Synopsis

At halftime of a football game, a stern coach takes the microphone and begins lip-syncing Victoria Legrand's vocals to an adoring stadium crowd. Instead of a conventional pep talk, he leads an uncanny spectacle filled with cheerleaders, athletes, water boys, costumed performers, fireworks, and a horse. As the initially puzzled audience becomes increasingly enthusiastic, the performance transforms an ordinary sports intermission into a dreamlike pageant, balancing straight-faced Americana with absurdist theater and the song's wistful grandeur.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Wishes" appears on Beach House's 2012 album Bloom. The music video was released on March 7, 2013.

• Ray Wise plays the coach. He was already strongly associated with his role as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, which adds another layer of surreal familiarity to the video.

• The initial concept came from Victoria Legrand, who suggested Ray Wise, a halftime-show setting, and a horse. Those simple ideas were expanded into the video's elaborate sporting spectacle.

• The production was handled by Abso Lutely Productions, the company associated with the comedy world of Tim and Eric.

• The visual effects include multiplying performers, helping create the impression of a much larger stadium crowd and a more extravagant live event than the production could stage with extras alone.

• The clip's deliberately serious presentation is part of its effect: the performers treat the strange halftime routine as a prestigious ceremonial event rather than a joke.

• The production credits include cinematographer Eli Born, producer Hillary Calhoun, editor and visual-effects artist Eric Notarnicola, costume designers Diana Contreras and Mindy Le Brock, and art director Melanie Mandi.

• Music publications singled out the video's unusual combination of Ray Wise's solemn performance, dream-pop music, and bizarre athletic pageantry, helping it become one of Beach House's most recognizable visual pieces.