MTV Unplugged is an American television series onMTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playingacoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. From 2000 to 2009, it aired less frequently and was usually billed asMTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Since 2009,MTV Unplugged specials have aired occasionally, sometimes through online orsubscription only. Episodes and specials have tended to showcase one artist or group, playing a combination of their hit songs and covers.
The term "unplugged" has come to refer to music that would usually be played on electrified instruments (such as an electric guitar or synthesizer) but is rendered instead on instruments that can be played without electricity, for example acoustic guitar or traditional piano, although a microphone is still used. In most cases, the bass (or bass guitar) is amplified, and aHammond organ is sometimes used.
MTV launchedMTV Unplugged in 1989.[3] The show featured musicians performing unplugged versions of their electric repertoire. Many of these performances were subsequently released as albums, often featuring the titleUnplugged. It was believed that the show was inspired by a 1989 MTV Video Music Awards acoustic performance byJon Bon Jovi andRichie Sambora; however, the show was already in production.[3]
The MTV show titledUnplugged, drawing on this phenomenon, was created by producersRobert Small and Jim Burns.[1] SongwriterJules Shear hosted the first 13 episodes.[4] The pilot and first seven episodes were produced byBruce Leddy, after which Associate ProducerAlex Coletti took over for the remainder of the series, producing the show through 2001.[5] After the first 13 episodes, the role of host was eliminated.[5] The show was produced byViacom and RSE Inc[6] and was most frequently directed by Milton Lage andBeth McCarthy.
The first episode ofMTV Unplugged was taped on October 31, 1989, and aired about a month later on November 26.[3]
Joe Walsh appeared on the show in 1989 withDr. John. According to the bookI Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks, Walsh wanted to perform the Eagles classic "Desperado", but Joel Gallen received a three-page fax fromDon Henley denying permission to use the song. MTV invited Henley to perform on the show, but Henley wanted to have a show featuring only himself. At that point, MTV was sharing the time between different artists. Dr. John was not originally scheduled to be part of the episode. With only Walsh booked, producers went next door where a VH1 morning show was being taped with Dr. John, and asked if he would be willing to join Walsh onUnplugged. Henley performed his solo episode in 1990.
The Cure performed theirMTV Unplugged session in their London studios on January 24, 1991. Their playlist featured classic songs such as "The Walk", "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep", "Just Like Heaven" and a new song, "A Letter to Elise", which would be released on their next album.
Paul McCartney's 1991[3] appearance was later released on theUnplugged (The Official Bootleg) album. Show producerAlex Coletti went on to say that had McCartney not released it, the concept would have never gained the cult status that it went on to enjoy.
On March 5, 1991,Sting performed a set mostly centered around songs byThe Police or from his albumThe Soul Cages. Sting enjoyed the experience to the extent that the following month he did a similar set in his home town of Newcastle at the tiny Buddle Arts Centre.[8]
On April 10, 1991,Unplugged aired its first ever acoustic rap show. The special kicked off with individual performances byLL Cool J along withMC Lyte (Cappucino),De La Soul (Ring Ring Ring), andA Tribe Called Quest ("Can I Kick It?") and a five piece back-up band, Pop's Cool Love. The highlight of the show was LL Cool J's energetic renditions of "Jingling Baby" and "Mama Said Knock You Out".
In 1992,Mariah Carey performed a cover version ofThe Jackson 5's hit "I'll Be There" along with backup singerTrey Lorenz. That live version was released as a single and went to No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100, as well as in Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, and became a hit elsewhere. Due to high demand, the performance was released as an EP,MTV Unplugged, which eventually sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The performance was released in video form as well, achieving success particularly in the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
In 1992,Eric Clapton recorded anUnplugged performance at Bray Studios in London. He rearranged many of his classic songs for the acoustic context, and the resultingUnplugged album went on to become the best sellingUnplugged album in the US and worldwide with sales of 10 million in the US and 26 million worldwide.[9][10] Clapton earned sixGrammy Awards for the album, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("Tears in Heaven"), Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Rock Male Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song.[11]
While MTV has filmed over 101Unplugged performances, fewer than 30 of them have been released as albums.Pearl Jam's March 1992 set was not released until 2009 as a DVD for their reissue of their debut album,Ten. This has been referred to as a breakout moment for the band during a time where the Seattle grunge scene was in high demand. Intense performances of the songs "Black" and "Porch" highlight this show with the latter featuring lead singer Eddie Vedder writing PRO CHOICE on his arm with aSharpie.[12]
On April 27, 1992, Seattle-based heavy metal bandQueensrÿche filmed theirUnplugged performance, playing such songs as "Silent Lucidity", "The Lady Wore Black", "I Will Remember", "The Killing Words", and a cover of "Scarborough Fair".
