Synopsis

In a meticulously uniform suburb, Steven Page moves through a world where houses, cars and even people appear in duplicate. As he performs the song, several versions of himself occupy the same spaces, reflecting the layered vocal arrangement and the emotional push and pull of a troubled relationship. He is paired with a woman whose presence gives the surreal setting a personal focus. The video uses repetition and carefully controlled compositions to turn an ordinary neighborhood into an uncanny portrait of romantic confusion and attempted reconciliation.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video uses the shorter radio mix rather than the 5:48 album version. The edit skips part of the song, including the third verse and an instrumental passage.

• The duplicate Stevens are a visual counterpart to the recording, on which Steven Page performs all of the lead and backing vocals, including the overlapping harmonies and call-and-response parts.

• The suburban scenes were filmed in the Valencia section of Santa Clarita, California. The identical houses and repeated white Volkswagen New Beetles reinforce the video's deliberately manufactured world.

• A second version incorporated scenes from the 1999 film "Edtv," whose soundtrack also featured "Call and Answer."

• The video was included as an Easter egg on the installation disc for Mac OS 9 through Mac OS 9.2, alongside Static-X's "Push It."

• "Call and Answer" was released as the third single from "Stunt" in 1999. The song was written by Steven Page and Stephen Duffy.