ABC - The Look Of Love

What this video is

ABC's 'The Look of Love' (1982) arrived at the apex of the New Romantic movement in the UK, when music video was transitioning from afterthought to primary artistic statement. The track, produced by Trevor Horn and featuring Anne Dudley's orchestral arrangements, represented a sophisticated, irony-laden engagement with classic Hollywood romance tropes. Sheffield's ABC — fronted by Martin Fry in his trademark gold…

Why it matters

A landmark document of UK art-pop and orchestral new wave, 'The Look of Love' exemplifies the genre's core strategy of deploying ironic sincerity — genuinely emotional songwriting wrapped in layers of knowing camp and cinematic artifice. The video's aesthetic directly influenced the visual…

The director

Brian Grant was a highly prolific British music video director active from the late 1970s through the 1990s, credited with directing some of the most iconic UK pop and new wave promos of the early MTV era. He worked extensively with major British acts and is…