1984 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1984 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 14, 1984. The inaugural ceremony honored the best music videos released between May 2, 1983 and May 2, 1984, and was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
| 1984 MTV Video Music Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, September 14, 1984 |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler |
| Most awards | Herbie Hancock (5) |
| Most nominations | Cyndi Lauper (9) |
| Website | mtv.com/vma/1984 |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | MTV |
| Produced by | Don Ohlmeyer Bob Pittman Edd Griles |
| Directed by | Edd Griles |
Herbie Hancock was the show's most-awarded artist, taking home five awards, followed by Michael Jackson, who won three. The main award, Video of the Year, went to The Cars for "You Might Think". This was the first instance of only a few in the show's history where the video of the year did not win any other awards. Hancock's "Rockit" and The Police's "Every Breath You Take" were the most-nominated videos, receiving eight nominations apiece. Cyndi Lauper was the most-nominated artist of the night, with nine overall for two of her videos: six for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", which eventually won the Moonman for Best Female Video, and three for "Time After Time".
Other major nominees included Jackson and The Cars, both of whom received six nominations each for their videos "Thriller" and "You Might Think" respectively; ZZ Top, who received six nominations among their videos for "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Gimme All Your Lovin'"; and Billy Idol, who garnered five nominations for "Dancing with Myself" and "Eyes Without a Face". Lastly, David Bowie earned four nominations for his "China Girl" and "Modern Love" videos, and was also one of the honorees for the Video Vanguard award.