Synopsis

A seemingly ordinary man is pulled from his daily commute by stern officials and taken into a stark government building. As he moves through corridors, offices and industrial rooms, he experiences disturbing visions of animals, including creatures associated with the members of Yes. He eventually fights his way upward and reaches the roof, where the band confronts him in shifting human and animal forms. He jumps from the building and becomes a bird of prey, before the video returns to his routine march and a final change of direction.

Factoids & Trivia

• The central character is played by actor Danny Webb, who later became familiar to television audiences through British productions including *Dr. Who* and *The Bill*.

• The video was filmed in London and combines location work on rooftops and inside large institutional-looking buildings with staged performance scenes.

• The animal imagery includes transformations involving the band members, giving the clip its most recognizable surreal element. The visual concept is much more literal and cinematic than the song's lyrics.

• Jon Anderson later admitted that he was unsure how the video's story related to the words of the song. He suggested that the man's decision to turn around and walk in the opposite direction could represent someone trying to find himself.

• The clip helped introduce Yes' radically updated 1980s lineup and sound to MTV viewers who may have known the group primarily as a progressive rock band from the 1970s.

• Keyboardist Tony Kaye was not present when the video was shot. Eddie Jobson appears briefly, although much of his presence was edited out after Kaye returned to the band.

• A second version of the video featuring Kaye was produced, making the original cut a curious document of the short-lived Jobson period.

• "Owner of a Lonely Heart" became Yes' only song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its success also helped *90125* become the band's first and only No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.