Elastica - Car Song

What this video is

Released in 1995 at the commercial peak of the Britpop movement, 'Car Song' was Elastica's North American single push following their critically acclaimed self-titled debut. The video, shot in Tokyo by Spike Jonze, transplants a quintessentially British indie band into a Japanese urban sci-fi landscape, reflecting both Jonze's cinephile genre interests and the global reach of 90s MTV alternative programming. The…

Why it matters

A landmark example of Spike Jonze's mid-90s music video auteurism, blending sci-fi thriller narrative with Britpop performance. Demonstrates the creative ambition of the 1995 MTV alternative era, where music videos operated as short cinematic works. The Tokyo location and genre-film framing…

The director

Born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969, in Rockville, Maryland. Began career photographing BMX and skateboarding for Freestylin' Magazine and Transworld Skateboarding. Transitioned into music video directing in 1992. Directed landmark 1990s videos including…