Synopsis

Set in a disused hospital, the video places Hugh Cornwell in the role of an unwilling patient while the other Stranglers appear as doctors and medical staff. Cornwell is hypnotized, pursued by oversized ears, and confronted by a giant cotton bud emerging from the band's enormous ear sculpture. Meanwhile, the group performs in clinical surroundings, joined by masked musicians and bizarre hospital imagery. The darkly comic sequence ends with Cornwell restrained on a stretcher and thrown from a window.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at St Olave's Hospital in Rotherhithe, London, in November 1984.

• The giant cotton bud was built as a visual joke around the ear sculpture associated with the band's Aural Sculpture era.

• An alternative ending featured a dummy representing Hugh Cornwell falling to the floor and bursting with tomato sauce. The sequence was considered too gruesome for broadcast and was not used in the standard version.

• "No Mercy" was released as the second single from Aural Sculpture in late 1984 and reached No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart.

• The track marked the Stranglers' first recorded use of backing singers, with Jimmy Chambers, George Chandler, and Tony Jackson contributing vocals.