Synopsis

Dave Gahan appears as a solitary king wandering through a succession of landscapes, carrying a folding deck chair in search of a place where he can sit in peace. He crosses snow-covered hills, rugged coastlines and sunlit countryside before finally finding stillness. Intercut with these scenes are stark black-and-white images of the band in the studio. The simple journey turns the song's themes of escape, silence and emotional distance into an iconic visual fable.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released on January 16, 1990, as part of the promotion for the "Violator" album.

• The concept was based on the image of a king traveling the world in search of peace, carrying his own deck chair wherever he went.

• Location filming took place in Scotland, Portugal and Switzerland. The Scottish shoot was particularly uncomfortable, with Gahan reportedly standing on a windy hillside in freezing weather for around eight hours.

• After the Scottish filming, the crew's Range Rover became stuck in the ice. Gahan was still wearing the king's costume when he later waved at passing motorists.

• The location footage was shot on Super 8 film with a very small crew, while the band scenes were filmed separately on 16mm in a London studio.

• The music video uses a unique mix of the song, including an extended introduction that has not been issued as a standard audio release.

• The band initially did not embrace the king-and-deck-chair idea, but the unusual concept eventually became one of the most recognizable images in Depeche Mode's visual history.

• The deck chair and crown became enduring symbols associated with the song, and the king character has been referenced in later Depeche Mode imagery and video retrospectives.