Sparks with Jane Wiedlin - Cool Places

What this video is

Released in April 1983, 'Cool Places' arrived at the precise moment when MTV was reshaping American pop consumption and when synth-pop's commercial mainstream crossover was at its apex. Sparks — a critically admired but commercially erratic duo — achieved one of their greatest US chart successes with this track, peaking at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on Hot Dance Club Play. The collaboration with…

Why it matters

A landmark crossover artifact within early-1980s American new wave and synth-pop, demonstrating how the Mael brothers' idiosyncratic art-pop sensibility could be packaged for mainstream MTV consumption. The collaboration format — established act plus guest star from a concurrent hit act — became a…

The director

Born May 10, 1951, in San Mateo, California. American screenwriter and film director active from the late 1970s onward. Built early career directing music videos for avant-garde and new wave artists, notably collaborating with The Residents and Ralph Records…