Synopsis
Spell perform "Superstar" in a straightforward performance video with little narrative or visual ornamentation. The Denver trio play the song together as the camera focuses on their live energy, vocal interplay, and guitar-driven alternative-rock sound. Rather than building a fictional storyline, the clip presents the group as a working band and lets the contrast between Tim Beckman's and Chanin Floyd's voices carry much of the visual interest. Its unadorned approach matches the song's direct, melodic attack.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Superstar" was Spell's first single from their 1994 album, "Mississippi," released through Island Records.
- Spell were a Denver trio made up of Tim Beckman, Chanin Floyd, and Garrett Shavlik. Beckman and Floyd were married and shared vocal duties, while Shavlik had previously played drums in The Fluid.
- The song is part of a chain of interpretations: Spell recorded it after Sonic Youth had covered the Carpenters' original version.
- The video was later described by Beckman as a simple performance shoot rather than an ambitious concept production.
- "Superstar" received noticeable support on U.S. college and modern-rock radio in late 1994 and appeared in alternative-video programming, including MTV's "120 Minutes."
- Spell dissolved after the release of "Mississippi," making the video a document of the band's brief major-label period.