Synopsis
Siouxsie Sioux takes the role of a glamorous, ominous wanderer traveling through the countryside in a horse-drawn carriage. As the carriage races along muddy tracks, she encounters and collects vulnerable-looking young men, while the band appears in stylized studio sequences. Large wheels, crystal-ball imagery, colored ribbons, and layered superimpositions give the video a dreamlike, slightly sinister atmosphere. The constant movement reflects the song's apocalyptic momentum, turning the landscape into a theatrical journey that feels both adventurous and dangerously out of control.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed from November 10-13, 1986, in the Berkshire countryside and at Griphouse Studios in Greenford.
- The carriage was reportedly the same one used in the classic Hammer Horror Dracula films.
- The two horses pulling the carriage were named Dumpty and Cornet. Their names were etched into the run-out groove of the 7-inch single.
- The original concept centered on a circus, with wheels transforming into circus tents. The idea was abandoned in favor of a video built around speed, motion, and the sensation of being out of control.
- The studio sequences include Siouxsie draped over a large crystal-ball-like object, with the silhouette of a turning wagon wheel superimposed over her.
- A sequence featuring colored ribbons swirling over the carriage and horses was created through superimposition.
- "This Wheel's On Fire" is a cover of the song written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko. Siouxsie later said the band nearly rejected it after she learned Dylan had written it.
- Siouxsie viewed her version as a tribute to Julie Driscoll, whose 1968 recording had made a strong impression on her.
- The song appeared on the 1987 covers album Through the Looking Glass and reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
- The video was later included on the band's The Best Of Siouxsie and the Banshees: Sound & Vision DVD.