Synopsis

The video presents "Valerie" as a stylized meditation on absence and memory rather than a literal narrative. It opens on close views of moving water, with Winwood's face and singing figure layered into the imagery. The setting then shifts to a stark black background, where he performs at a keyboard while wind moves his hair and a female dancer appears in overlapping, dreamlike images. The simple visual treatment mirrors the song's longing for a woman who has disappeared and the singer's hope that she will return.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Valerie" was released in 1982 on Winwood's album *Talking Back to the Night*. The video was made during the early MTV era, when atmospheric studio performances and optical overlays were common promotional styles.

• The song was co-written by Steve Winwood and lyricist Will Jennings. Jennings said that Valerie was a real person, but he chose not to identify her, describing the song as a tribute to a friend.

• The original single was only a modest chart success, reaching No. 51 in the UK and No. 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

• A remixed and reworked version, "Valerie '87," gave the song a second life. It reached No. 9 in the United States and No. 19 in the United Kingdom, and was promoted with a separate video featuring animated lighting effects over performance footage.

• In 2004, Eric Prydz built "Call on Me" around the music of "Valerie." Winwood approved the track and re-recorded vocals for it, connecting the understated 1982 song with a new generation of dance music listeners.