Genesis - Illegal Alien (1983)

What this video is

Released as the third single from Genesis's commercially dominant self-titled 1983 album — their greatest commercial success at the time, reaching No. 1 in the UK and selling over 4 million copies in the US — 'Illegal Alien' arrived at the height of the MTV-era promotional video boom. The song's lyrics were inspired by the band's own difficulties obtaining US visas while on tour and were intended as a satirical,…

Why it matters

A key document in the trajectory of post-progressive British rock's commercial mainstreaming under Phil Collins's influence. The video exemplifies the era's comedic-narrative promo format — band-as-character-actors in single-set theatrical tableaux — that dominated early MTV rotation. It also…

The director

Stuart Orme (born 7 February 1942, Derby, Derbyshire, England) is a British director and producer. He directed numerous Genesis music videos from 1980–1983, and also directed videos for artists including Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Level 42, and Bonnie…