Synopsis

The video uses scenes from Mike Nichols' film "Closer" to frame Damien Rice's mournful ballad as a story of attraction, emotional distance, and romantic fallout. It opens with Alice and Dan's chance encounter in London, then moves through fragmented moments involving Alice, Dan, Anna, and Larry as their relationships become tangled by desire and betrayal. Rather than presenting Rice performing, the clip relies on the film's intimate close-ups, city settings, and confrontational exchanges, ending with the same unresolved sense of longing that defines the song.

Factoids & Trivia

• The official video is built from footage from the 2004 film "Closer," rather than being a conventional performance clip.

• "The Blower's Daughter" appears prominently in "Closer," including its opening sequence, and also featured in the film's trailer. The video's circulation helped connect the song closely with the movie in the public imagination.

• The song was first released in Ireland on September 21, 2001, as Rice's debut single. It was reissued in several European markets in 2004 after he signed with Warner Music.

• The track reached No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart in December 2004 and remained on the chart for five weeks.

• Lisa Hannigan provides vocals on the recording, adding the female vocal presence heard toward the song's closing section.

• Rice wrote and produced the song himself. The recording also includes cello by Vyvienne Long and drums and percussion by Tomo.

• The title and lyrics have prompted several competing interpretations, including a story involving the daughter of a clarinet teacher. Rice has not established one definitive public explanation for the song's meaning.