Synopsis

Tori Amos leads two young girls along a dirt road toward the Spanish town of Arcos de la Frontera. As more women join them, the walk becomes a silent procession through the village, watched by the men. Their path is blocked by a priest, and the women lie down as he steps over them. Once the men leave, the women rise and continue beyond the town, returning to the open landscape where their journey began. The stark imagery gives the song a ritualistic, confrontational atmosphere.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Arcos de la Frontera, a hilltop town in Andalusia, Spain, whose whitewashed streets and surrounding landscape provide the setting for the procession.

• "Past the Mission" was released in 1994 as a single from Amos' second album, *Under the Pink*.

• Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor contributes background vocals to the song. Amos said she felt the track specifically called for his voice.

• Amos recorded her vocals with Reznor at the house formerly known as 10050 Cielo Drive, the Los Angeles residence associated with the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and others. Reznor was using the property as a recording studio while working on Nine Inch Nails' *The Downward Spiral*.

• The video was later included on *Tori Amos: Complete Videos 1991-1998*, where it appears in a version set to the single edit.