Synopsis
A young man sets out across the Danish countryside in a tiny vintage car, apparently accompanied by an unseen friend. As he drives through the rural landscape, villagers watch, point and gesture, while another man chases after the vehicle on foot. The journey gradually takes on a dreamlike, unsettling quality, with characters appearing confused, abandoned or physically exhausted. By nightfall, the travelers have collapsed, leaving the villagers to carry them away beneath the light of a lantern.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released in 1987 and uses the single version of the song. A separate extended video was made for the 12-inch "Split Mix."
- Filming took place in the countryside near PUK Recording Studios, close to Randers, Denmark, while Depeche Mode were in the country working on the album.
- The small car featured throughout the video is a 1957 BMW Isetta 300. It later appears at the beginning of "Behind the Wheel," creating a visual link between the two videos.
- The elderly man seen in the video was Valdemar Christensen, a local resident who lived near the studio. He was reportedly discovered locally and invited to participate, making him one of the clip's most memorable non-band performers.
- The stark rural setting, eccentric characters and deliberately unclear narrative reflect the surreal, black-and-white visual language associated with Depeche Mode's late-1980s videos.
- The video was later included on the home-video compilations "Strange," "The Videos 86>98," "The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1" and "Video Singles Collection."
- The song's recurring concert tradition has helped preserve the video's imagery in the band's wider visual legacy, particularly the communal arm-waving associated with live performances of "Never Let Me Down Again."