Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

What this video is

Released in January 1981 as Phil Collins's debut solo single, 'In the Air Tonight' arrived during a pivotal cultural inflection point: the collapse of 1970s arena rock excess, the rise of post-punk emotional minimalism, and the imminent launch of MTV (August 1981). The video's stark darkness, isolated subject, and glacial pacing stood in radical opposition to the bombastic rock video norms being established…

Why it matters

A foundational artifact of the art-pop music video form. 'In the Air Tonight' established that a music video could operate as psychological portraiture rather than performance spectacle. Its influence on subsequent dark, introspective pop promos — from Peter Gabriel to Depeche Mode to Nine Inch…

The director

Stuart Orme (b. 7 February 1942, Derby, Derbyshire, England) is a British director and producer. He was a prolific music video director in the early 1980s, with credits spanning Phil Collins, Joy Division, Whitney Houston, Level 42, and Genesis. He…