Dead Or Alive - Brand New Lover

What this video is

Released in 1986, 'Brand New Lover' arrived at the zenith of the Stock Aitken Waterman production machine's cultural dominance, itself a defining sound of British pop's commercial peak. Dead Or Alive, fronted by Pete Burns, occupied a uniquely subversive position within mainstream pop: their androgynous, gender-fluid visual identity pushed against heteronormative MTV norms while achieving genuine chart crossover.…

Why it matters

A canonical example of mid-80s British Hi-NRG/synth-pop video production, 'Brand New Lover' documents the moment when SAW's production formula — driving four-on-the-floor rhythms, hooky synth-bass, polished vocals — achieved mainstream US penetration. The video's rapid editing pace (1.94s avg shot…

The director

Vaughan Arnell is a British music video and commercial director who rose to prominence in the mid-1980s, co-directing with Anthea Benton on multiple high-profile UK pop videos of the era. Arnell went on to become one of the most successful British commercial…