Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Success

What this video is

Released in November 1988, 'Success' arrived at a pivotal and ultimately terminal moment in Sigue Sigue Sputnik's career. The single was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman — the dominant British pop production unit of the era — in a consciously provocative, commercially oriented pairing that the band themselves described as two of the most hated acts in the UK joining forces. The resulting product was criticised…

Why it matters

Represents a rare documented collision between the British cyberpunk-new-wave subculture and the Stock Aitken Waterman Hi-NRG pop production apparatus. As an artefact, 'Success' captures the late-1980s tension between subcultural authenticity and mainstream commercial pop ambition, and stands as a…

The director

Brian Duffy is a British music video and film director credited on the IMDb-listed 1988 music video for Sigue Sigue Sputnik's 'Success'. He is distinct from the celebrated fashion photographer Brian Duffy (1933–2010). His directorial credits in the music…