Synopsis

The Sugarcubes perform "Birthday" against an unmistakably Icelandic backdrop. The video alternates between the band walking through Reykjavik, playful staged scenes, and sweeping views of waterfalls, black beaches, snowy mountains, geysers, volcanic terrain, and glacial landscapes. A recurring raven image gives the footage a slightly surreal edge, while Bjork and Einar Orn appear in contrasting performance moments. The clip's mixture of deadpan humor, vivid costumes, and spectacular scenery turns a simple promotional performance into an eccentric introduction to both the band and their homeland.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Birthday" was released as a single in 1987 and later appeared on the Sugarcubes' debut album, "Life's Too Good," released in 1988.

• The English-language video is distinct from the Icelandic-language "Ammaeli" video. The two versions are often grouped together in Sugarcubes videographies, but they are credited as separate productions.

• The video uses a small boat floating in a volcanic crater, along with outdoor table scenes featuring Mount Esja in the background.

• Its imagery includes several locations and natural features that became strongly associated with international ideas about Iceland: black sand, waterfalls, geysers, glaciers, volcanic formations, and the Blue Lagoon.

• The recurring raven helps connect the landscape footage with the video's more theatrical and surreal presentation.

• "Birthday" became the Sugarcubes' breakthrough song outside Iceland. It was named Single of the Week by both NME and Melody Maker in 1987.

• John Peel's listeners voted "Birthday" number one in the 1987 Festive Fifty, helping establish the band as one of the most prominent new acts in British alternative music.

• The song's lyrics center on a strange five-year-old girl and her unsettling relationship with a bearded neighbor, adding a dark undercurrent to the video's bright scenery and playful performance style.