Ph.D — Little Susie's On The Up

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

Ph.D — Little Susie's On The Up (1981) Era: MTV Launch Era (1981) - One of the first five videos broadcast on MTV's inaugural day (1 August 1981), placing this artifact at the absolute genesis of music video culture as a mainstream medium. Exceptionally high. This is one of only five videos broadcast in MTV's entire first hour of programming on 1 August 1981, making it an irreplaceable primary source for the study of music video's emergence as a mass-media form. Beyond its historical placement, the video embodies the aesthetic, technological, and cultural conditions of early British New Wave promotional filmmaking — warm-toned, theatrically performed, modestly produced — at the precise moment the format was being invented in real time. Essential for any archive dedicated to MTV history, early 1980s British pop culture, or the genealogy of the music video as an art form. Context: This video occupies a singular position in music video history: as the fifth clip broadcast on MTV on its launch day of 1 August 1981, it was among the founding texts of an entirely new audiovisual medium. Ph.D. — a British trio comprising Jim Diamond (vocals/guitar), Tony Hymas (keyboards), and Simon Phillips (drums), all seasoned session and touring musicians — brought a polished yet unpretentious New Wave pop sensibility that was well-suited to MTV's early, eclectic programming. The song's narrative of female ambition and resilience, delivered with comedic energy, offered a lighter counterpoint to the rockist fare dominating early MTV. Atlantic Records' UK promotional infrastructure facilitated the clip's transatlantic placement at a moment when the concept of a 'music video' was still being defined as a commercial and artistic form. Director notes: The video was broadcast as the fifth clip ever aired on MTV on 1 August 1981, making it an artefact of extraordinary historical significance in music video history. Its comedic tone and use of fast-motion photography are the most documented production characteristics. No production company, director, or cinematographer credits have been publicly catalogued on IMVDb, Discogs, or any other verified source consulted.