Remember when music television actually played music videos?

October 3, 2011 8:58 AM

It has been nearly a decade since VH1 cancelled "Pop Up Video," but at noon ET today the show returns with 60 new episodes. Their first video: Britney Spears' Til the World Ends. The program's new incarnation will also allow viewers to DIY their own "pop up" videos and share them on Facebook and Twitter."

New show open.

Wired: interview with the show's fact checkers. (Previously)

For Mobile: Pop Up Video to Go (new videos)

They have a loop of classics from the old show on their website, but many others are available on YouTube: (Quality varies)

* Ace of Base: Beautiful Life
* Alanis Morissette: You Learn
* Billy Idol: Cradle of Love
* Counting Crows: Mr. Jones
* Def Leppard: Armageddon It
* Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen
* Goo Goo Dolls: Iris
* Grateful Dead: Touch of Gray
* Jewel: Who Will Save Your Soul
* Judas Priest: Breaking the Law
* Lisa Loeb: I Do
* Madonna: Vogue
* Meatloaf: I'd do Anything for Love
* Men At Work: Land Down Under
* Metallica: The Memory Remains
* Milli Vanilli: Girl You Know it's True
* Motley Crue: Dr. Feelgood
* Pat Benetar: Shadows of the Night
* Prince: 1999
* Prince: Kiss
* Prince: Raspberry Beret
* Prince: When Doves Cry
* REM: Everybody Hurts
* REM: Losing My Religion
* The Rembrandts: I'll be There for You
* Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up
* Quiet Riot: Cum on Feel the Noise
* Ray Parker, Jr.: Ghostbusters (Original Theme Song)
* Sheryl Crow - A Change Would Do You Good
* Talking Heads: Burning Down the House
* Toni Basil: Mickey
* Van Halen: Hot for Teacher
* Van Halen: Right Now
* Weezer: Keep Fishin'

posted by zarq (41 comments total)

Awesome post! I'll be digging through the old ones for a while. Between the social tie-ins and the fact that I've been completely unaware of any music videos for years, I worry this won't be as enjoyable as the original, but I'm thrilled it's coming back nonetheless.

Related: Beavis and Butthead to return as well.
posted by SpiffyRob at 9:04 AM on October 3, 2011

Pop-Up News would be kind of amusing, I think.
posted by jonmc at 9:04 AM on October 3, 2011

I don't know why they cancelled this show in the first place. Glad to see it come back.
posted by GavinR at 9:06 AM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

Oh god, they showed Pop Up Video in huge monolithic chunks back before VH1 switched to an all-talking heads-based programing model. How else were bored pre-teens supposed to soak up dangerous amounts of 80s pop?
posted by The Whelk at 9:12 AM on October 3, 2011 [4 favorites]

I attribute my love of pop-culture trivia to countless afternoons full of Pop-Up Video in elementary school.
posted by lilac girl at 9:12 AM on October 3, 2011

...And thus I prove The Whelk's point.
posted by lilac girl at 9:12 AM on October 3, 2011

Yay! one less slot of reality tv!
posted by Bridymurphy at 9:12 AM on October 3, 2011

If my zits come back, it'll be like I'm living in the 90s again.
posted by drezdn at 9:13 AM on October 3, 2011

Basically, between Pop Up Video and MST3K, you had a good chance of becoming an unstoppable Juggernaut during trivia night.
posted by The Whelk at 9:14 AM on October 3, 2011 [5 favorites]

As a teen in the 80s, I never, ever got into music videos. Until Pop-Up Video came along.
posted by Melismata at 9:14 AM on October 3, 2011

Man, so good. Pop-up video scratches the same itch that my later obsessive wikipedia surfing does.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:15 AM on October 3, 2011 [3 favorites]

Also I'd like to thank zarq for reminding me how much I hated Jewel.
posted by The Whelk at 9:17 AM on October 3, 2011

before VH1 switched to an all-talking heads-based programing model.

Is David Byrne okay with them doing this?
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:17 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

*bows to The Whelk*
posted by zarq at 9:20 AM on October 3, 2011

THIS AINT NO GREEN SCREEN! THIS AINT NO CHAT SHOW!

oh god just the first three notes of the Iris song is enough to trigger musical PTSD NO I DON'T WANT TO HANG OUT AT THE WA WA
posted by The Whelk at 9:20 AM on October 3, 2011

I remember catching an episode of the Highlander tv show done in the pop up video style way back when. It was some flashback episode with pop ups like "Bad Hitler impersonator in 3... 2..." and so forth. Anybody else remember this?
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 9:22 AM on October 3, 2011

WOOHOO! I am excited.
posted by Stynxno at 9:32 AM on October 3, 2011

"An extra was kicked off the set for talking about poop"

"The same person farted in front of Britney"

"Oops...I did it again"

Yes, welcome back Pop-Up Video!!
posted by Danila at 9:45 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Basically, between Pop Up Video and MST3K, you had a good chance of becoming an unstoppable Juggernaut during trivia night.

Oh my God, that's what it is, isn't it. That's ... that's me. I feel like I've just had a breakthrough.
posted by penduluum at 9:46 AM on October 3, 2011

If there was one thing that VH1 has done since its inception that could be considered somewhere in the range, albeit distantly, of good, Pop Up Video would be that thing. If there were two things, the other would be Bands Reunited.

