Synopsis

A sleepless Ronald Reagan has a surreal nightmare in which Genesis perform amid grotesque puppet caricatures of politicians, celebrities, and cultural figures. As the song builds, the video turns Cold War anxiety into broad political satire, with Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, and others caught in a world of confusion and looming catastrophe. The escalating chaos eventually reaches the U.S. president's bedroom, where his fumbling attempts to operate the controls provide the video's absurdly comic punchline.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was created with puppets from the British satirical television series "Spitting Image," whose latex caricatures of politicians and celebrities had become widely recognizable in the 1980s.

• Phil Collins reportedly got the idea after seeing a grotesque puppet version of himself on "Spitting Image." The show's production team was subsequently brought in to create a full Genesis lineup for the video.

• A Phil Collins puppet had already appeared on "Spitting Image." Special puppets representing Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford were made for the Genesis project.

• The crowded scenes feature caricatures of numerous public figures, including Nancy Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Henry Kissinger, David Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, and many others.

• The political imagery reflects the song's Cold War-era concerns, particularly the fear that leaders in Washington and Moscow could push the world toward nuclear conflict.

• Mike Rutherford wrote the lyrics while he was sick in bed. The song appeared on Genesis' 1986 album "Invisible Touch."

• The video won the Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988.

• The puppet made for Mike Rutherford was later reused as Jesus Christ in an episode of "Spitting Image."