1988 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1988 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 1988, honoring the best music videos from May 2, 1987, to April 1, 1988. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
Australian group INXS was the night's biggest winner and nominee, taking home five awards out of nine nominations. The group's awards included Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice, making this the very first of few times in which the same artist and video took home these two awards in the one night. INXS's nominations, meanwhile, totaled up to nine: eight for "Need You Tonight/Mediate" and one for "Devil Inside".
In the meantime, George Harrison and U2 were tied in for second place in terms of nominations, as each picked up eight nominations that year. Furthermore, both artists split their nominations between two different videos in 1988, and at least once both of their videos competed against one another in the same category.
Finally, this year's show saw the elimination of another category, as the award for Best Overall Performance in a Video was not handed out this year or ever again. At the same time, the category of Most Experimental Video was renamed "Breakthrough Video", a name that it still keeps.
Nominations
Winners are in bold text.Video of the Year
INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate"- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- Bruce Springsteen – "Tunnel of Love"
- U2 – "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
- U2 – "Where the Streets Have No Name"
Best Male Video
- Terence Trent D'Arby – "Wishing Well"
- George Harrison – "Got My Mind Set on You"
- Bruce Springsteen – "Tunnel of Love"
- Steve Winwood – "Back in the High Life Again"
Best Female Video
- Cher – "I Found Someone"
- Lita Ford – "Kiss Me Deadly"
- Janet Jackson – "The Pleasure Principle"
- Jody Watley – "Some Kind of Lover"
Best Group Video
- Aerosmith – "Dude "
- Eurythmics – "I Need a Man"
- U2 – "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
- U2 – "Where the Streets Have No Name"
Best New Artist in a Video
- The Godfathers – "Birth, School, Work, Death"
- Buster Poindexter – "Hot, Hot, Hot"
- Swing Out Sister – "Breakout"
- Jody Watley – "Some Kind of Lover"
Best Concept Video
- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate"
- U2 – "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
- XTC – "Dear God"
Best Video from a Film
- The Bangles – "Hazy Shade of Winter"
- Bryan Ferry – "Kiss and Tell"
- Peter Gabriel – "Biko"
- Bob Seger – "Shakedown"
Breakthrough Video
- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- Squeeze – "Hourglass"
- Suzanne Vega – "Luka"
- XTC – "Dear God"
Best Stage Performance in a Video
- Aerosmith – "Dude "
- Grateful Dead – "Touch of Grey"
- Elton John – "Candle in the Wind "
- Roy Orbison – "Oh, Pretty Woman "
- U2 – "Where the Streets Have No Name"
Best Direction in a Video
- Eurythmics – "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart"
- Pink Floyd – "Learning to Fly"
- R.E.M. – "The One I Love"
- XTC – "Dear God"
Best Choreography in a Video
- Michael Jackson – "Bad"
- Michael Jackson – "The Way You Make Me Feel"
- Prince – "U Got the Look"
- Sting – "We'll Be Together"
Best Special Effects in a Video
- Grateful Dead – "Touch of Grey"
- George Harrison – "Got My Mind Set on You"
- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate"
Best Art Direction in a Video
- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate"
- George Michael – "Faith"
- Bruce Springsteen – "Tunnel of Love"
Best Editing in a Video
- INXS – "Devil Inside"
- Loverboy – "Notorious"
- Prince – "U Got the Look"
- Bruce Springsteen – "Tunnel of Love"
Best Cinematography in a Video
- George Michael – "Father Figure"
- Pink Floyd – "Learning to Fly"
- Robert Plant – "Heaven Knows"
- Suzanne Vega – "Luka"
Viewer's Choice
- George Harrison – "When We Was Fab"
- Bruce Springsteen – "Tunnel of Love"
- U2 – "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
- U2 – "Where the Streets Have No Name"
Video Vanguard Award
Performances
- Rod Stewart – "Forever Young"
- Jody Watley – "Some Kind of Lover"
- Aerosmith – "Dude "
- Elton John – "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That"
- Depeche Mode – "Strangelove"
- Crowded House – "Better Be Home Soon"
- Michael Jackson – "Bad"
- Cher – "Main Man"
- The Fat Boys – "Louie Louie"/"The Twist"
- Guns N' Roses – "Welcome to the Jungle"
- INXS – "New Sensation"
Appearances
- David Coverdale and Tawny Kitaen – presented Best Group Video
- Jim Turner and Kevin Seal – appeared in pre-commercial vignettes about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
- Ken Ober – appeared in a couple of pre-commercial segments telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Paul Reiser – performed a brief stand-up routine and introduced Jody Watley
- Eric Roberts and Teri Garr – presented Best Video from a Film
- Bryan Ferry and Melanie Griffith – presented Breakthrough Video
- Crowded House – presented Best New Artist in a Video
- Bobby McFerrin – sang the eligibility and voting rules for the 1988 VMAs
- Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and Magic Johnson – presented Best Concept Video
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and Justine Bateman – presented Best Stage Performance in a Video
- Jim Turner – appeared in a pre-commercial segment telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Peter Gabriel – presented the Video Vanguard award to Michael Jackson during his acceptance segment in London
- Adam Curry and Kevin Seal – introduced the winners of the professional categories
- Suzanne Vega and Robert Downey, Jr. – presented Best Direction in a Video
- Sam Kinison – performed a stand-up routine and introduced Guns N' Roses
- Julie Brown and Downtown Julie Brown – presented Best Choreography in a Video
- The Bangles – presented Best Male Video
- Penn & Teller – performed a magic routine
- Cyndi Lauper and Rod Stewart – presented Viewer's Choice
- Aerosmith – presented Best Female Video
- Cher – presented Video of the Year