Synopsis

The video opens with Art Alexakis caught in a heated argument with a woman in a cramped apartment. He leaves the conflict behind and appears at the coast, where Everclear perform against the ocean. Images of Alexakis singing, swimming, and moving through the surf are intercut with the band playing in a stark, empty setting. The beach becomes both a literal escape and a visual contrast to the tension of the opening, reflecting the song's themes of emotional collapse, isolation, and trying to move on.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in 1995 to promote Everclear's album *Sparkle and Fade*. The song itself was issued to US rock radio in September of that year.

• Art Alexakis later said the shoot took two days, with one day in Malibu and another in Burbank. The ocean scenes were filmed in extremely cold water, and he recalled developing hypothermia after being placed in a swimming contraption.

• The production moved from the cold Malibu coastline to temperatures of approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Burbank the following day.

• Alexakis estimated that the video cost about $80,000, which he characterized as a relatively modest budget for a major-label music video of the period.

• The beach cave used for part of the shoot was identified by Alexakis as the same location seen in *The Usual Suspects*.

• "Santa Monica" received a nomination for Best Alternative Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.

• The video was later included in the 2001 television compilation *MTV 20: Rock*.