mxdwn PREMIERE: Josie Cotton Returns in Nostalgic New Video for “Blackout”

’80s pop icon Josie Cotton is no stranger to the spotlight, though she is reentering it with the reissue of her breakout 1982 album Convertible Music. The album features Cotton’s hits such as “He Could Be the One,” which were performed by Cotton in the now cult classic 1983 film Valley Girl, which starred Nicolas Cage in his debut film. Today mxdwn is premiering the new music video for “Blackout,” the b-side to the single “Johnny Are You Queer.”  

“Blackout” is a fun and nostalgic video full of vintage footage and images from the nightlife of the New Wave scene. The song, which focuses on the fictional dance “the blackout,” is a vibrant 80s hit that combines elements of new wave, surf rock, and pop. It’s a reminder of the dark yet spunky nature of Cotton’s addicting music. 

“Everyone at Kitten Robot knew the footage in this video had to be completely authentic. But we quickly learned how rare it was for anyone in the ’80s to actually point their video cameras at the audiences or to scan the hipster clubs where it was all happening.” Cotton shared in a statement, “Eventually, after watching hours of grainy, blurry, frantic footage…we found the lost footage that embodied the Blackout to us. This video is a time warp from another time warp. And after we finished I found myself missing an era that I never think about. I’m as guilty as anyone of thinking of the ’80s as more innocent than relevant…with its androgynous fashion of no tomorrow, Go-Go boots from hell and the long abandoned hairspray gods.“

The video was a long time in the making, according to Cotton who shared that “people always think what they find on YouTube are videos I did early in my career, when most were just clips from TV shows I was on. The truth is I never got to make a video for Convertible Music which was ironic since my manager was good friends with the head honcho at MTV. That was where alternative artists had become famous in the 80’s. All the sets were built and ready to film videos for 3 songs, including “Johnny Are You Queer?”. But the night before the shoot my record company decided there was “no future” in video.”

Despite this setback, Cotton “miraculously” regained the rights to her first two albums in early 2020 which allowed for both the album’s reissue and the new music video. Now “Blackout” and its video are a time capsule of a long gone era. Cotton shared that, “No one knew where it would all end… but for the foreshadowing. You can see it in their dancing and on their faces… they belonged to that moment completely. It had an urgency I wasn’t expecting before we started. Music and art was all there was… and that’s not such a bad thing, looking back. It’s actually a little contagious, and I hope the long awaited “Blackout” video somehow captures that.”

Convertible Music Tracklist 

1. He Could Be the One
2. Rockin’ Love
3. Waitin’ for Your Love
4. So Close
5. I Need the Night, Tonight
6. Johnny Are You Queer?
7. Systematic Way
8. Another Girl 
9. Bye, Bye Baby
10. No Pictures of Dad
11. Tell Him (Russell)