Synopsis
Joe Walsh wanders through a surreal landscape that shifts from a barren desert to dreamlike interiors, forests, and ritualistic settings. He encounters a mysterious, elaborately painted woman who appears as a recurring guide or apparition. Images of thirst, pain, water, fire, and confinement unfold around Walsh as he performs the song. The video favors symbolic tableaux and dramatic visual effects over a conventional storyline, ending with an intense close-up that leaves the meaning deliberately unresolved.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released in 1985 to accompany the title track from Walsh's album The Confessor.
- The song is the longest track on the album, running approximately seven minutes and six seconds, and is structured around a slow acoustic opening that develops into a harder rock section.
- The single reached No. 8 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, although the album itself peaked at No. 65 on the Billboard 200.
- Suzanne Trimble appears opposite Walsh as the painted, goddess-like figure who recurs throughout the video.
- The production uses stylized sets, unusual costumes, strong color treatments, and optical effects, giving it the atmosphere of a short surrealist film rather than a performance clip.
- The song and video belong to a notably elaborate period in Walsh's solo career, following a two-year gap after You Bought It - You Name It.
- The recording featured an unusually large group of Los Angeles session musicians, including Jeff Porcaro, Jim Keltner, Randy Newman, Waddy Wachtel, and Timothy B. Schmit.