Stone Temple Pilots - Sour Girl

What this video is

Released in 2000 as the second single from Stone Temple Pilots' fourth studio album No. 4 (1999), 'Sour Girl' arrived at a pivotal cultural moment: the commercial exhaustion of first-wave grunge and the genre's pivot toward melodic, radio-friendly alternative rock. The video's high-profile casting reflected MTV's evolving prestige video economy, where celebrity appearances amplified a song's crossover potential.…

Why it matters

Represents STP's most commercially successful single and their sole Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at No. 78, while also reaching No. 4 on Mainstream Rock and No. 3 on Modern Rock Tracks. The video exemplifies the early-2000s MTV prestige format — high production values, narrative ambition,…

The director

David Aldrin Slade (born 26 September 1969, Yorkshire, England) studied fine arts at Sheffield Hallam University. He launched his career directing music videos for Warp Records and beyond, accumulating over 35 videos for artists including Aphex Twin, Tori…