Red Hot Chili Peppers - Around The World

What this video is

Released in the summer of 1999 as the second single from Californication, 'Around the World' arrived at the apex of RHCP's commercial and cultural resurgence following a period of internal turmoil. The video encapsulates the late-MTV golden era's visual language: rapid editing, experimental camera work, and the elevation of the performance video to near-abstract art form. Sednaoui's direction channels the song's…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of late-1990s funk-rock's mainstream crossover moment, the video reinforces RHCP's dual identity as virtuosic rock performers and countercultural icons. Sednaoui's kinetic, abstract direction elevated the performance video beyond mere promotion into a recognizable auteur…

The director

Stéphane Sednaoui (born 1963) is a French music video director, photographer, film producer, and actor. Self-taught, he shaped his craft under the mentorship of William Klein and Jean-Paul Gaultier. After breaking through in France with NTM (1990), he…