Men Without Hats - Pop Goes The World

What this video is

Released in October 1987 as the lead single from the album Pop Goes the World (Mercury/Polygram, June 1987), this video arrives at the peak of Canadian synth-pop's international crossover. Men Without Hats, a Montreal-formed band led by Ivan Doroschuk, leveraged the momentum of 'The Safety Dance' (1982) and returned to electronic roots after a brief rock detour. The video's theatrical, storybook aesthetic —…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of late-80s synth-pop maximalism, the video typifies the era's embrace of high-concept narrative within the pop promo format. Its comic-book typography, theatrical staging, and character-driven storytelling anticipate the 'pop as cartoon' aesthetic that would influence 1990s…

The director

Timothy Michael Pope (born 12 February 1956, Hackney, London) is a British film director best known for his music video work. He studied at Ravensbourne College of Art. He directed over 37 videos for The Cure and worked extensively with artists including…