![\"MTV](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MTV-Music-Television-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ MTV)<\/p>\n
Sat 27 December 2025 21:00, UK <\/p>\n
On August 1st, 1981, at precisely 12:01am Eastern time, MTV<\/a> launched in America with the immortal phrase, \u201cLadies and gentlemen, rock and roll\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first video to premiere on MTV, which, at the time, was only available in New Jersey, was the Buggles\u2019 \u2018Video Killed the Radio Star\u2019<\/a>. In a striking moment of irony, the course of the music industry changed forever. Suddenly, musicians were judged not solely on their talent but on their presentation, as well, launching a new level of expectation and demand. Music videos became their own distinct art form, a means of expression that allowed artists to create short films that reflected their work, while captivating mass audiences in a way that they had not been able to access before. This was especially true for artists abroad, who could market their music to potential fans without even having to travel. <\/p>\n \u201cMTV has paved the way for a host of invaders abroad: Def Leppard, Adam Ant, Madness, Eurythmics, the Fixx and Billy Idol, to name a few,\u201d Parke Puterbaugh wrote in Rolling Stone<\/a> in November 1983, in a piece titled \u2018Anglomania: The Second British Invasion\u2019. \u201cIn return, grateful Brits, even superstars like Pete Townshend and the Police, have mugged for MTV promo spots and made the phrase \u2018I want my MTV\u2019 a household commonplace.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite MTV\u2019s undeniable innovation in the music world and popular culture, at large, the channel was no stranger to controversy. Over the nearly 45 years since its launch, MTV has been criticised for their choices in programming, particularly in its inclusion of censorship<\/a>. The channel has a history of editing numerous music videos to remove material that included nudity, drug references, sex, violence, racism, homophobia and\/or advertising. In turn, some videos were censored entirely, moved to the channel\u2019s late-night rotation, or banned altogether. <\/p>\n The first music video to be banned was Queen\u2019s \u2018Body Language\u2019<\/a>, released in 1982, due to its \u201c\u2018homoerotic undertones\u2019 and the presence of human flesh,\u201d according to the Guinness World Records. <\/p>\n Directed by Mike Hodges, the video showed the members of Queen fully clothed, though its erotic implications and the images of skin and sweat were deemed unsuitable for television. Hodges had first met the members of Queen while working on the music for the 1980 film Flash Gordon, and was approached by Freddie Mercury about doing a music video for a song he had written called \u2018Body Language\u2019. The song was the product of an experimental streak, veering from Queen\u2019s usual glam into funk, disco and soul territories.\u00a0<\/p>\n