No one knew quite what to expect at the first MTV Video Music Awards, which was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sept. 14, 1984.

So as pop stars take the stage at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards to rapturous and attentive coverage, it’s refreshing to look back at the first VMAs, when nobody cared.

The first Video Music Awards in 1984 didn't just begin a tradition for MTV, it saved the network's very existence.

It all started with Tina Turner. She was the first artist to sign on to perform at the first MTV Video Music Awards 40 years ago on Sept. 14, 1984. And with her blond mane and black miniskirt, the ...

Perhaps the event that best encapsulated 1984’s new order was MTV’s inaugural Video Music Awards, at which Madonna writhed on the ground in a wedding dress and flashed her undergarments as she ...

Since the MTV Video Music Awards began in 1984, viewers could always count on one thing: someone would do something shocking and totally memorable at some point during the ceremony. The best part ...

Rock Hall celebrates big year in music with artifacts and more in ‘1984’ exhibit Major artists had huge albums, and folks sure wanted their MTV ...

Though not all rock stars immediately embraced music videos, by 1984, MTV was affecting everything from advertising to fashion design to film.