Synopsis
Everything But the Girl perform "Driving" within an elaborate animated landscape. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt appear against shifting imagery that moves between California desert roads, railway junctions, Roman-style friezes and tropical fish. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video mirrors the song's sense of motion and emotional distance through constantly changing still images, hand-treated textures and surreal juxtapositions. The result is a dreamlike travelogue that turns a polished, jazz-influenced pop song into a striking piece of animation.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was produced over approximately three months using more than 6,000 hand-touched prints and color photocopies.
- Its visual palette combines motor-driven still images of California desert landscapes, railway junctions, Roman friezes and tropical fish.
- The animation approach earned "Driving" a 1990 D&AD Pencil in the animation category.
- "Driving" was released in 1990 as part of *The Language of Life*, the Los Angeles-recorded album produced by Tommy LiPuma. The sessions featured prominent American players, including Omar Hakim, John Patitucci, Lenny Castro and Michael Brecker.
- The song became one of Everything But the Girl's strongest American radio successes, receiving heavy exposure on adult alternative and adult-oriented radio formats.
- A later Todd Terry remix received its own video listing in the band's videography, reflecting how the song was carried forward into the duo's dance-oriented period.