Sparks - Tips For Teens

What this video is

Released in May 1981, 'Tips For Teens' arrived at a pivotal cultural juncture: MTV launched in August 1981, and promo clips produced in the months prior — like this one — became part of the inaugural content wave that defined the channel's early identity. Sparks, having spent the late 1970s as synth-disco pioneers under Giorgio Moroder, returned to a guitar-and-band format for 'Whomp That Sucker,' produced by…

Why it matters

A key artifact of Sparks' early-1980s new wave reinvention, 'Tips For Teens' bridges the band's synth-disco Moroder era and their forthcoming Los Angeles new wave period. The track has been described as walking 'the line between the sugary rush of synthpop and the nervous energy of post-punk.' As…