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well your girlfriend is wrong, because they show pre-1981 videos on VH1 Classic all the time ("My sharona", and "Pop Music" are some examples).  These earlier videos had to be made for some reason..
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The music video was originally made as a promotional item to sell musical acts to TV...ie: getting a band booked on shows like Ed Sullivan or David Letterman...MTV took that idea and created a channel for it...very clever and visionary IMHO...

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MTV took that idea and created a channel for it...very clever and visionary IMHO...End Quote

That credit goes to Mike Nesmith of The Monkees! :o :D

He was always a smart dude and it must run in the family; His mother invented "Liquid Paper".  :)

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As for the question "What was the first video ever?" - I'm not sure anyone can really answer that...
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Even though visual recordings of bands playing their tunes were made prior to the 1980's, specifically going back as far as all of the band appearances in the Ed Sullivan Show, they are not technically considered "videos". If for one reason only, the term "video" was not coined to the world until the introduction of MTV Music Television. Thus, the first official video to ever be aired was indeed The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star".

Looking back, there are definitely visual recordings that easily fall under the concept of "video" and can now be termed as such.

I understand what many of you are saying, though. To establish the very first visual band recording, you'd probably have to study the beginnings of television and will most likely find The Ed Sullivan Show's band appearances among the first.

The musical sequences in the TV show The Monkees are, IMO, the best examples of early videos, especially because they were the first of its kind being filmed on sets without the band performance being the focus of attention or even an issue. The tunes could be playing in the background while the band cavorted happily through different scenarios.

All this does fit the picture nicely when you think of the fact that The Monkees' Mike Nesmith was the visionary who created the idea for MTV.  :)  He is considered the "Father of Music Video"!

Nesmith put together a half-hour prototype Top 40 show called "Popclips". Ultimately, Nesmith sold both the show and the concept to Warner Amex, and "Popclips" was reborn as MTV. Michael Nesmith was the creator of the idea that eventually became MTV.

In 1981, Nesmith created a video record entitled "Elephant Parts", a film-length mix of comedy and pop video. Michael Nesmith won the very first Video Grammy Award in 1982 for his outstanding work in "Elephant Parts". Nesmith then produced and starred in eight episodes of "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts", an NBC comedy show in the mid-80’s.

Between "Elephant Parts" and "Television Parts", Nesmith co-wrote, produced and scored the film "Timerider" and was the producer of "Repoman", "Tapeheads", and "Square Dance".

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If for one reason only, the term "video" was not coined to the world until the introduction of MTV Music Television. Thus, the first official video to ever be aired was indeed The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star".
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Hmmmmm unless we are only talking about when was the first ever video aired IN THE USA I am going to have to disagree with you (Sorry Hairspray - I really never disagree with you so I feel bad !!!!).

In Aus we had a show called Countdown thru the entire 70's and it lasted till 86.
Ian "Molly" Meldrum was the host.  He is credited in many worldwide rock and roll digests as being the man who got bands to make video clips as an additional promotional feature to their record releases.  
His theory was that they couldnt afford to fly all the way down to Aus to promote their stuff so he got them to send him clips.  
It was him who asked Queen to make something for Bohemian Rhapsody as he was kinda having a wee bit of a fling with Freddie at the time.
So way back then we were getting awesome clips from the Stones, Rod Stewart, Bowie and the like, as well as all of our own musicians at the time.

Molly is also credited (by Madonna herself) for giving her the big break she needed.  MTV had refused to play Holiday - But Molly adored her - and is still a close friend - and he played it to death till it went to Number One in Aus.


So yes Video Killed The Radio Star is always going to be credited as the first ever video clip played on MTV in the USA - but thats its only distinction.  They were called video clips a good ten years earlier than that and the UK and Aus were definately showing them.  I have about 30 video tapes filled with old Countdown eps from the 70's and Molly always intro'd them as "coming up we have a video clip from....".

Aside from this I definately dont dispute anything Mike Nesmith did as I adore the Monkee's and their video clips which were also very definately video clips !!!!