search user
Advert
Advert

Fiona Apple - Across The Universe

Music Video | 1998
ArtistFiona Apple
SongAcross The Universe
AlbumSoundtrack _Pleasantville_
DirectorPaul Thomas Anderson
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown
Release date

Wiki

Synopsis

Fiona Apple sings calmly inside a 1950s-style diner while a violent riot unfolds around her. Men in dark suits smash windows, overturn furniture, and tear through the room in dreamlike slow motion, yet Apple remains focused on the song, often appearing almost unaware of the destruction. Shot in stark black and white with occasional color accents, the video turns the diner sequence from *Pleasantville* into an eerie visual contrast between inner peace and public chaos. A rolling camera move and flying debris heighten its surreal, cinematic atmosphere.

Factoids & Trivia

  • Apple's version is a cover of the Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was recorded for the 1998 *Pleasantville* soundtrack.
  • The soundtrack also included Apple's cover of Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love." These were her first new recordings after her 1996 debut album, *Tidal*.
  • The video uses the diner set built for *Pleasantville*, including the film's sequence in which the establishment is ransacked by rioting townspeople.
  • The black-and-white photography reflects *Pleasantville's* visual concept, where color is associated with emotional awakening and change. The video is more restrained, using limited color accents rather than the feature's extensive digital transitions.
  • The central visual joke comes from the contrast between Apple's unhurried performance and the carefully choreographed destruction around her. Objects appear to fly past her in slow motion while she continues singing as if nothing has changed.
  • John C. Reilly, who appears in *Pleasantville*, is also featured in the video as one of the people involved in the diner chaos.
  • The recording was produced by Jon Brion, Apple's frequent collaborator during this period. The soundtrack version runs for just over five minutes, while the music video is shorter.

Lyrics

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,
They slither while they pass they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind,
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
They call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
...
© Fiona Apple - Across The Universe. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
Update

More Music Videos

New

Classics

Tell us what you like, or dislike:

(Optional) Leave your email to let us contact you to follow up on your feedback. Your email address will be kept private.

Leave feedback!  X