Living in the Plastic Age

Living in the Plastic Age

Infobox Single
Name = Living in the Plastic Age
Type = Single
Artist = Buggles
from Album = The Age of Plastic
B-side = "Island"


Released = 1980
Genre = New Wave
Length = 3:44 (Music Video), 5:08
Label = Island Records
Writer = Trevor Horn / Geoff Downes
Producer = Trevor Horn
Last single = "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979)
This single = "Living in the Plastic Age" (1980)
Next single = "Clean Clean" (1980)
"Living in the Plastic Age" or Plastic Age is a New Wave song by Buggles recorded in January 1980 and only available on the album The Age of Plastic. Although it is the first track on The Age of Plastic, it was recorded after Video Killed the Radio Star. The song reached #16 in the UK charts. The song alludes to plastic surgery and the stress of modern culture. Buggles also created an unusual, futuristic and illusion-like music video for this song which came out in the same year. The video was only rarely shown on music channels but sometimes VH1 Classic occasionally airs the video.

Music video

The music video for "Living in the Plastic Age" employed bright colours, harsh source lighting, and provocative motiffs (women in body paint portraying inanimate objects).

The Music Video for the song takes place sometime in the future, with 3 young boys dressed as demons, wearing coloured goggles (as part of a futuristic appearance) entering out of a dark cave. One of them points to a building in a small city-scape which appears to be a model. In a mechanical room, Trevor Horn awakes from a moving bed wearing yellow rubber gloves and a grey suit. Horn opens a door and sees a woman in white make-up, almost semi-nude, who throws a mysterious spark (the spark reappears throughout the video). Horn then staggers through a stylised "neighbourhood," wearing a silver suit. Geoff Downes is playing a keyboard, dressed as a beggar in an overcoat and hat, holding out his hand for spare change. There are also two girls in bright, plastic rain gear and coloured glasses, sitting on a railing reaching for Horn, who grabs at his chest. He then appears in a small box-like room with a ceiling only about convert|4|ft|m tall. An unseen figure drags him through the door.

In one of the video's more memorable scenes, light comes up in a stark white room where Downes (here wearing black leather clothing and pink rubber gloves) is playing two "keyboards": two older girls painted in black body paint and black face, their backs arched and imprinted with piano keys. Horn is then seen in an English "phone booth," another girl made up in red and white body paint.

A boy in plastic rags runs away (ostensibly from the mock "city"); he is pursued and apprehended by "heart police" (a reference in the song) on flying kick scooters, wearing black leotards. Horn is seen squatting on a slowly-revolving yellow flying saucer. Downes appears in the white room again, wearing a white tuxedo and playing a white piano. Horn reappears in similar garb, being grabbed by the dancing "heart police." Horn, Downes, and the two girls in rain gear run in front of a rear-projection of the video game Space Invaders. At the end, the Demons from the beginning of the video lift their heads singing the chorus and Downes flies overhead playing a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5

Covers

French Extreme Metal band Carnival in Coal covered this song for their 2005 album Collection Prestige.

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jByYnKgl07k Living in the Plastic Age Music Video] on YouTube
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ9zo61OCPw Living in the Plastic Age Live at the Aplauso] on YouTube
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjqQ_m_uPQM Living in the Plastic Age Live on BBC Radio 1] on YouTube
* [http://www.lyricsdemon.com/95732/buggles/living-in-the-plastic-age/ Living in the Plastic Age Lyrics]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Living in the Plastic Age — «Living in the Plastic Age» Sencillo de The Buggles del álbum The Age of Plastic Lado B Island Formato Disco de vinilo Género(s) New Wave Duración …   Wikipedia Español

  • Plastic Age — may refer to: *The Plastic Age, 1924 novel *The Plastic Age (film), 1925 silent movie based on that novel *The Age of Plastic, 1979 80 synthpop album *Living in the Plastic Age, title track from that album …   Wikipedia

  • The Age of Plastic (álbum) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda The Age of Plastic Álbum de The Buggles Publicación 1980 Género(s) New Wave …   Wikipedia Español

  • The Age of Plastic — Álbum de The Buggles Publicación Noviembre de 1979 Género(s) New Wave Duración 36:16 Discográfica …   Wikipedia Español

  • The Buggles — Pays d’origine Royaume Uni Genre musical Synthpop New wave Années d activité De 1977 à 1981 Membres Geoff Downes Trevor Horn Anc …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Age of Plastic — Infobox Album | Name = The Age Of Plastic Type = Album Artist = Buggles Released = 1980 Recorded = 1979 Genre = New Wave Length = 47:43 Label = Island Producer = Buggles Reviews = * [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg sql=10:tyev97u7krrt T1 …   Wikipedia

  • Video Killed the Radio Star — Infobox Single Name = Video Killed the Radio Star Artist = Buggles Album = The Age of Plastic Released = September 1979 Format = 7 single Recorded = 1979 Genre = New Wave Length = 3:21 Label = Island Writer = Geoff Downes, Trevor Horn and Bruce… …   Wikipedia

  • The Birth of Tragedy — Out of the Spirit of Music   …   Wikipedia

  • The Chaser's War on Everything — season two intertitle Genre Comedy, Satire Created by The Chaser …   Wikipedia

  • The Vinyl Cafe — Genre Variety show Running time 1 hour Country Canada Languages English Syndicates …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”