On July 3, 1992,Annie Lennox played anUnplugged show at theMontreux Jazz Festival. Nine of the twelve songs performed were released as part of the single series "Cold. Colder. Coldest." Each CD featured the studio version of Lennox's "Cold" as well as three songs from theMTV Unplugged show.Cold consisting of songs fromDiva,Colder songs Lennox has recorded with theEurythmics andColdest cover versions of songs originally byIke & Tina Turner,The Detroit Emeralds andThe Beatles.
On January 9, 1993, Swedish duoRoxette recorded the show at Stockholm Circus. During the show, they covered songs from other artists such asAretha Franklin,Neil Young andThe Byrds.
In February 1993, Neil Young performed two shows onMTV Unplugged. He was not happy with the first show so he came back the next night and gave a performance that was considered to be much better than the first; said performance was released a few months later.
On April 20, 1993,Midnight Oil recorded an episode at Sony Music Studios in New York City. They recorded a 17-song set which included many of their hits and an encore cover of "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" originally recorded by Eric Burdon and the Animals. The set was broadcast edited in the US while Australia received a longer 9-song set. The full set was released on DVD in 2017. "One Country" was attempted in their session but was not finished and not released.
On April 21, 1993,Soul Asylum performed their set two months before the release of "Runaway Train" music video.Lulu was the special guest who sang "To Sir With Love" in a duet withDave Pirner, who was introduced to actressWinona Ryder backstage and they dated for the next three years.
On November 17, 1993, British rock groupDuran Duran filmed their acoustic performance after a brief hiatus from their world tour due to lead singerSimon Le Bon's vocal straining after 11 months on the road. They played many of their classic hits as well as their 1990 single "Serious".
The logo forNirvana'sMTV Unplugged in New YorkNirvana's performance onUnplugged was one of the last televised performances byKurt Cobain, recorded on November 18, 1993, about five months before Cobain's death. Nirvana's set list consisted of some of their lesser known originals, and covers of songs by theMeat Puppets,Lead Belly,David Bowie andThe Vaselines. The only real "hits" played during this performance were "Come as You Are", "Polly" and "All Apologies". This contrasts with otherUnplugged performances, where artists largely perform their hit singles and other original material. Nirvana's performance was released a year later asMTV Unplugged in New York, about seven months after Cobain's death. It sold over 5 million copies and won Best Alternative Music Performance at the38th Grammy Awards in 1996. It was also released on DVD in 2007.
In 1993,Stone Temple Pilots filmed a 26-minute episode ofMTV Unplugged, where they debuted the song "Big Empty" prior to the release of their 1994 albumPurple. Other songs included "Creep", "Plush", and a unique acoustic rendition of "Wicked Garden". This performance was never released as an official standalone album release, although it does appear on the deluxe reissue ofCore.
Bruce Springsteen's 1993 performance included a twist in where most of his set was performed with amplified instruments. The show was released later on album and video asIn Concert/MTV Plugged.
Bob Dylan recorded anUnplugged concert in 1994 over two nights that was combined into one show.
TheEagles' 1994 acoustic reunion concert was broadcast on MTV as a one-off special calledHell Freezes Over. Nevertheless, the show, which was produced by theUnplugged team, is generally regarded as part of theMTV Unplugged series.[citation needed] The concert was released on CD (with four new studio tracks), VHS, and DVD, asHell Freezes Over.
On October 14, 1994 (recorded in August 1994), the long-awaited reunion betweenJimmy Page andRobert Plant occurred on a 90-minute "UnLedded" project, recorded inMorocco,Wales, andLondon, which rated highly on network television. It was not a reunion ofLed Zeppelin, however, as former bassist and keyboardistJohn Paul Jones was not present. In fact, Jones was not even told about the reunion by his former bandmates. In addition to acoustic numbers, the album features a reworking of Led Zeppelin classics, along with four Middle Eastern- and Moroccan-influenced songs: "City Don't Cry," "Yallah" (or "The Truth Explodes"), "Wonderful One," and "Wah Wah". The resulting album,No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded, was certified Platinum in the US and elsewhere.
In 1994,Lenny Kravitz performed with his band onMTV Unplugged along with an orchestra.
On October 21, 1994,Phil CollinsUnplugged aired. Because of his diminishing popularity in the US it only aired in Europe.
