Synopsis

Lenny Kravitz performs "Are You Gonna Go My Way" with his band inside a circular, arena-like set surrounded by dancing spectators. The performance is staged as a communal rock spectacle, with Kravitz delivering the song in a vivid red outfit while moving between the microphone and his guitar. Cindy Blackman drives the visual energy from behind the drum kit. Above them, a vast canopy of glowing bulbs pulses in changing patterns, turning the simple performance setup into an intensely kinetic, almost futuristic light show.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was built around a circular room with three stepped balcony levels, placing the band at the center of a tightly packed crowd.

• The ceiling installation contained 983 cylindrical incandescent aquarium bulbs. Each bulb could be controlled separately, allowing the lighting team to create waves, flashes, and geometric patterns across the set.

• Lighting designer Michael Keeling found the unusual bulbs after searching equipment catalogs for about two weeks. The lighting system reportedly suffered a complete dimmer failure at 5 p.m. on the night before filming, but was restored by about 10 p.m.; shooting began at 8 a.m. the next morning.

• Cindy Blackman appears as the drummer, but Lenny Kravitz played the drums on the studio recording used for the soundtrack. Blackman had only recently joined Kravitz's orbit when she traveled to Los Angeles, and the video helped launch her long association with his touring band.

• The clip won the 1993 MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video, helping establish the song as one of Kravitz's defining early-1990s performances.

• Although Kravitz is strongly associated with the song's signature guitar sound, Craig Ross co-wrote the track and played the prominent guitar parts on the studio recording.