The Human League - Open Your Heart (1981)

What this video is

Released on 2 October 1981 by Virgin Records, 'Open Your Heart' was the third single from The Human League's pivotal third album *Dare* and served as its deliberate 'taster' single, issued just three weeks before the album's UK release. It peaked at number six in the UK Singles Chart and marked the highest commercial profile the band had achieved to that point. The video is historically significant as the band's…

Why it matters

A foundational artefact of UK synth-pop's mainstream commercial breakthrough, this video documents the precise aesthetic — minimal studio staging, heavy analogue video treatment, androgynous fashion, and portrait-driven composition — that would define early 1980s British electronic pop visuals…

The director

British music video and television director/producer. Began career as a cameraman; transitioned to directing music videos in the late 1970s. Co-founded MGMM Productions with Scott Millaney, Russell Mulcahy, and David Mallet in 1982 — the most successful UK…