R.E.M. - Electrolite

What this video is

Released as the third and final single from R.E.M.'s tenth studio album New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 'Electrolite' arrived at a pivotal transitional moment: the mid-1990s waning of the alternative rock mainstream breakthrough era. The song is a piano-based ballad dedicated to Hollywood and the closing 20th century, rooted in Stipe's period living in Santa Monica and his nocturnal drives up Mulholland Drive. The title…

Why it matters

A landmark in mid-90s alternative rock video-making, 'Electrolite' exemplifies the decade's turn toward auteur-driven surrealist music video aesthetics over straightforward performance clips. The Care–Jonze co-direction represents a rare summit of two of the era's most distinctive video directors…

The director

Peter Care (b. 1953, UK) trained at Sheffield School of Art; directed videos for Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode, New Order, Bruce Springsteen, and R.E.M. (five videos total plus the Road Movie concert film); received an MVPA Lifetime Achievement Award in…