Synopsis

David Bowie appears as a nightclub singer performing "Underground" before leaving the stage and entering a shadowy alley. There he encounters creatures from Labyrinth, including Hoggle and the Junk Lady, as the ordinary world gives way to a surreal puppet realm. A rapid montage recalls Bowie's earlier musical and film personas before he becomes animated and descends into the underground world. The video functions as a dreamlike bridge between Bowie's own mythology and the fantasy universe of Labyrinth.

Factoids & Trivia

• The song was written and recorded for the soundtrack of the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, in which Bowie played Jareth, the Goblin King.

• Filming took place at Shepperton Studios over several days in February 1986.

• The opening montage references several stages of Bowie's career, including Ziggy Stardust, the "Blue Jean" period, and characters from The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Hunger.

• The video uses puppets and creatures from Labyrinth rather than simply assembling clips from the film, giving it a separate visual identity.

• Jim Henson was impressed by the video's style and later invited its filmmaker to work on The Storyteller.

• "Underground" became one of the most recognizable musical signatures associated with Labyrinth and serves as the film's closing title song.

• The video was later collected on the 1993 home-video release Bowie - The Video Collection and the 2002 DVD compilation Best of Bowie.