Watch: The quirkiest music videos of the '80s

The '80s were the golden age of music videos—big hair, wild ideas, and some truly quirky, unforgettable visuals. 

Thanks to MTV, we were treated to everything from groundbreaking masterpieces to totally bizarre visuals that somehow made perfect sense at the time.

This Egg-cellent '80s Easter weekend, we're hopping back in time to revisit some of the quirkiest, most unforgettable videos of the decade. Brace yourself—these tunes might just get stuck in your head (sorry, not sorry)!

Here are some of our favourites, in no particular order:

Genesis: Land of Confusion

Featuring caricature puppets by the British television show Spitting Image, the Land of Confusion music video is perhaps one of the most memorable from the '80s. 

Phil Collins saw a caricatured version of himself on the show, so he commissioned the show's creators, Peter Fluck and Roger Law, to create puppets of the entire band, as well as all the characters in the video.

Alf: Stuck on Earth

Ben Liebrand crafted this quirky hit in 1987, and in 1988, it was No. 3 on the New Zealand charts. 

The Art of Noise with Max Headroom: Paranoimia

Reaching No. 6 in New Zealand in 1986, this track features the unmistakable Max Headroom—arguably the internet’s original mascot. AI in 2025 wishes it could be this cool.

Herbie Hancock: Rockit

Rockit hit No. 7 in New Zealand and dominated the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, winning five categories: Best Concept Video, Best Experimental Video, Best Special Effects, Best Editing, and Best Art Direction.

The Quick: Hip, Shake, Jerk!

This was a minor hit in New Zealand upon its 1981 release, but the video? Pure ‘80s perfection! Watch and relive the '80s below.

Alexei Sayle: Didn't You Kill My Brother

Originally the theme song for The Comic Strip Presents..., this track became a hit in its own right, reaching No. 5 in New Zealand in 1986. 

Monte Video and the Cassettes: Shoop Shoop Diddy Wop Cumma Cumma Wang Dang

A 1982 classic that shot to No. 2 in New Zealand, this one remains a favourite in our Feel Good 500 Countdown every year—especially for Jason "JT" Tikao! It’s impossible not to Feel Good (or at least start dancing) when it plays. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 1983 New Zealand Music Awards, losing to Outlook for Thursday.

And finally, an honourable mention to DD Smash's Outlook for Thursday.

While we wouldn't consider this a particularly quirky video, we couldn't mention it and not show you the video. It was released in 1983 unrelated to any album, though a live version appears on the 1983 live album Live: Deep in the Heart of Taxes and appears on Dave Dobbyn's compilation albums. The single charted at No. 3 in New Zealand and, in 2001, was voted by members of APRA as the 31st best New Zealand song of the 20th century.