Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

What this video is

Released 28 February 1994 as the lead single from Vauxhall and I, the video arrived at a pivotal moment: Morrissey had endured the deaths of close collaborators—producer Mick Ronson and video director Tim Broad—and weathered intense press scrutiny in 1993. The single became the only song by Morrissey or The Smiths to reach number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and peaked at number 8 on the UK…

Why it matters

A landmark in 1990s British alternative pop, the track and video demonstrate how post-punk miserabilism was being repositioned for mainstream consumption in the early Britpop era. Romanek's theatrical, claustrophobic staging—fast-cut, single-location, performance-driven—established a visual…

The director

Mark Lee Romanek (born September 18, 1959, Chicago, IL) is an American film, music video, and commercial director. He gained prominence during the 1990s golden age of MTV, earning three Grammy Awards for Best Short Form Music Video and 20 MTV Video Music…