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Apple's cheez-tastic 1984 disco promo video

by Steven Sande Feb 25th 2011 at 12:00PM

For the viewing pleasure of those folks who were tuned into TUAW TV Live on Wednesday, February 16, we had a little disco inferno going. Tipped by a reader about a godawful Apple marketing film titled "We Are Apple: Leading The Way," it was so bad it just had to be good. Now we have a few more facts, including that this video was shown at the introduction of the Mac.

There are some memorable moments -- like a guy carrying a 60-lb. Apple Lisa under his arm like it was a MacBook Air. Most of all, it's the screechy Irene Cara-like disco soundtrack, heavily copying from "What a Feeling" from the movie Flashdance, that makes your stomach churn.

CrunchGear noted that the poster on YouTube noted that Apple dealers in attendance were so excited by the video that they ran to the pay phones (pre-mobile days, of course) to call their stockbrokers with AAPL buy orders. Here's hoping that their market savvy was better than their taste in music videos.

The video can be viewed in all of its tacky glory by clicking the Read More link.



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For the viewing pleasure of those folks who were tuned into TUAW TV Live on Wednesday, February 16, we had a little disco inferno going....
 

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Steve

I can't believe they actually got away with ripping off the song so closely. Maybe they actually paid for the rights to do it.

The "We are Apple" part is bad enough, but then they actually say "What a feelin" pretty much exactly like the original. Sheesh.

February 25 2011 at 5:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Steve's comment
Mike

This qualifies as a parody, and parodies are allowed under copyright law. Weird Al doesn't have to pay anyone to do what he does, but he does get permission just as a courtesy to the artists he parodies. He's not even required to do that. Same with Apple in this case.

February 26 2011 at 1:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stan

Yes, you definitely want to hit that mute button.

And without the music, it's actually a really cool slide show. Those Apple photo shoots from the mid 80s are epic. And there's shots of the Apple campus, the original Mac design team. I love the shots of the blond and her Lisa Computer at 1:00.

February 25 2011 at 4:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nathan

I had this as my ring tone for awhile.

February 25 2011 at 4:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brett

For the youngsters who weren't around in '83-'84, Flashdance was a massive hit. You could even call it a cultural phenomenon. Much of the fashion style of the 80s started with Flashdance (leg warmers, torn sweatshirts, etc.).

Irene Cara had a big hit with the theme for the movie Fame in 1980 and her theme for Flashdance, "What a Feeling", was a mega-hit as well. Side note: The song "Maniac" from the Flashdance soundtrack was also a mega-hit and is "one of the highest-grossing songs ever written for a film". As far as popularity is concerned, Flashdance was the "Avatar" of 1983 .

It is not surprising that Apple would do a knock-off of the theme song and include visuals in the style of Flashdance. Flashdance was *NOT* disco. Disco was long gone from the mainstream by 1983.

February 25 2011 at 4:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
plastic_avatar

Wusses.

It wasn't that bad.

And it wasn't Disco, either.

[curmudgeons unite!]

February 25 2011 at 3:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
toni

I don't remember the video, but I know ihad this song and others, like, "Who's Afraid of Big Blue" - a cover of ghost busters, on a cassette tape. My mom must have gotten it at Mac World or something.

February 25 2011 at 3:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rlaska

Watching that vid and old shows like McGyver makes me nostalgic.
I may have to pull out my old MacSE sometime and turn it on for nostalgia.

February 25 2011 at 3:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Farris

I finished it.

WE ARE APPLE!

February 25 2011 at 2:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
macsosguy

And no body has commented or noticed that at 2:12 in you see Andy Hertzfeld, Bill Atkinson, and Burrell Smith!

February 25 2011 at 2:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Anna

LOL @ the AT&T van at 2:45. Like looking into the future...while listening to the waaaay past...

...Perhaps there's a hidden meaning to it all?!?!?

February 25 2011 at 2:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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