Synopsis
Grace Jones appears in a surreal, highly stylized world of masks, geometric patterns and fractured portraits. Live-action footage of the singer is combined with animation and rapidly changing images that turn her face into a shifting graphic object. The visual language is cool, artificial and fashion-driven, matching the song's hypnotic disco-reggae pulse. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video presents Jones as an ever-changing icon, moving between human presence, mannequin-like imagery and bold pop-art abstraction.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was created for the 1986 remix of Jones' recording, rather than for the original 1980 release on Warm Leatherette.
- Jones' version is a cover of Roxy Music's 1975 hit, written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay. The remix helped bring the song back to attention after the original release failed to chart.
- Its visual approach combines animation with live action, reflecting the mid-1980s fascination with transforming photographic portraits through optical and graphic effects.
- The masks seen in the project were made by model maker Sue Venning and photographed by Peter Ashworth.
- The production used a mold of Grace Jones' head made from a Madame Tussauds figure. Venning then created a series of different looks from the mold.
- Images from the mask concept were also assembled into a special record-sleeve booklet, which later became a sought-after collectors' item.
- The recording itself was made at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, with production by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin and musicians including Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
- The 1986 reissue performed better than the 1980 single, reaching No. 35 on the UK singles chart.