The Connells - '74-'75

What this video is

Released in 1993 from The Connells' fifth studio album Ring (TVT Records), '74-'75 was initially overlooked in the United States during the peak of grunge dominance. Two years later, A&R interest from the German Intercord label catalysed a remarkable European breakthrough: the song reached No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, topped charts in multiple European countries, and became one of the continent's best-performing…

Why it matters

A landmark of 1990s jangle-pop and Celtic-inflected American alternative rock, '74-'75 demonstrated that introspective, acoustic-leaning songwriting could achieve mainstream success in an era dominated by louder sounds. Its music video pioneered a documentary-portraiture approach — using anonymous…

The director

Born March 17, 1962, Baltimore, Maryland. Graduated University of Virginia 1984 with a B.A. in Rhetoric. Joined MTV's On-Air Promotions Department upon graduation, developing a collage-based sound/image/text aesthetic. Directed Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' (1992),…