Billy Squier - did the Rock Me Tonight video really kill his career?

Think: "Footloose".

 

IIRC, the director for the Squier video is gay.

 

My two cents: It's not that Billy Squier was gay, or acting gay in this one video, that ruined him for a lot of people. David Bowie kissed a guy in one of his videos, if I remember correctly, and it just made him edgy. The hottest new thing on MTV in 1983-84 was Boy George.

It's that he comes off as way too much into himself and all that hottitude he's putting out. His cat moves are executed with a total lack of basic self-awareness, and a sense he knew just how much he was turning on his audience, without it actually turning anyone on. This didn't jibe with the cool image that was essential to all rock stars at the time.

I think he was a fine rocker for his time, but it was a short time, quickly overrun by synths and guys wearing make-up and playing keyboards rather than old-fashioned guitars. I think what makes the video so silly, in addition to his apparently total self-absorption, was that he was lowering himself to what he thought people wanted, rather than staying true to his laconic muse.

 

"I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face..." Nah.

" I wanna be lit like Stevie Nicks..." There, that's the stuff. That's what I'm talkin' about...

D.D.

 

I'll put it this way, Slokes: Squier didn't look manly. He didn't move manly. What's a young straight teenage guy supposed to base his image on? Remember, this was 1984. We may as well have been in the prehistoric age as far as what was acceptable from certain people was concerned. Prince could get away with something like it because that was always his personna. Billy Squier was a young man's rock figure. His music represented testosterone. Women. Bone-crunching rock. Gettin' the stroke down. The "Rock Me Tonight" video was what Madonna did a couple of months later on her "Like A Virgin" video, (which makes me wonder if the Squier video was the inspiration). Was Squier the original "boy toy"?

 

This is true. MTV had a lot of pull with the labels and the artists back then. Another case is The Monkees in 1986. MTV played the television show which led to a new anthology of which included the smash "That Was Then, This is Now". They were the darlings of MTV. Jump ahead to the following year when they were commited to appearing on a Superbowl pregame special or something. They ended up backing out at the last miute which didnt sit well with the MTV executives. The Monkees make a new album ("Pool It!") and release a new single and video "Heart & Soul" which the station refuses to play even though it's constantly being requested by viewers on MTV Request. Boom! The big comeback was killed.

 

The Billy Squier video is pretty bad. On the other hand most MTV videos were bad anyway, it's just that this video was even more bad than average. I also thought that the Bowie/Jagger video was a real mess also.

I like 80s music more than I like 80s music videos, if that makes sense.

Scott

 

There was an equally interesting power play when Epic had to threaten to pull all of its videos from MTV to get them to play videos from Thriller. Seemed like an all-in gamble that paid off beautifully for Epic/CBS. I'm afraid I don't have a source; it's just what I remember reading and hearing at the time.

FWIW, a few years ago I put on the LIVE IN THE DARK video of Squier's, and my girlfriend made me turn it off because of his gyrations that were very much like the ones on the video. I realized that his moves in the video for Rock Me Tonight were perhaps not the most hetero ever, but my initial impression back in the day is that he was just being silly, that you can dance like that as a rock star and it doesn't make a difference. I really do not know what the pink thing was all about. I know that Billy's drummer got the Hamer guitar company to custom paint his kit pink for the tour.

I remember being an MTV junkie in 1984 and do not recall the pushback over anything more than it not being as heavy a song as his previous stuff.


Dan

 

Video or not, I just don't think he's that good compared to more enduring rock artists that have stood the test of time.

It seems that most of his value is in nostalgia. Kids today still get into Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Queen, Pink Floyd, etc. Not so for Billy.

If I ask the guys (under 30) at my work about Billy Squier, they will undoubtedly say, "Who?"

 

well you would probably get the same answer if you ask them about the kinks

 

One interesting thing of note about Squier is that between "The Big Beat" (off his first album Tale Of The Tape) and " The Stroke" (off of Don't Say No) - he is one of the most sampled artists in Hip-Hop history - particularly on the prior song.

 

Sure, and I would say rightly so. They were both 3rd tier.

 

the kinks 3rd tier

 

Sure. Doesn't mean they're bad. They're just not in the same fame league as true rock gods (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Stones, etc) that everyone still knows, regardless of age. Or even 2nd tier acts like U2, The Police/Sting, etc.

 

they are not in the same league because most of ray davies songwriting was too smart for most people. i was talking with someone else about rays book. i just started it after finishing claptons book. don't really know the best way to describe it and not throw insults but claptons book seems like its for children compared to the way rays book is written and i think it reflects in the songwriting of both artists. i am sure i would get the same sense from books by members of most of the bands you named except pink floyd. i can't explain how a group so odd became so huge

 

Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You gets a lot of play around here at...well...Christmas time.

 

Thank you internet! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.....

dan c

 

Him and Sinead should have gotten married. I really dig the 'Loverboy' head band. Now THAT'S sexy!!
What the hell kinda drugs does somebody take to actually let a camera film you like that?????
the beave

 

As if The Monkees has anything to do with this thread.

 

I don't care how dorky the clip is. That era Ann Margaret.........Wood.
That' all I have to say about that.
the beave

 

But seriously now. How can anybody make a video like that, watch it back, and not want to commit suicide????
I mean Really?
the beave

 

I think lack of memorable songs after that video killed his career.

The video didn't help though!

 

Naked guys in king size beds with satin sheets. Seems to be a theme....hmmmmm
Actually this thread is turning into a pretty good one. I haven't laughed so much in months.
the beave

 

the beave

 

I don't think that any amount of justification can prove that "Rock Me Tonite" did not ruin Squier's career.

It most certainly did.