Synopsis

A troubled teenager is reprimanded by his abusive father for listening to music. After putting on headphones, he escapes into a surreal fantasy world where Nelson performs before an enthusiastic crowd. The video shifts between the boy's harsh home life and an extravagant rock spectacle filled with dramatic costumes, stylized choreography, floating imagery, and deliberately exaggerated performance shots. Music becomes a form of rescue, allowing him to break free from his surroundings and imagine a more hopeful world beyond the turmoil at home.

Factoids & Trivia

• Matthew Nelson insisted that the video include a live-performance element. After the clip and the single took off, Nelson sold out a run of 40 theaters in five minutes when tickets for the supporting tour went on sale.

• The fantasy sequences were filmed at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.

• Gunnar Nelson said the band helped develop the costumes after studying Joseph Campbell's ideas about the hero's journey. The brothers reportedly used part of their publishing advance to finance the wardrobe.

• The costumes contain symbolic designs, including a bird flying through a cloud. Gunnar noted that the symbols can be seen more clearly by freeze-framing the video, and said some fans later had them tattooed.

• To create the video's speed-manipulation effects, the musicians had to perform at twice the normal speed for slowed-down footage. For shots that were filmed in reverse, including the bird and rising snow, they learned parts of the music backward.

• Released in 1990, the video helped establish Nelson during the final peak of MTV's dominance. Its highly theatrical style was later included on a list of unintentionally funny heavy metal videos, giving it an enduring camp reputation alongside its original commercial success.