On September 1, 1994, at theFountain Studios in London,Icelandic artistBjörk recorded herMTV Unplugged special. She was accompanied by the band that played on herDebut tour, plus other musicians such asCorky Hale,Oliver Lake andEvelyn Glennie. Her performance aired on November 7, 1994. It was released on DVD in 2002 in theMTV Unplugged / Live video, and in audio form, originally as part of herLive Box compilation and then separately asDebut Live in 2004.
On February 14, 1995,the Cranberries recorded a nine song-set accompanied by Electra Strings quartet, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[13][14] The performance aired on April 18, 1995.[14]
On February 15, 1995,Live performed a nine-song set of their own material and a cover ofVic Chesnutt's "Supernatural".
On May 4, 1995, Argentine musicianCharly Garcia appeared at the MTV studios, bringing together his "Cassandra Lange" band for his third live album. Garcia included some of his classics and the result was issued as a live album, after Garcia re-recorded some of the material.[15]
On August 9, 1995,Kiss performed on an episode that would lead to the reunion of the original members.Paul Stanley andGene Simmons invited former membersPeter Criss andAce Frehley to participate in the show. Fan reaction was so positive that the following year the original Kiss lineup officially reunited, together for the first time since 1979. The recording of the episode was released as the albumKiss Unplugged.
On August 10, 1995,Chris Isaak performed a set on an episode, including his hit song "Wicked Game".
On September 14, 1995, Chilean bandLos Tres held anMTV Unplugged performance inMiami Beach, Florida. It was attended by Antonio Restucci and Cuti Aste, two Chilean musician friends of the band. This was the first unplugged album of a Chilean group for MTV and (according to MTV technicians) is the only truly unplugged concert that has been performed at some distance from each instrument as only the dynamic range of analog microphones were used. The resulting album,MTV Unplugged, went quadruple platinum and was the most popular album in Chile in 1995. The recording was made just a few months after the death of Chilean musician Roberto Parra, an important inspiration for the band. Because of this, the group dedicated the concert and album to the memory of "Uncle Robert" and played twocuecas, "El arrepentido" and "La vida que yo he pasado", as well as the popular foxtrot "Quien es la que viene alli". The latter song became a success of great proportions, possibly the most important in the career of the band. The new song on the album, "traje desastre", was also touted as a single from the album, and featured a video directed by Chilean film director German Bobe. The album contains 15 songs, of which 12 are their own compositions and three of Roberto Parra.
On March 12, 1996,Soda Stereo was invited to Miami to record a session forMTV Unplugged. After a few refusals by the band, they convinced the network to accept an offer where the band would play plugged in, but with modifications such as orchestration including new arrangements of some of their classic songs. The result was an eclectic mix of music, some electric, some acoustic, but all bearing Gustavo Cerati's signature style. A highlight of the album was a soaring rendition of "En la Ciudad de la Furia," where the chorus was sung byAndrea Echeverri of the Colombian rock bandAterciopelados. The recording of the performance was partially released on the albumComfort y Música Para Volar (Comfort and Music to Fly By) and in its entirety on a new version ofComfort in 2007. The album contained four new tracks from the recording sessions as well as an interactive CD-ROM with pictures and videos from the show.
On April 10, 1996,Alice in Chains gave their first performance in three years and one of their last concerts as a group for nine years. During the show, lead singerLayne Staley looked visibly weak due to his ongoing drug addictions, but was able to deliver a strong performance.[16][17][18]
Oasis were due to tape the show at the Royal Festival Hall on August 23, 1996, when lead singerLiam Gallagher pulled out at the last minute, citing a sore throat. The band performed despite this, with songwriter and guitaristNoel Gallagher handling the vocals, earning much critical praise. Liam watched the performance and heckled the group from a balcony. Their performance of "Round Are Way" later appeared on the 20th anniversary edition of their album(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
In 1996, pop artistGeorge Michael gave anUnplugged performance for a crowd of 200-300 people. He performed a few select tracks from his albumOlder and a few from his earlier recordings (including one from his Wham! days). He also did a cover of "I Can't Make You Love Me". The performance was critically acclaimed and was the last performance his mother saw, as she died the following year.[citation needed]
On September 26, 1997,Bryan Adams performed onUnplugged at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and released an album of the performance. Adams was joined by Irish piperDavy Spillane andMichael Kamen (who wrote orchestrations for many of the songs and brought students from theJuilliard School to play them). Three new songs were included: "Back To You", "When You Love Someone" and "A Little Love". The song "If Ya Wanna Be Bad – Ya Gotta Be Good" made its debut on the album. The record sold over 5 million units worldwide.
In 1997, Argentine musicianLuis Alberto Spinetta performed onMTV Unplugged with his band Los Socios del Desierto (with some invited musicians like Juan "Mono" Fontana on keyboard). This performance was atypical as Spinetta performed longer that an hour, playing seven new songs and mostly ignoring his past hits. This was released asEstrelicia MTV Unplugged later that year.
