Synopsis

Set in an eccentric Old West town, the video follows a deputy who encounters a sinister scarecrow-like witch in the desert. As the creature pursues him and fires strange energy blasts, he races back toward town on horseback, attempting to defend himself with a pistol. Meanwhile, The Cranberries perform from the top of the town's water tower, their appearance contrasting with the surreal Western action below. The chase eventually returns to the town, where the sheriff and another deputy guard a mysterious glowing presence inside the jail.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video uses the visual language of a traditional Western, but mixes it with fantasy, comic-book action, and deliberately strange imagery.

• French actress Maïwenn plays the scarecrow-witch. Actors Jean-Paul Rouve and Maurice Barthélémy also appear as Western characters.

• The Cranberries perform on a water tower rather than in a conventional stage or studio setting, making the band part of the fictional town's landscape.

• A rough version of the video was shown to journalists in Germany before the finished clip was circulated to broadcasters internationally.

• "Promises" was released in 1999 as the first single from *Bury the Hatchet*. It became the band's ninth and final UK Top 40 hit, reaching No. 13.

• The song was the only single from *Bury the Hatchet* to chart in the United States, where it reached No. 12 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.