Synopsis

Tori Amos performs inside a transparent booth set in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot while life unfolds around her. Pedestrians pass by, some pausing to watch, while others continue with their routines. The singer remains isolated and focused as the surrounding activity grows increasingly tense, eventually erupting into a full-scale street riot. The contrast between Amos' stillness and the escalating chaos gives the video a stark visual interpretation of the song's themes of grief, devotion, distance, and the determination to reach someone who is gone.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot, with Amos singing inside a glass booth surrounded by an active street scene.

• The television premiere took place on MTV's "120 Minutes" on October 24, 1999.

• In a 1999 interview, Amos described the song as expressing a ferocious commitment to finding another person. She deliberately left the identity of that person open, suggesting that listeners could hear the song as being about a daughter, a loved one, or someone else important to them.

• The song was inspired in part by the death of Amos' father-in-law. She said it helped her husband process his grief.

• Amos said the melody first came to her in a dream, where an elderly African woman was humming it. She woke at about 5:30 in the morning to record the idea.

• "1000 Oceans" was released as the second single from "To Venus and Back" in 1999. The single's maxi-CD included the music video as well as a video for "Bliss."