Synopsis
Neil Young cruises through Los Angeles in a flamboyant pink convertible, accompanied by the Shocking Pinks and three backing singers. The city rushes around him as he performs with deliberately awkward, playful movements, creating the impression of a man struggling to keep pace with modern life. The video mixes roadside performance, comic gestures, fast-moving traffic, and surreal rockabilly imagery. Its loose, homemade energy matches the song's cheerful retro style while giving the clip an unmistakably strange early-1980s character.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was made in 1983 to promote *Everybody's Rockin'*, the short rockabilly-styled album Young recorded with the Shocking Pinks.
- Young had written "Wonderin'" years earlier. The song dates back to at least the *After the Gold Rush* period and was performed during his 1970 solo shows and with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Woodstock.
- The central visual trick was created by recording the performance at half speed, with Young mouthing the lyrics accordingly. Played back normally, the background action moves at roughly twice its original speed, producing the clip's jerky, Keystone Kops-like quality.
- The pink convertible was selected from Young's extensive collection of vintage cars. During preparation, he reportedly drove the production team around Los Angeles for three days, effectively serving as their guide to the city.
- Young's comic hamburger-eating performance was intentional. The production approached the song and video with a playful, exaggerated rockabilly attitude rather than the solemn presentation associated with much of his earlier work.
- "Wonderin'" and "Cry, Cry, Cry" were the first commercial music videos made for Young's recordings. MTV reportedly gave both clips little airtime at the time.
- A separate official video released in 2020 presents an alternate version of "Wonderin'" using archival images of Young rather than the original 1983 performance footage.