Synopsis

Scott Weiland moves through a surreal, otherworldly landscape shaped by desert vistas, stark interiors, and images of isolation. The Las Vegas-shot video presents him as a detached outsider, pairing performance footage with science-fiction imagery and a deliberately disorienting atmosphere. Its visual language draws heavily from David Bowie's alien character in the 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," reflecting the song's themes of alienation, addiction, and emotional collapse. The result is an art-rock video that feels more like a fragmented short film than a conventional performance clip.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Barbarella" was the only official single released from Scott Weiland's 1998 solo debut, "12 Bar Blues."

• The song's title references the 1968 science-fiction film "Barbarella," while the video takes its central visual inspiration from the very different 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth."

• Weiland had openly cited David Bowie as an important musical and stylistic influence, making the video's Bowie connection especially direct.

• Filming took place in and around Las Vegas, Nevada, giving the production its stark desert settings and isolated, cinematic look.

• Atlantic Records reportedly spent about $500,000 on the video, an unusually large budget for a promotional clip at the time.

• The song reached No. 36 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and remained on the chart for three weeks.

• The video was released in the United States in April 1998 and later appeared in the 2002 music documentary series "Ultra Sound: No Hit Wonders."