Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Souvenir

What this video is

Released August 1981 on Dindisc, 'Souvenir' arrived at the precise moment British synth-pop was transitioning from post-punk austerity into emotionally literate, melodically sophisticated pop. The track peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart — OMD's joint highest-charting single — and topped the charts in Spain and Portugal, signalling the genre's pan-European reach. The video, shot at Blenheim Palace, introduced…

Why it matters

A landmark artefact of early British synth-pop, 'Souvenir' demonstrates the genre's capacity for emotional restraint and melodic innovation. Its use of slowed-down choral loops in place of a conventional chorus was formally radical. The video's graphic-designer-directed aesthetic helped establish…

The director

Peter Saville (born 9 October 1955, Manchester) is a British graphic designer and art director. He studied graphic design at Manchester Polytechnic (1975–1978), co-founded Factory Records in 1978, and became art director of Dindisc (Virgin offshoot) in 1979.…