Hey Youtube, Jim here! Welcome to Top10Archive! Music History is so deeply
intertwined with human history that I really think neither would exist without the other.
Sometimes it really is like what Oscar Wilde said: “Life imitates art” not the other way around.
Ready to get nostalgic? Here are the top 10 iconic moments in music history!
But before we get started, why not become an archivist today by clicking that subscribe button
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let us know by giving it a thumbs up and in the comment section, tell us your most
favorite moment in music history! 10. Bob Dylan Goes Electric
After ballads, folk music, and making it big in the music industry since 1961, Bob Dylan made
headlines and changed the music world in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival. He left romance and
politics behind and got on stage reaching out for an electric guitar. Today, this might not
seem very revolutionary, but back then it was so controversial that the artist was actually booed
off the stage. Some say it was bad sound quality, but fans often say it was the electric guitar,
that they felt betrayed, loving him for one sound, and seeing him switch it up on them. Clearly, they
got over it and everything worked out in the end. 9. The Beatles go on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
The Beatles, like any other band, started real small,
growing their fanbase in the UK until their songs made it big on the radio and high on the charts,
even still holding the record for most number-one singles on the Billboard charts with 20. However,
nothing said “this is the band” of the British invasion until they touched down in JFK in 1964,
watched by millions, and then appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. On both occasions,
fans were fainting, crying, and screaming for all three songs performed. It’s estimated that
73 million Americans tuned in to that episode of the show and you just can’t beat those ratings.
8. The World Met The Moonwalk
On “Motown25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.” Michael Jackson came on to perform Billie Jean. While the
song, and MJ himself, were already crazy famous and well-loved, it was the 2-second moonwalk at
the end of the song that blew the world away and turned it into an iconic move. Despite MJ being
an amazing choreographer of his own performances, the move wasn’t of his own creation. Originally,
it was performed by Derek “Cooley” Jackson on “Soul Train” and “Solid Gold”. MJ’s manager
knocked on his door after seeing the move and taught him the backslide, indirectly sliding it,
if you will, right into music history. 7. The Launch of MTV
Before MTV there was radio and there was television. Despite radio having started
stories that later inspired TV soaps, the influence had pretty much ended there, until
MTV. With MTV, music now had its own channel on television, and though many thought nobody
would want to watch music on television, they were dead wrong. In 1981, MTV launched with
“Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles, a total message if you’re asking me. However, MTV
had to think on their feet. The number of music videos was limited and their future was dwindling.
They turned to R&B artists, played Michael Jackson and Prince videos and soon created a phenomenon
called “I want my MTV.” 6. Nirvana’s Unplugged
With this specific moment, it’s not just the fact that the unplugged is amazing - especially for
ladies who drooled over Kurt Cobain. It’s also that you can’t help but wonder when watching it
if he knew he wouldn’t be around when it aired. Cobain killed himself not long
before it came out and the release of the Unplugged helped some people cope,
remembering him for his talent instead. Dave Grohl later talked about the experience of performing on
Unplugged, saying "We'd seen the other Unplugged's and didn't like many of them, because most bands
would treat them like rock shows -- play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except
with acoustic guitars." They decided instead to perform like they were playing for a small coffee
shop. They played covers by a variety of bands and artists, including David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold
the World”. The band was even reportedly unhappy with Grohl’s drum sound, which they changed to
wire brushes and sizzle sticks. Despite all the setbacks, the reluctance, and everything else,
they finished it, and it went down as one of the most iconic MTV Unplugged sessions.
5. Madonna Performed “Like a Virgin” on the 1984 MTV Awards
Madonna was not your average ‘80s woman. She was extremely confident, beautiful, and stylish
in ways many didn’t dare. She inspired millions both artistically and in fashion with her lace,
her chains, and her bright red lipstick. When she got on stage to sing everyone’s favorite
don't-sing-around-your-mother song, “Like a Virgin,”
many were moved and shocked to the point of taking action - Tipper Gore, Al Gore’s wife,
especially. She thought parental advisories were necessary to keep children from seeing such
things. While Tipper worked to achieve them, Madonna’s fame grew exponentially. Now, Madonna is
worth $850M and Tipper achieved the legacy of the Parental Advisory labels. Win-win? You tell us.
4. Elvis does a hip thrust on “The Milton Berle Show”
Speaking of what was “wildly inappropriate”, let’s talk about the day Elvis became a heartthrob
in front of millions of viewers on “The Milton Berle Show” by shaking his hips and
singing his heart out. For the first time, after 18 months of back-to-back concerts,
he was on screen moving his Elvis pelvis around. Those who loved him thought he was a star,
those who were jealous of what he was bringing on to the screen, thought his gyrating was an
“utterable bore,” that it affected his voice, and that it was inappropriate. Then again, haters will
always have something to say while those who are different laugh into their money pile of success.
3. Freddy Mercury Performs at Live Aid After Bohemian Rhapsody, the film,
this performance is a clear iconic moment in music history to more than just music buffs. Back
when he was alive, Queen had a hard time getting kick-started, especially after Mercury performed
in South Africa, the segregated, apartheid South Africa, and people started questioning his
sexuality. Things got rocky there for a moment. Until, that is, Live Aid. Queen headlined with U2,
David Bowie, Elton John, Duran Duran, and Madonna, where 1.9 billion people tuned in to watch him,
and it did not disappoint. 2. Tupac’s Death
The death of a famous music artist always shakes the world. From the deaths of Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens, and the "Big Bopper", which inspired Don McLean's "American Pie" song,
to Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Mac Miller, John Lennon,
Layne Staley... the list goes on and on. But It was a really sad day for millions of people
and an entire culture in music when Tupac died. His mother, a Black Panther, his early life
in music and pop culture was a movement more than just a person. He loved poetry and theatre, he was
cultured and super smart. He performed Shakespeare plays and was a talented writer. In 1996,
he was shot to death in what still is believed to be due to the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry.
That didn’t stop his legacy though. Tupac is still very much a part of our culture to this very day.
1. Jimi Hendrix Lights Guitar on Fire If you were talented in 1967, you had to join
the crowd. People were fed up with normalcy, they dressed down and got out to the streets to show
what they had. So to be recognized, you had to be special. It’s one thing to say about a musician
that they “destroyed that song” while nodding to your friends. It’s a whole other thing for
the musician to actually destroy the instrument. It all happened because Hendrix cracked the ax of
his guitar climbing back on stage and he started the routine of destroying it against the ground.
Then one day, he decided to get fancy with it. The Experience was going to be playing
“fire,” their new song, at their shows and a journalist, Park Astoria, suggested they actually
play to some fire. Some lighter fluid later they had a lit guitar. The flames were huge, in fact,
Hendrix burned his hands, but it all worked out in the end. And just like that, one of the most
iconic images during a live concert was born. Thanks for watching! Hey, why don’t you strum on
down to the comments sections to share your iconic thoughts about these memorable music musings! And
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