Synopsis

Talk Talk perform "Life's What You Make It" in a dark, wooded setting, surrounded by flashes of artificial light and the nocturnal life of the forest. Mark Hollis plays a piano while insects, frogs, birds, and other animals appear in close-up, creating an eerie contrast between the band's intense performance and the natural world around them. As the video progresses, the night gradually gives way to daylight, reinforcing the song's movement from shadowy atmosphere toward renewal and possibility.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at Wimbledon Park or Wimbledon Common in London, using the wooded landscape as both a performance space and a habitat for the wildlife seen throughout the clip.

• Its imagery is built around a striking contrast: Hollis delivers the song with visible intensity at the piano, while the surrounding insects and animals continue their own largely indifferent nighttime activity.

• The single was first released in Germany on November 18, 1985, ahead of its UK release on January 6, 1986. It reached No. 16 in the UK and No. 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

• "Life's What You Make It" was the first single from Talk Talk's third album, *The Colour of Spring*, marking the band's move toward a more organic and atmospheric sound.

• The song returned to the UK chart after being reissued as a single in 1990.

• Placebo's later cover and accompanying video drew inspiration from the original Talk Talk clip, particularly its use of nighttime nature imagery.