Synopsis

Filmed in stark black and white, "Drive" places R.E.M. inside the vast concrete expanse of Los Angeles' Sepulveda Dam. Michael Stipe performs at the center of the frame while a large crowd gathers, shifts, and surges around him, turning the flood-control channel into an imposing concert space. The band's appearance is stripped down and physical, with wide shots emphasizing the scale of the location and close-ups capturing Stipe's intense delivery. The result is austere, restless, and closely matched to the song's commanding tone.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed over two nights in late August 1992 at Sepulveda Dam in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles.

• The black-and-white photography gives the setting a stark, almost monumental quality, making the dam's concrete geometry as important to the video as the performers.

• Michael Stipe later recalled that Oliver Stone visited the shoot, accompanied by River Phoenix. According to Stipe, the two got into a fight in his trailer after Stone had been drinking, and the incident helped fuel the video's charged atmosphere.

• Actor Adam Scott appears as an extra in the crowd.

• "Drive" was the lead single from R.E.M.'s 1992 album "Automatic for the People." Its language about young people taking control of their lives also contributed to the video's impression of collective unrest and defiance.

• The song's title was connected to R.E.M.'s support for the Motor Voter Bill, giving the otherwise abstract performance an additional political context.