I'm setting the DVR right now.
posted by eyeballkid at 9:53 AM on October 3, 2011

what about behind the music huh huh huh?
posted by The Whelk at 9:53 AM on October 3, 2011

reminding me how much I hated Jewel

When did you stop hating Jewel, Senator?
posted by yerfatma at 9:54 AM on October 3, 2011

Britney Spears--'Til her career ends.

Bleh
posted by stormpooper at 9:55 AM on October 3, 2011

I couldn't watch this show because of the damn "pop" sound effect ruining the music. Seemed interesting otherwise though.
posted by ODiV at 9:59 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had a Pop Up Video fan page back when Geocities was a hot thing. I remember copying the images of the little icons off the VH1 website and using my paint program to painstakingly edit out the background color so that I could put them up for other nerdy teenagers fans to use on their own sites.

(Oh, god, the memories. So glad I don't have cable anymore, or I'd have to go home and feast on VH1.)
posted by marginaliana at 9:59 AM on October 3, 2011

Yes. Pop-Up Video is one of the greatest things ever to happen to television and pop music. I still get a chuckle just remembering their version of Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do."

"This ain't no disco... this ain't no country club either... this is L.A."
*pop* This is not L.A.
*pop* This is Clarksville, Tennessee.
*pop* Crow shot the video here while on tour in nearby Nashville.
*pop* [Photo of the Monkees] There are no trains to Clarksville.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:04 AM on October 3, 2011 [6 favorites]

Whatever. I spent years longing for this show to come back while VH1 was too busy matchmaking for D-list celebrities and reminiscing about things that happened five minutes ago to ever be bothered. Then when I finally looked up a pop-up video on Youtube about a year ago, I was struck by how unnecessary the show had started to feel. The flow of trivia felt weak and slow compared to what I had become accustomed to googling or wikipediaing up on my own. There is now essentially no chance at all of me sitting around and watching this - those days are gone. And I hate VH1 a little bit for letting it come to this.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 10:06 AM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

Great post, though!
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 10:07 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

two or three cars parked under the stars: "Great post, though!"

Ha! Thanks. :)

I do wonder how this show is going to fare, in an age where a ton of trivia is already instantly available to us.
posted by zarq at 10:09 AM on October 3, 2011

I do wonder how this show is going to fare, in an age where a ton of trivia is already instantly available to us.

Never underestimate the power of the terminally lazy to attract TV producers.
posted by chavenet at 10:25 AM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

Additional link: NYT story.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:26 AM on October 3, 2011

I learned something new already today - I don't remember ever knowing that "losing my religion" was a Southernism for losing my temper. So much for my own little agnostic anthem.

How else were bored pre-teens supposed to soak up dangerous amounts of 80s pop?
How else were bored 20 & early-30-somethings supposed to do the same. Oh, the best music vids were such little 3-minute masterpieces.

Now off to watch Vogue and Mickey. Yes, I said it.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:35 AM on October 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Does anyone else remember VH1 occasionally playing Behind the Music episodes with pop-ups? Google only gives me this.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:45 AM on October 3, 2011

I swoon! This is a great post. Thanks!
posted by but no cigar at 10:47 AM on October 3, 2011

Fan-made video: The Cure - Friday I'm in Love, with video from the anime series Kare Kano.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:51 AM on October 3, 2011

zarq: I do wonder how this show is going to fare, in an age where a ton of trivia is already instantly available to us.

Answer:

Faint of Butt: Yes. Pop-Up Video is one of the greatest things ever to happen to television and pop music. I still get a chuckle just remembering their version of Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do."

Pop-up video was more than fun facts, it was a whole amusing treatment of videos, not taking them too seriously, mocking the really cheesy scenes (like in Meatloaf's video). Plus, more music video programming on TV is always nice.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:54 AM on October 3, 2011

I keep trying to think of something intelligent to say in response to this news, but my brain's just playing "Never Gonna Give You Up" on repeat, punctuated with little bloop! bloop! pop-up sounds.

I'm... okay with that.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:05 AM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

Its not on the list, but I think it was on an episode of Pop Up that I learned how Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity video was created, which was not only full of awesomeness, it also turned out to be a great magic mushroom simulator.
posted by mannequito at 11:11 AM on October 3, 2011

Oh man. I totally Have Last Train to Clarksville stuck in my head now.
Ugh.
posted by aclevername at 11:49 AM on October 3, 2011

I watched the Pop Up video for Britney's 'Till the World Ends. It felt like TMZ was overlaying YouTube.

I have some nostalgia for the old days when Pop Up was first aired, so I think I'll just leave it at that instead of trying to watch the reincarnation.
posted by asciident at 3:44 PM on October 3, 2011

New pop up videos were posted today, from the first episode. These are links to VH1's website, and the videos may not be available internationally:

* Chris Brown: Run It
* Coldplay: Viva la Vida
* Lauryn Hill: Ex-Factor
* Pink: Get The Party Started
posted by zarq at 7:14 PM on October 3, 2011 [2 favorites]