Synopsis

Paul Banks arrives at an elementary school with a group of children, apparently as their adult escort, only to discover that he is expected to attend class himself. Looking distinctly out of place, he endures a stern teacher, classroom frustration, hallway bullying and a first-crush-style rejection. His mood changes during gym, where a dodgeball game gives him the chance to retaliate against his much younger tormentors. The playful revenge story turns the song's reflections on youth and aging into a dry, surreal comedy.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video premiered on October 23, 2012, as the first video released from Banks, Paul Banks' second solo album and his first album issued under his own name rather than the Julian Plenti alias.

• The official credits list Ghost Robot as the production company. The crew included cinematographer Hillary Spera, editor Isaac Royffe, stylist Kate Stein, art director Lauren Nikrooz and CLVT Productions for visual effects, color timing and retouching.

• The production credits include a special thanks to St. Francis De Sales School for the Deaf, alongside acknowledgments to Gabe Spierer and Maria Bartolillo.

• The cast was made up largely of children, with eight young performers credited alongside Susie Simpson as the "sweet teacher," Roberta Kirschbaum as the "mean teacher" and T. Boomer Tibbs as the maintenance man.

• Banks' deadpan performance deliberately clashes with the video's exaggerated schoolyard violence. Contemporary coverage highlighted the contrast between his normally severe public image and his appearance in gym clothes while playing dodgeball.

• Banks described "Young Again" as a song that began as an instrumental he had carried for years. During a later attempt to re-demo it, the lyrics and vocal arrived in roughly five minutes.

• He also said the original demo had a special atmosphere that the finished recording tried to preserve, even while improving the arrangement. That tension between nostalgia and dissatisfaction is echoed by the video's comic fantasy of returning to childhood.