On September 8, 1999, Canadian singer-songwriterAlanis Morissette performed onMTV Unplugged, later released in November asAlanis Unplugged. Twelve tracks were included on the album, but Morissette performed several others, including "Baba", "Thank U" (both from 1998'sSupposed Former Infatuation Junkie) and "Your House" (the hidden track on 1995'sJagged Little Pill). In addition to material from Morissette's first two US albums,MTV Unplugged featured performances of "No Pressure over Cappuccino" and "Princes Familiar", two previously unreleased songs from her tours, a cover ofThe Police song "King of Pain", and "These R the Thoughts", a previously released B-side.
In 1999, Colombian singer-songwriterShakira's concert became the first episode of the program to be broadcast entirely in another language – her native Spanish. HerMTV Unplugged release was particularly successful in introducing Shakira into the English-speaking world; it charted at number one in theBillboard Latin Charts and became the first LatinUnplugged album to win aGrammy Award.
In October 1999,Irish bandThe Corrs performed live onMTV Unplugged (recorded inWicklow,Ireland). The concert was recorded and publishedan album in November 1999.
TheMTV Unplugged 2.0 logo used for the show's return in the 2000s
Since 2000, theUnplugged format has been revived on a number of occasions for specials.
In 2001, Spanish singerAlejandro Sanz performed onMTV Unplugged and released an album of the performance on November 20, 2001.
In 2001,Hikaru Utada became the youngest singer and the third Japanese (the first and second beingChage and Aska) to be featured onMTV Unplugged.
Lauryn Hill unveiled her much-anticipated new material on a 2002MTV Unplugged special and later released it on the albumMTV Unplugged No. 2.0. It had been three years since the release of Hill'sThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Hill appeared with her hair cut off and performed in a stripped-down, minimalist style. Her set included her playing an acoustic guitar, spoken word segments, and occasionally breaking down in tears.
American rock bandStaind performed onMTV Unplugged on July 16, 2001, and released a DVD of the performance including songs not included in the original MTV broadcast.Cold guitaristTerry Balsamo also appears as a guest performer. The DVD was certified Gold in 2003, selling over 500,000 copies. The performance has yet to be released on CD, digital markets, or streaming platforms.
Chilean rock bandLa Ley performed onMTV Unplugged in 2001, and released an album of the performance, which went on to win a Grammy award. This is the band's best selling album. After the album's success, La Ley was finally able to internationalize themselves and they make their way to foreign countries such as the United States. The album contains older songs from previous albums plus three new songs.
Jay-Z recorded a performance ofUnplugged on November 18, 2001, withThe Roots serving as his backing band. The subsequentalbum sold over 600,000 copies and made it to No. 20 on theBillboard 200 chart.
Dashboard Confessional recorded anUnplugged show in New York in 2002, and became the first band without a platinum record to do so. The band released the show asMTV Unplugged 2.0 on CD and DVD.
MTV Unplugged was first introduced in Italy on June 16, 2005, with Italian singerGiorgia's own successfulUnplugged experiment.
Alicia Keys'Unplugged special aired on MTV on September 23, 2005. It was the firstUnplugged in nearly three years, and special guests for Keys' performance includedMos Def,Common,Damian Marley andMaroon 5'sAdam Levine. The show was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. The album debuted at No. 1 (seeUnplugged).
On August 17, 2006, Puerto Rican singerRicky Martin performed onMTV Unplugged and released the album of the performance on November 7, 2006 asMTV Unplugged. The album reached number 1 of theBillboard Latin Charts, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide and winning several awards, including twoLatin Grammy.
In 2009,Nagase Tomoya (from the rock/pop bandTokio) performed onMTV Unplugged as the sixth Japanese performer to hold a performance on the program after artists such asChage and Aska andHikaru Utada.
During the summer of 2009, MTV.com officially revived theUnplugged franchise with a six episode season produced and directed by Matthew C. Mills of Spacestation. This particular season won an Emmy Award for Best New Approach, was nominated for another Emmy (Sound Recording), and was a Webby Award Honoree. Artists in this incarnation wereAdele,Silversun Pickups,All Time Low,Paramore,Vampire Weekend andKaty Perry. Both Katy Perry and All Time Low released albums of their performances. The shows debuted on unplugged.mtv.com while single song excerpts appear on MTV and Palladia/MTV Live in video rotation. AdeleUnplugged premiered on Palladia June 26 andSilversun Pickups August 1.[19]
On May 13, 2011,Thirty Seconds to Mars recorded anUnplugged performance at Sony Music Studios in New York City. The band's set list consisted of songs extracted from their third studio album,This Is War (2009) and cover versions of songs byU2 andThe Police. The performance was later released as a four-trackextended play with a video accompaniment package. TheUnplugged version of "Hurricane" won the MTV Award for Best Live Performance.
