time, has a lot of strength and conviction and can look good and still have brains. >> you would think that in the era of music becoming a visual form more than ever that it would all be about objectification. but there were a lot of strong women on that video screen. ♪ >> meet the darlings of l.a.'s new music scene, the go-gos. ♪ walking down the street ♪ >> unlike earlier girl groups such as the ronettes or the supremes, the go-goes write their own songs and play their own instruments. ♪ they got the beat ♪ ♪ they got the beat, they got the beat ♪ ♪ yeah, they got the beat ♪ >> that was as punk rock as it got for me, to see girls up there, you know, not just singing backup or not just standing in some cool outfit in front of a band. like they were the band. ♪ can you see them see right through them ♪ ♪ they have no shield no secrets to reveal ♪ ♪ doesn't matter what they say the games that people play ♪ ♪ hey, hey, hey ♪ >> while the go-gos have always managed to look like they're having fun, they are to be taken seriously. they're the first female group ever to have a number one album, and they are at the top of a list of female rock stars whose impact within the industry is stronger than ever. ♪ the phone rings in the middle of the night ♪ ♪ my father yells what you gonna do with your life ♪ >> i thought her voice was extraordinary, and cyndi was a very good visual content creator. those videos were so colorful and fun. >> this being march the 31st, it's also a monday. some might consider it a manic monday. you'll be interested in knowing there is a hit song of the same name. we're joined by the architects of that song. they are the bangles. you guys are very hot, yes? ♪ six o'clock already, i was just in the middle of a dream ♪ >> when the bangles came out, everyone was like, oh, it's like another go-gos. the bangles were like uh-uh, we're not the new go-goes, we're the new beatles. ♪ but i can't be late i guess i just won't get paid ♪ >> a lot of people call it a '60s sound. do you think so? >> that's our main influence. we don't go in and consciously say let's make this a buffalo springfield song. that seems to be the way the songs end up sounding. ♪ just another manic monday ♪ ♪ wish it were sunday ♪ >> there's always a certain amount of people who will never take women as a group seriously. >> it's run by a very chauvinistic, i imagine, recording industry. >> we concentrate on the music, you know. we don't really worry about those things. we just keep writing songs. >> i think that there was a little bit of an attitude like they're okay for chicks. they can play okay for girls. we didn't understand why our gender mattered or why it defined us. >> "people" magazine this week says it will take an act of congress to keep this woman from becoming a megastar. whitney houston! ♪ how will i know if he really loves me ♪ ♪ i say a prayer with every heartbeat ♪ >> whether she was doing a dance song or she was doing a ballad -- ♪ the greatest love of all ♪ >> it kind of stopped in you your tracks because you couldn't believe one woman could be blessed with that much, with the looks and the talent. >> this lady started out as a dancer, went to new york, went to paris, worked with bands, came back as a single. and is she hot. this is madonna. ♪ >> if you saw madonna then, she looked just like the girls who hung out at the club called the funhouse. all the girls there had the mesh thing and they had the boots. and it was kind of a mix of new wave punk with this other dance sensibility. ♪ holiday ♪ ♪ celebrate ♪ >> i think madonna was able to use that core dance music and use the style of the streets that were going on and evolve that into a pop career. >> we are a couple weeks into the new year. what do you hope will happen not only in 1984 but for the rest of your professional life? what are your dreams? what's left? >> to rule the world. ♪ star light star bright ♪ ♪ first star i see tonight ♪ ♪ star light ♪ ♪ star bright ♪ ♪ make everything all right ♪ >> all of a sudden there was girls around that had the gloves with the fingers cut out of it and the hair wrapped up in the net and wearing the short skirts. there was like hundreds of thousands of jewish girls around the country wearing crucifixes because of madonna. >> what do you like about her? >> i like the way she thinks about -- she acts like with a different attitude that no one else has. >> she dresses how she wants, acts like she wants, sings like she wants. she does what she wants. >> i think her appeal is that she is feminine, she is herself, she is sexual. but she's strong! she's an individual woman. >> madonna understood the mtv phenomenon. she understood the vibe and the look and the sound. it all came together with her. >> everyone underestimates you you keep giving them little surprises. if they get you all in one glance, then what's going to make them look again? ♪ ooh, like a virgin ♪ ♪ feels so good inside ♪ >> when madonna sang "like a virgin" and started rolling around on the ground, people thought it was a career-ending moment for her. ♪ oh, oh ♪ ♪ oh, oh ♪ >> in this wedding dress, rolling around on the floor. it kind of stopped everybody in their tracks. they were thinking, what is she doing and why is she doing it? but literally by the next morning she was the biggest star in the world. >> madonna had no doubt. she was like, this is happening. get out of the way. never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now he knows his glucose levels when he needs to. and... when he wants to. so ray... can be ray. