Synopsis
Poison's power ballad unfolds as a portrait of separation and regret. Bret Michaels leaves a troubled relationship and retreats into solitary acoustic performance, while concert footage presents the band in full arena-rock mode. A woman drives alone through the rain, hearing the song on the car radio, creating a parallel image of emotional distance. The video moves between the couple's unresolved tension, the band's touring life, and Michaels' isolated performance before ending with him walking away with his guitar.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed at Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with additional scenes shot in a nearby empty warehouse.
- The opening bedroom scene and the rainy Thunderbird sequences give the song a deliberately cinematic heartbreak narrative, while the live footage connects the personal story to Poison's touring lifestyle.
- Bret Michaels has said the song was written after he suspected his girlfriend was being unfaithful. He began working on it in a Dallas motel laundry room while waiting for his clothes to dry.
- Capitol Records reportedly preferred another upbeat track as the single and initially worried that the acoustic ballad did not sound like Poison. Michaels pushed for its release, supported by the rest of the band.
- Released in October 1988, the song became Poison's only US No. 1 hit, spending three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Its success on radio and MTV made it the band's best-known song.