Synopsis

Haircut 100 perform "Fantastic Day" in a colorful, playful setting filled with bright outdoor imagery, broad smiles, jaunty caps, and preppy nautical styling. The band members mime driving, pose around a vintage-looking car, and play their instruments while the clip moves between staged group shots and carefree summer scenes. Its cheerful visuals mirror the song's buoyant chorus, although the slightly awkward expressions and stylized presentation also hint at the track's underlying romantic uncertainty.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Fantastic Day" was released in 1982 as the third and final single from Haircut 100's debut album, *Pelican West*. It reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

• Nick Heyward wrote the song in 1978, before Haircut 100 had settled on its eventual sound. The band performed it in several different styles, including versions influenced by Talking Heads, punk, ska, and mod.

• The song helped Haircut 100 secure their record deal with Arista. Bassist Les Nemes has said that the group played it at a showcase after their earlier songs failed to make much of an impression.

• Producer Bob Sargeant added the trumpet fanfare as a deliberate nod to the Beatles' "She Loves You," one of Heyward's favorite records.

• Heyward has described the song as having a contrast between light and dark. That tension is reflected in lyrics about love, loneliness, and trying to become happier, beneath the bright surface heard in the video.

• The band's cheerful image in the clip, with colorful clothes, nautical touches, and deliberately staged car scenes, became closely associated with the polished, summery side of early-1980s British pop.

• The official video was later issued online in high-definition form, introducing the clip to a new audience well beyond its original television run.