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free. visit freestylelibre.us [♪] did you know, styling hair is easier when it's hydrated? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. the active pro-v nutrients, provide up to 72 hours of hydration for easier and more flexible styling. try pantene. among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. there's no question it's something that i would recommend. ♪ you've been hiding ♪ in the '80s the videos were so expensive and so complicated. and you had to wear things that you would never dream of wearing before. at first it was a lot of fun to really get dressed up and pull in that corset and just wear tons of makeup and great big, huge hair. >> you had to have that sexy kind of thing, you know. i'm coming out of a gold mold ann has a welding iron and she's like this amazon welder woman or something. >> we felt lost in the theater of it. it got to the point where the videos were more important than the songs. >> it did feel like, i can't steer the ship anymore. where is it going, you know. where are we headed? >> i think heavy metal is the true rock and roll of the '80s. and rock and roll was basically music made by people who were thinking with their crotches. ♪ >> heavy metal is not something new in physics, it is rock and roll. loud, rude, it glorifies sex and violence, it hates authority, and adolescent boys love it. >> this is it, this is the hot stuff. >> alan, turn it off for a second so we can talk. ♪ shot in the dark running there away from you ♪ >> you turn on your television set and you see this weird, beastly presentation that was birthed in the pit of hell. >> where do they get this information from that i'm satan? do i have horns -- i know i'm a bit strange-looking but do i breathe fire and have horns? i don't speak like that. >> critics say there's something seriously wrong with metal music, outrageous by design, that it may have contributed to a number of teenage suicides. >> has rock and roll finally gone too far? a growing number of people think so. today they took their case to a u.s. senate hearing. their complaint? that rock lyrics and music videos are crossing the line into trash and smut. >> we are asking the recording industry to voluntarily assist parents who are concerned by placing a warning label on music products "inappropriate for younger children due to explicit sexual or violent lyrics." >> in the '80s these artists who were pushing boundaries in different ways were bringing those messages and images into our homes. and that provided a political opportunity to push back against it. >> we can say they're senators' wives, ooh, and they're messing around in washington. but they obviously have some real concerns. there's a lot that they do that i applaud because they are taking responsibility as citizens. >> i brought along two videos which i believe are representative of the kind of presentation that have caused the furor. ♪ got it bad, got it bad, got it bad ♪ ♪ i'm hot for teacher ♪ ♪ i've got it bad, so bad ♪ >> who's going to decide what's a sexual content of a lyric? who's going to decide what is obscene? same housewives who are spearheading the movement? >> in all candor, i would tell you it's outrageous filth and that if i could find some way constitutionally to do away with it i would. >> fans felt i'm capable of making my own decisions about the music i want to listen, to i don't need tipper gore deciding that this is too obscene for me. >> the next witness will be mr. frank zappa. >> the establishment of a rating system voluntary or otherwise opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certain christians don't like. i think you should leave it up to the parent because not all parents want to keep their children totally ignorant. >> yeah, you and i would differ on what's ignorance and educated. >> the women didn't get the rating system they wanted. but they did get a commitment to begin applying a printed inscription on the packaging of albums, cassettes, and music videos warning that they contain blatant explicit lyrics. >> good rock and roll breaks all the rules. okay? that's just the way it is. that's the way it always has been. elvis presley was not good for the children either. >> good morning, everybody. i'm very pleased to announce live aid, which without a doubt will be the largest pop concert ever held. >> live aid was the brainchild of bob geldof and midge ur. and the two of them were looking to raise as much money as possible for the famine victims in ethiopia. >> when tomorrow's 17-hour fund-raising concert starts, sellout crowds in the stadiums will be joined by a television audience of perhaps 1.5 billion people around the world. ♪ come on, baby ♪ ♪ get in the road ♪ ♪ come on now ♪ ♪ in the middle road ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ >> watching live aid on tv was my version of driving to woodstock. and i watched every second of it. ♪ everybody has a right to be free ♪ ♪ saying you don't have to live like a refugee ♪ ♪ don't have to live like a refugee ♪ ♪ all we hear is radio ga ga ♪ ♪ radio goo goo ♪ ♪ radio ga ga ♪ >> the great thing about live aid, it showed that musicians for me seemed to be the most altruistic people in the world. >> a group whose heart is in dublin, ireland. [ cheers and applause ] whose spirit is with the world. a group that's never had any problems saying how they feel. u2. >> when u2 play live aid, things had changed. rock and roll was getting serious. music could change the world. bono could change the world. ♪ sunday bloody sunday ♪ ♪ sunday bloody sunday ♪ >> u2, formed ten years ago when its members were still schoolboys-s now arguably the hottest rock and roll band in the world. their last album "the joshua tree" has so far sold 13 million copies worldwide. >> u2 somehow in the video age were still developing and become a great band and maintaining that kind of connection with people and not getting the message lost in the medium. >> we spent the last ten years finding out how to be in u2. we'll spend the next ten years seeing what u2 can do. inner voice (kombucha brewer): as a new small business owner, i find it useful to dramatically stare out of the window... ...so that no one knows i'm secretly terrified inside. