XTC - Senses Working Overtime

What this video is

Released in January 1982 as the lead single from XTC's fifth studio album English Settlement, 'Senses Working Overtime' marked the commercial zenith of the Swindon art-rock group's career, reaching #10 on the UK Singles Chart. The video arrived at the precise moment MTV launched in the US (August 1981), and was regularly aired on the fledgling cable channel, giving XTC their strongest American exposure. The song…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of British art-rock and post-punk's mainstream crossover moment. The video's experimental double-speed filming technique — proposed by Grant and executed at Shepperton Studios — represents an early documented use of in-camera temporal manipulation in the music promo format.…

The director

British music video and television director/producer. Began career as a cameraman before directing music videos from 1979. Co-founded MGMM Productions in 1982 with Scott Millaney, Russell Mulcahy, and David Mallet — the most successful UK music video…