Synopsis

Steve Winwood performs in a stark, shadowy setting as strange figures move around him with beams of light, creating an uneasy contrast with the song's hopeful message. The imagery is more impressionistic than narrative, relying on darkness, isolated faces, and surreal flashes rather than a conventional storyline. Winwood appears as a solitary figure within this mysterious world, while the repeated call to seize opportunity gives the otherwise peculiar visuals an underlying sense of determination and renewal.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video dates from the early 1980s and presents Winwood during his transition from respected British rock veteran to contemporary solo pop artist.

• "While You See A Chance" was released as the lead single from the 1980 album "Arc of a Diver." It became Winwood's first major solo hit after Traffic and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Winwood played all the instruments on the recording, including keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, and percussion, as well as singing and producing the track.

• The song's famous synthesizer introduction was created after the original drum part was accidentally erased during the mixing process. Attempts to recreate the drums failed, so a Minimoog passage was adapted for the opening.

• The prominent synthesizer solo was sometimes mistaken for a saxophone when the song first appeared, reflecting how unfamiliar some listeners were with the new keyboard sounds of the period.

• Will Jennings wrote the lyrics, while Winwood composed the music. The song's direct, second-person wording gives it the feel of advice from one person trying to push another toward self-reliance.

• The single's success helped revive Winwood's career and established the keyboard-heavy, studio-built sound that would define much of his 1980s work.