On June 12, 2011,Lil Wayne performed acoustic versions of his catalog, being the first rapper to have a televisedUnplugged since 2001, when Jay-Z recorded with The Roots. The special was labeledMTV2 Presents: Lil Wayne Unplugged, premiering on MTV2, MTV and MTV.com.
In September 2013,Scorpions performed and taped three nights in Athens, Greece for a futureMTV Unplugged episode.
On January 28, 2014, American actress and recording artistMiley Cyrus performed anUnplugged show inLos Angeles. The show aired the next day on MTV.[22] Cyrus performed several songs from her albumBangerz. She also performed a duet withMadonna, performing a mash-up of "We Can't Stop" and "Don't Tell Me".[23]
On November 7, 2014, German reggae artistGentleman released his albumMTV Unplugged which included 28 songs featuring Ky-Mani Marley, Milky Chance, Shaggy, Christopher Martin and more. This was the first timeMTV Unplugged had a reggae artist after 25 years.
In 2015,Revolverheld recorded anMTV Unplugged album with guests Annett Louisan, Rea Garvey, Heinz Strunk, Das Bo, Marta Jandova, Mark Forster, Johannes Oerding, and Michael Van Diek.
In 2015,Cro recorded the albumde:MTV Unplugged: Cro with songs from his albumsMelodie andRaop. He was the youngest artist to record aMTV Unplugged album.
MTV Unplugged is a live album by the English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 27 November 2015 and was recorded on 19 August 2015 atThe London Studios.
In 2016, former MTV president Sean Atkins announced the show would return reimagined to the flagship network.[24] In 2017, MTV announced the program would return on September 8, withShawn Mendes performing in the season premiere.[25]
In 2017, Norwegian banda-ha recorded theMTV Unplugged – Summer Solstice album and DVD/Blu-ray. The album and DVD/Blu-ray were released on 6 October 2017. It was recorded live at the Harbour Hall at Ocean Sound Recordings inGiske,Norway on 22 and 23 June 2017.[26] MTV had first approached a-ha 10 years earlier, but the band had put it off several times. The performance includes a selection of guest artists, includingLissie,Alison Moyet,Ian McCulloch andIngrid Helene Håvik.
On September 15, 2017,Bleachers recorded 11 tracks forMTV Unplugged. The album was released on November 11, 2017, and features additional vocals fromCarly Rae Jepsen andLorde.
In April 2018, aSaMTV Unplugged was recorded on the ship MSBleichen in Hamburg Harbor by German rapperSamy Deluxe.[27]
In 2020, during theCOVID-19 global pandemic, MTV launchedMTV Unplugged at Home; the series featured 14 online episodes.[31]
On February 23, 2021, MTV released a performance byBTS, the first South Korean band to appear onUnplugged.[32]
On July 2, 2021,Tony Bennett andLady Gaga gave a performance in front of an intimate studio audience in New York City.[33] The recorded performance aired onMTV Unplugged on December 16, 2021.[34]
On June 9, 2022, American alternative rock duoTwenty One Pilots performed new versions of several songs (both old and new) onMTV Unplugged.[36]
In 2022, Polish bandLady Pank recorded anMTV Unplugged performance in Warsaw, which was released as a CD, vinyl, and video on thePlayer streaming platform.
The rock bandTesla performed an all-acoustic live set on July 2, 1990 that was released under the titleFive Man Acoustical Jam in November of that year, following the format established the previous year byMTV Unplugged.[37]
MTV's sister channelVH1 airsVH1 Storytellers, interspersing mostly acoustic performances with the artists discussing the history, meaning and memories of the songs.
Thefourth season ofCanadian Idol featured anUnplugged night which was held atToronto'sMasonic Temple. This episode ofCanadian Idol was a tribute to MTV in two ways: a direct tribute to theUnplugged format, and to celebrate the recent licensing of the newMTV Canada which was located in the Masonic Hall until 2012.[39]
On July 30, 2020,Code Orange performed a livestreamed acoustic set onTwitch spoofingMTV Unplugged under the title of "MUDTV Mudbanger's Ball" during the COVID-19 pandemic.[40] The band described it as "conceptually akin to classicMTV Unplugged performances, but with nightmarish digital twists and turns."[41] The performance was later remastered and released on September 4, 2020, as their albumUnder The Skin.[42]
