One Sunday morning, fall 1981.
I would have sat directly in front of the living room TV and watched Switchback, a new variety program for kids and teens featuring celebrity interviews, cartoons, comedy and puppets. I was 12.
Hosted by Stan the Man on CBC, he would also introduce two or three music videos during the hour-long show.
"My Girl" by Chilliwack, a veteran group from Vancouver, British Columbia, played on the TV.
And it was awesome!
This music video may not be among the most creative of its time, but it was my first, thus automatically claiming a spot in the top 100 purely for nostalgia.
There is one particular iconic scene that is forever etched in my mind. It's when the three band members snap their fingers over a burning garbage barrel, while the lead singer chants: "Gone, gone, gone, she been gone so long, She been gone, gone, gone so long."
Well, the girl in the video was indeed gone. Gone far away from the vocalist who was longing for her. Gone via limousine. Then gone by a charter airplane, likely headed towards the brighter lights of Toronto.
As for the song itself, the vocal harmonies are outstanding. "My Girl" peaked at #3 in Canada.
What was the first music video you remember watching?
