Judas Priest - Don't Go

What this video is

Released in February 1981, 'Don't Go' arrived at a pivotal moment for heavy metal's relationship with visual media. The NWOBHM was at its commercial peak, and music videos were rapidly becoming essential promotional tools as MTV launched later that same year. Judas Priest, following the landmark success of British Steel (1980), was under label pressure to pursue a more radio-accessible sound on Point of Entry. The…

Why it matters

A key artifact in the early archive of NWOBHM video production, 'Don't Go' documents Judas Priest's 1981 commercial pivot while preserving the raw, performance-driven visual language that predates the polished MTV era. Its pairing with director Julien Temple — already established via the Sex…

The director

Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953, London) is a British film, documentary, and music video director. He launched his career documenting the Sex Pistols, earning recognition with The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980). By the mid-1980s he had become a…