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm using hand gestures and pointing... ...so no one can tell i'm unsure about my business finances. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture... ...but with the business side... ...i'm feeling a little lost. quickbooks can help. an easy way to get paid, pay your staff and know where your business stands. new business? no problem. yeah. success starts with intuit quickbooks. one of the worst things about a cold sore is how it can make you feel. but, when used at the first sign, abreva can get you back to being you in just 2 and a half days. be kinder to yourself and tougher on your cold sores. (music) ♪ i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. right now, all around us, and so compelling you never miss the fact there's no melody, is a music that is all beat, strong beat, and talk. it's rap music. ♪ >> rap music began in harlem and the south bronx on playgrounds like this one where people would gather to spin records and then recite their own lyrics, their raps, over the instrumental sections. ♪ come on now ♪ >> "the breaks" was curtis blow's biggest hit, selling 680,000 copies last year and hitting the top of the rhythm and blues sales charts. >> as a young kid running around with a local deejay crew i watched the transition from all the disco music we used to play at the block parties to slowly and surely hip-hop taking over. ♪ >> the music underneath rapping is called scratching, and it's a process of using two turntables and a mixer making new sounds out of already existing albums. >> thing that gave life to music in the '80s for me was hip-hop because it took the sounds of the '60s and '70s and brought it to the forefront. ♪ a child is born with no state of mind ♪ ♪ blind to the ways of mankind ♪ ♪ god is smiling on you but he's frowning, too ♪ ♪ only god knows what you go through ♪ >> "the message" was the first hip-hop song that wasn't just a party song. it was talking about what was going on. it was talking about urban decay. it was talking about drugs, crime, prison. all these things that were hitting these communities really hard. ♪ smugglers ♪ ♪ scramblers, burglars, gamblers♪ ♪ pick pockets, and even panhandlers ♪ ♪ you say i'm cool ♪ >> when "the message" hit it was put that down, what did he just say? put the record back. play that again. ♪ don't push me because i'm close to the edge ♪ >> everyone knew the game of changed, and it really opened the floodgates for the next generation of rappers. ♪ they called us and said we're gettin' iller ♪ ♪ there's no one chiller ♪ ♪ it's not michael jackson ♪ ♪ and this is not "thriller" ♪ >> when run-dmc came out, they were taking rock and roll music and putting it together with hip-hop and making something brand-new out of it. ♪ you can't touch me with an eight-foot pole ♪ ♪ and i even make the devil sell me his soul ♪ >> run-dmc kind of led zeppelinized hip-hop because it was fit for an arena, knocking the scoreboard down. ♪ schoolgirl sweetie with the classy kinda sassy ♪ ♪ little skirt climbing way up her knee ♪ ♪ there was three young ladies ♪ >> aerosmith had fallen off the map at that point. it brings them back into the fore and also breaks run-dmc in a much bigger way because then you start to get more white kids listening to hip-hop. ♪ walk this way ♪ >> run dmc's latest album titled "raising hell" has sold more than a million copies in just 13 weeks. a first for a rap record. >> the album is called "license to ill. that's a stupid name for an album. ♪ wake up late for school, man, you don't want to go ♪ ♪ you ask your mom please but she still says no ♪ >> hip-hop was our baby. this was our culture. this was our music. we created it. and then, here come the beastie boys. and we were afraid we were going to lose it. ♪ you got to fight for your right to party ♪ >> then when we started listening to their music they really were funky and they could really get busy. so we were like, okay, all right. ♪ i drink it, i think it i see it, i be it ♪ ♪ i love brass monkey but i won't give d. it♪ ♪ we got the bottle you got the cup ♪ >> beastie boys come out with what people thought would be a pop hip-hop group. it was straight hip-hop. beastie boys was dope, if you know what i mean. ♪ brass monkey junkie ♪ ♪ that funky monkey ♪ >> "licensed to ill" really spread like wildfire and introduced a lot of people to hip-hop culture. >> can you give us some definitions of the lls in your name? >> l.l. stands for laies love, long and lean. lover of ladies last of the red hot lovers looking for a little. just a lot of ls. >> the guys only be talking about yourself. how much of a lover, how the women love him to death, how they can throw down, how good they can dance. how bad they are. nobody better not mess with me and all of that kind of foolishness. if they were to address the issues, the issues being poverty, the issues being not