1989 MTV Video Music Awards


The 1989 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1989, honoring the best music videos from April 2, 1988, to June 1, 1989. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
This year four new "genre" categories were added, alongside the International Viewer's Choice awards. Also, the award for Best Concept Video was retired this year, and the eligibility cutoff date was moved two months down from April to June, making this a 14-month eligibility year.
In terms of the awards, Madonna and Paula Abdul were the night's biggest winners with four awards each, while rock group Living Colour was the second biggest winner, taking home three moonmen that night. On the other hand, Michael Jackson was the most nominated artist of 1989, receiving nine nominations for two of his videos: six for "Leave Me Alone" and three for "Smooth Criminal", but only took home one award for Best Special Effects.
The award for Video of the Year, went to Neil Young's controversial video for "This Note's for You", making this the first time since The Cars' win in 1984 that an act takes home the main award without winning any other one. Unlike The Cars, though, Young's video did not have any other nominations that night except for Viewer's Choice, which until 1994 had exactly the same nominees as Video of the Year. The Viewer's Choice award, however, went to another video that also stirred up controversy: Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
The ceremony is notable for comedian Andrew Dice Clay's stand-up routine that included adult versions of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, leading MTV executives to ban him from ever appearing on the network again, and Def Leppard's performance of "Tear It Down" would be the last live appearance of guitarist Steve Clark before his death on Tuesday January 8, 1991.

Nominations

Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year

Neil Young – "This Note's for You"
Elvis Costello – "Veronica"
Paula Abdul – "Straight Up"
Living Colour – "Cult of Personality"
Living Colour – "Cult of Personality"
Guns N' Roses – "Sweet Child o' Mine"
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – "Parents Just Don't Understand"
Paula Abdul – "Straight Up"
R.E.M. – "Orange Crush"
U2 with B.B. King – "When Love Comes to Town"
'''Art of Noise – "Kiss"
Living Colour – "Cult of Personality"
Madonna – "Express Yourself"
Paula Abdul – "Straight Up"
Michael Jackson – "Leave Me Alone"
Madonna – "Express Yourself"
Paula Abdul – "Straight Up"
Madonna – "Express Yourself"
Madonna – "Like a Prayer"

[MTV Europe]

Roxette – "The Look"
Chayanne – "Este Ritmo Se Baila Así"
Kome Kome Club – "Kome Kome War"
George Michael

Performances