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Human League - Tell Me When

Music Video | 1994
ArtistHuman League
SongTell Me When
AlbumOctopus
DirectorAndy Morahan
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown
Release date

Wiki

Synopsis

Set against Prague's historic architecture, the video turns the city into a dreamlike stage for The Human League. Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall appear amid the Wallenstein Gardens, while Philip Oakey moves through streets and landmarks including Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle. Reverse-motion footage gives the city an uncanny, time-bending quality, with pedestrians and falling leaves appearing to move backward. The band perform the song inside Wallenstein Palace, surrounded by candles and ornate candelabras.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video was filmed entirely on location in Prague, Czech Republic, and features the Wallenstein Gardens, Wallenstein Palace, Wenceslas Square, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge and the National Museum.
  • Reverse-motion effects are used repeatedly. The opening image of leaves rising through the air establishes the video's deliberately unnatural visual logic.
  • The candlelit performance scenes were filmed in the main hall of Wallenstein Palace, whose Baroque interior gives the chorus a theatrical, almost ceremonial setting.
  • "Tell Me When" was released on December 26, 1994, as the first single from the album "Octopus." It was The Human League's first single for East West Records after the end of their long association with Virgin.
  • The song had originally been developed for "Fast Arithmetic," a side project involving Philip Oakey and Paul C. Beckett. An early demo was recorded in 1991 before the track was adopted for The Human League.
  • The single reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's highest-charting UK single since "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" in 1983.
  • The video received breakout rotation on MTV Europe in February 1995, helping reintroduce the band to a wider audience during their mid-1990s comeback.
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