Synopsis

Ben Folds Five perform "Underground" inside a rowdy Old West saloon, surrounded by cowboys, brawlers, and assorted comic chaos. The trio plays through the mayhem as the staged Western action unfolds around them, creating a deliberately exaggerated contrast with the song's darker, alienated lyrics. Ben Folds appears in a ten-gallon hat, while the band maintains an upbeat, almost celebratory presence amid the disorder. The result is a playful, surreal performance clip rather than a literal interpretation of the song.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Underground" was the first radio single from Ben Folds Five's self-titled debut album, released in 1995. The music video followed in 1996.

• Ben Folds later described the video as an intentionally strange detour that grew out of too many people trying to shape the production. He characterized the finished clip more as performance art than as a conventional promotional video.

• In a 1996 interview, Folds acknowledged the contrast between the song's unhappy subject matter and the video's cheerful Western setting, saying that the band had ultimately decided to have fun with the concept.

• The original promotional clip should not be confused with the band's later live performance of "Underground" filmed for PBS's "Sessions at West 54th" in New York on June 9, 1997. That performance was released on the 2001 concert DVD "The Complete Sessions at West 54th."