INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Robert Orr made history as the star of what was dubbed “the world’s first political rock video” on this day in 1984.
WRTV reporter Norman Cox traveled to The Vogue in Broad Ripple for the debut of the music video. Cox reported seeing “a bizarre mixed crowd of Republican politicians and Broad Ripple night people.”
The Orr video was based off Indiana singer Henry Lee Summer’s hit single, ‘Stay with Me.' The song was originally written for a former girlfriend of Summers, but with a few changes to the song’s lyrics, and the addition of generic shots of Orr pointing at things, the rock song transformed into a campaign anthem.
“I'm a well-known, well-known, staunch Republican supporter,” Summer said.
While Orr had the support of Summer, it wasn’t an easy pitch for the staffer who came up with the idea for a music video.
“I got about five to seven minutes worth of laughter every time I talked about the concept and the idea,” John Hammond said. “And after everybody stopped making jokes about how we would be portraying the governor in some undignified situation, as I explained it, we realized it might be a possibility.”
The possibility of luring Hoosier voters aged 18-24 was simply too good to pass up. The Indiana Republican Party spent $25,000 to produce the video and buy airtime for it, including time on MTV.
“It was something I had never contemplated doing,” Orr said. “But there are a lot of things that I've not contemplated doing that I've found myself involved with as governor.”
Governor Orr was reelected to a second term in November.
