Synopsis

Altered Images perform "Don't Talk to Me About Love" in a shadowy studio setting, with Clare Grogan commanding the foreground while the band plays behind her. The video favors mood and attitude over a narrative, using restrained performance shots to match the song's bittersweet account of an intense but temporary encounter. Grogan's oversized white sweater and loose hair contrast with the darker surroundings, while the musicians appear in a mixture of casual and formal clothing. The result is a cool, atmospheric presentation of the band's more polished 1983 sound.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video marked a clear change in presentation for Altered Images. Clare Grogan had previously been associated with the band's colorful, playful image, but here she appears in a deliberately understated outfit and a darker performance setting.

• The song was released in 1983 as the first single from the album Bite. It became the group's last major hit, reaching No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

• "Don't Talk to Me About Love" was one of the first songs Grogan and Stephen Lironi wrote together. Lironi had joined the reshaped lineup as both drummer and guitarist, and he and Grogan later married.

• The recording was produced in Los Angeles by Mike Chapman, whose credits included Blondie, Sweet and Suzi Quatro. Grogan recalled asking to use the same microphone associated with Debbie Harry.

• Lironi said the song's dance-oriented sound drew on Chic and Donna Summer's records, with a tempo of about 120 beats per minute. The band also used an Oberheim DSX sequencer while developing its electronic rhythm.

• The video reflects the band's move away from its earlier post-punk identity toward the glossy, disco-influenced sound of Bite. Despite the studio performance format, its dark lighting and subdued styling retain some of the band's new-wave atmosphere.

• Altered Images mimed the song on Top of the Pops on March 23, 1983, during the single's chart run.

• In the streaming era, "Don't Talk to Me About Love" has remained the band's most-listened-to song in the United Kingdom, according to Official Charts data published in 2022.