having political power. you see what i'm saying? all of these issues, they should be addressing this with their energy. ♪ planet earth ♪ ♪ it was my place of birth ♪ ♪ born to be sole controller of the universe ♪ >> rakim is the god emcee. he single-handedly changed the phrasing of rap music and hip-hop. he came to the world like a poet. ♪ hard on the boulevard ♪ ♪ i never get scarred ♪ >> i learned different rhythms listening to jazz. i learned different rhythms. so i kind of incorporated that in my rhyme style. not just the regular doom, doom, doom. i was in between, doo-doom, doo-doom, doo-doom ♪ ♪ to be all i can be and more ♪ ♪ and see all there is to see and the core ♪ see all there is to see before. >> i'm trying to set an example for the little kids, know what i'm saying. got to teach the babies, know what i'm saying, try to lead them in the right path. ♪ yes, the rhythm, the rebel without a pause, i'm lowering the level ♪ >> the summer of 1987, "rebel without a pause" comes out. it was a call to arms, it was the sound of anger, it was the sound of something boiling under. public enemy literally said we want to be music's worst nightmare. >> public enemy's extreme politics has meant almost no radio air play, even on black stations. it's rap for a reason. they call it a mind revolution. ♪ a rebel in his own mind ♪ ♪ a rebel in his own mind ♪ >> "rebel without a pause" was heavily influenced by rakim and heavily influenced by what was just going on. it was really a desperate call to have us being heard. >> you talk about black all the time to a multiracial audience. shouldn't you maybe be thinking about who are the people i've got out here? haven't you got a responsibility to them rather than what you personally -- >> i have a responsibility to my people and my culture, because my people and my culture have been brutalized and ignored for years. ♪ my mother standing in the welfare line ♪ ♪ the way you survive is crime ♪ ♪ my life is over so i might as well speak my mind ♪ >> ice t is the first west coast gangster rap. reality rap. 6:00 in the morning police at my door. ice t did it way before nwa did it. ♪ straight outta compton ♪ ♪ ice cube from a gang called with attitude ♪ ♪ when i'm called on i got a sawed off ♪ ♪ squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off ♪ >> the los angeles rap group nwa drew fire from police because its album “straight outta compton” talked in brutal and vulgar language about retaliating against cops for their anti-gang sweeps in the l.a. area. >> nwa gave us the gritty, grimy gang-banging streets of compton. this is what's going on with us. ♪ as i leave believe i'm stomping ♪ ♪ when i come back boy i'm coming straight outta compton ♪ some of my best memories growing up were cooking with mom. so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? 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♪ oh, we're halfway there oh, living on a prayer ♪ ♪ take my hand we'll make it i swear ♪ >> bon jovi comes in with a huge record. ♪ pour some sugar on me ♪ >> def leppard. fantastic record. ♪ pour some sugar on me ♪ >> and that begins to bring that kind of music back. ♪ pour your sugar on me ♪ >> at the end of the '80s, everybody came to the same conclusion simultaneously. something new needs to happen here, and it's got to be real-sounding, more garage, less produced. ♪ ♪ i need an easy friend ♪ >> this music that was bubbling out of places like portland and seattle, and bands like nirvana that weren't looking to fit in to what was being played on mtv or what was being played on radio. ♪ i can see you every night ♪ >> eventually radio and mtv came to them. >> the seeds of what will happen in the next decade are already all there by the end of the '80s. college rock like r.e.m. was something new entirely. ♪ follow me, yeah follow me i got my spine i've got my orange crush ♪ >> the way that peter buck played guitar and the way that stipe sang where the voice was incredible but you couldn't quite figure out what he was saying, it just made them more alluring and mysterious, you could get why that band would become huge. ♪ >> it wasn't new wave, it wasn't a new romantic. they started calling it alternative music. ♪ it's the end of the world as we know it ♪ ♪ it's the end of the world as we know it ♪ ♪ time i had some time alone and i feel fine ♪ ♪ fine fine fine fine ♪ >> you know, this is the thing about the '80s. everyone thinks it's about crazy haircuts, lots of makeup, insane clothes, and it was. but the thing about this music that lasts is that their songs were so good. you can go back and listen to those records, from the engineering to the musicianship to the writing and to the performance of it. it surpasses most music. >> everybody had a story, and they wanted to tell it. the artists that were coming through the tv and into your lives. ♪ everybody wants to rule the world ♪ >> i'll say that the music of the '80s is more effective than what came to us in the '60s simply because all of us were included this time. no decade was more effective in dance music, in politics, in different genres than the '80s. there will never, ever be another decade like it, ever. ♪ everybody wants to rule the world ♪ ♪ there's a room where the light won't find you ♪ ♪ holding hands while the walls come tumbling down ♪ ♪ when they do i'll be right behind you ♪ ♪ so glad we've almost made it so sad they have to fade it ♪ ♪ everybody wants to rule the world ♪ i've never had more faith in america than i do today. we have an america that in bob dylan's phrase, is busy being born, not busy dying