Synopsis

Sonic Youth's "Sunday" video places Macaulay Culkin and Rachel Miner in an eerie, dreamlike romance filtered through exaggerated close-ups, abrupt changes in speed, and stylized performance images. Culkin alternates between staring into the camera, kissing Miner, and playing banjo alongside Thurston Moore, while ballerinas and fragmented movement add an intentionally disjointed rhythm. The result is less a conventional narrative than a collage of teenage intimacy, deadpan gestures, and surreal visual interruptions that clash intriguingly with the band's noisy, melodic art-rock.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in 1998 as part of the promotion for *A Thousand Leaves*, Sonic Youth's tenth studio album.

• Macaulay Culkin became involved through his friendship with the filmmaker responsible for the clip. At the time, his appearance was notable because it came soon after his highly visible period as a child movie star.

• Rachel Miner was Culkin's fiancee when the video was made, giving the kissing scenes a deliberately personal quality rather than presenting them as a conventional music-video romance.

• Chloë Sevigny, who had previously appeared in Sonic Youth's "Sugar Kane" video, handled the costumes for "Sunday."

• The production makes conspicuous use of both slow motion and fast motion. The contrast gives the footage an unstable, slightly unreal pulse that complements the song's distorted guitar textures.

• Thurston Moore and Culkin are shown playing banjos, an intentionally incongruous image within an otherwise rock-oriented video.

• Ballerina footage is intercut with the Culkin and Miner scenes, expanding the clip from a celebrity-centered appearance into a more abstract visual collage.