Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night

What this video is

Released as the lead single from Corey Hart's debut album 'First Offense' (EMI America Records), 'Sunglasses at Night' emerged at the precise moment MTV was establishing itself as the dominant force in popular music promotion. The video's dystopian 'fashion police state' concept — shot at Toronto's historic Don Jail — aligned perfectly with the New Wave visual language of alienation, authority, and cool detachment…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of early synth-pop's visual identity on MTV, the video codified a template of brooding, narrative-driven concept clips that blended New Wave fashion-consciousness with cinematic dystopian imagery. Its success helped validate the music video as a primary promotional vehicle for…

The director

Rob Quartly is a Canadian music video, television, and commercial director widely credited as a foundational figure in Canada's music video production industry. During the 1980s he directed numerous Juno Award-winning videos for artists including Corey Hart,…