Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun

What this video is

Released June 1997, 'Walkin' on the Sun' arrived at the apex of SoCal alternative rock's mainstream MTV penetration. The song reached #1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was the breakout single from Smash Mouth's debut album Fush Yu Mang (Interscope Records), which went double-platinum. Lyrically rooted in the social tensions of the early 1990s and the aftermath of the Rodney King beatings, the…

Why it matters

A canonical artifact of mid-90s neo-ska/alt-pop crossover, this video represents the apex of McG's pre-Hollywood music video aesthetic and helped define the visual language of the 1997–2000 MTV era. Its retro-pop staging, rapid editorial rhythm, and triptych structure were widely influential on…

The director

American director and producer born August 9, 1968 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Raised in Newport Beach, CA. Earned B.A. in Psychology from UC Irvine. Founded G Recordings in 1993. Began career directing music videos, accumulating over 50 credits including Korn,…