The Blow Monkeys - This is Your Life

What this video is

Released in 1988, 'This Is Your Life' arrives at the tail end of the British sophisti-pop era, a moment when blue-eyed soul acts like The Blow Monkeys, ABC, and The Style Council had polished classic R&B and jazz-influenced pop into a distinctly British art-pop product. The band's snappy, androgynous dress sense and saxophone-driven sound placed them alongside Roxy Music and The Style Council as archetypes of…

Why it matters

A representative artefact of British sophisti-pop and blue-eyed soul at their commercial and aesthetic peak. The Blow Monkeys were central to a movement that combined soul, jazz, and new wave into glossy, socially conscious pop. This video encapsulates the outdoor, aspirational visual vocabulary —…

The director

Marco Cecere is a music video director who studied Fine Art and Film at Central Saint Martins, London. After graduating, he directed music videos for established musicians. His documented credits include The Blow Monkeys' 'This Is Your Life' (1988) and Holly…