The 1980s were the golden age of music videos, an era when artists embraced the visual medium with big budgets, bigger hair, and even bigger ideas. However, not every concept translated into gold. Some videos were bizarre, cringe-inducing, or downright baffling. Here’s a look at ten of the worst music videos from the ‘80s—where bad choreography, laughable special effects, and unintentional comedy reigned supreme.

10. Billy Squier – “Rock Me Tonite” (1984)

Billy Squier was a respected rock artist until this happened. The video features him prancing around a pastel-colored bedroom, rolling on the floor, and awkwardly tearing off his shirt in what can only be described as an interpretive dance disaster. It was so bad that it reportedly torpedoed his career.

9. Journey – “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” (1983)

Journey gave us some of the greatest rock ballads of all time, but their foray into music videos wasn’t always as strong. In “Separate Ways,” the band performs on a dock, miming their instruments in the air (because actual instruments were apparently too mainstream). Add some aggressively passionate facial expressions and a random woman aimlessly wandering around, and you have a masterpiece of unintentional comedy.

8. David Bowie & Mick Jagger – “Dancing in the Street” (1985)

Two rock legends. One terribly awkward video. Bowie and Jagger’s cover of “Dancing in the Street” is energetic, but the video makes them look like two drunk uncles crashing a wedding reception. With exaggerated gestures, weird hopping, and aggressive pointy dancing, it’s a fever dream of bad choreography and secondhand embarrassment.

7. Rod Stewart – “Love Touch” (1986)

Rod Stewart is an icon, but the video for “Love Touch” is an absolute mess. Featuring footage from the forgettable Robert Redford movie Legal Eagles, it awkwardly intercuts Stewart’s over-the-top facial expressions and aimless wandering. The whole thing feels disjointed, like two separate projects forced together.

6. Elton John – “Nikita” (1985)

Elton John’s Nikita tells the story of a Cold War romance with a female border guard. But the video raises so many questions: Why does this supposedly Soviet guard look like she belongs on the cover of Vogue? Why is Elton dressed like he’s about to coach a little league team? And most importantly, why does he seem oddly disconnected from his own love story?

5. Taco – “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1982)

A bizarre synth-pop cover of an old jazz standard, “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is an assault on the senses. The video features Taco in a white tuxedo, inexplicable ghostly figures, and unsettling visual effects that look like they were created on a Commodore 64. It’s weird, campy, and unintentionally creepy.

4. Rockwell – “Somebody’s Watching Me” (1984)

Rockwell’s paranoid anthem is great, but the video is a disaster. It tries to be spooky but ends up looking like a low-budget haunted house attraction. With fake fog, awkward dancing, and a shower scene that feels more awkward than scary, this one is less thriller, more unintentional comedy.

3. Steve Miller Band – “Abracadabra” (1982)

The ‘80s loved cheesy special effects, and “Abracadabra” went all-in. The video features swirling neon visuals, random floating heads, and a woman’s face morphing into a panther. It looks like a rejected screensaver concept from early Windows computers.

2. Timmy T – “One More Try” (1989)

Timmy T’s ballad is already dripping in melodrama, but the video takes it to the next level. Featuring Timmy wandering around aimlessly, staring at the camera with puppy-dog eyes, and playing a keyboard in what appears to be a church, it’s a masterclass in cringe-worthy earnestness.

1. Prince – “Batdance” (1989)

Prince was a genius, but “Batdance” is pure chaos. A tie-in for Batman (1989), the video is a bizarre mash-up of Joker lookalikes, dancers in half-Batman/half-Joker costumes, and Prince himself playing a character called Gemini. It’s a disorienting, noisy, over-the-top fever dream—exactly what you’d expect from Prince, but somehow still… terrible.