Def Leppard - Bringin' on the heartbreak '82

What this video is

This video is a primary artifact of the earliest MTV programming era (1981–1982), when the fledgling channel actively sought British rock content to fill airtime. Originally filmed for Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in July 1981, the clip entered heavy MTV rotation by late 1982, making it one of the first British hard rock videos to achieve American mass exposure via cable television. Its airplay catalyzed a dramatic…

Why it matters

As one of the earliest British hard rock/NWOBHM power ballads to receive mass US exposure via MTV, this video helped establish the commercial viability of the rock ballad as a crossover format. It bridges the raw performance tradition of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert with the emerging music video…

The director

Doug Smith directed the original 1981 music video for Def Leppard's 'Bringin' On the Heartbreak,' capturing a live performance at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, England on 22 July 1981, filmed as part of the Don Kirshner's Rock Concert television…