Electric Light Orchestra — Here Is the News

JUL 01 1982 · 12:00

Electric Light Orchestra — Here Is the News (1982) Era: New Wave / Early MTV Era (1981–1982) - Transitional moment as ELO pivoted from orchestral rock to synth-pop, coinciding with MTV's launch and the rise of the promotional music video as a commercial necessity. High curatorial value as a period-accurate artifact of the early-MTV promotional video era, documenting ELO's synth-pop transition through a self-aware, media-parodying visual concept. The newsroom staging and direct-address performance style are rare formal choices for 1982 pop promos and offer a rich case study in concept-driven music video narrative. The film-originated warm visual palette and moderate editorial pace are textbook examples of transitional-era UK promo craft. Context: Released in January 1982 as a double A-side with 'Ticket to the Moon,' 'Here Is the News' was drawn from ELO's ninth studio album Time (July 1981), a science-fiction concept album set in the year 2095. The album marked a decisive shift away from ELO's orchestral rock identity toward synth-pop, reflecting the broader cultural absorption of synthesizer technology sweeping British pop. The music video's newsroom parody concept is thematically coherent with the song's subject — a 'doom-laden news bulletin' from the future — and situates ELO squarely within the early-MTV era of high-concept promotional filmmaking, where visual narrative became as commercially vital as the song itself. Director notes: The official music video features band members performing in a parody newsroom setting, with Jeff Lynne portraying a TV newsreader singing the lyrics as if delivering a broadcast. The video was released alongside the double A-side single with 'Ticket to the Moon' in January 1982. No production company or director credit is publicly attributed.