Mike & The Mechanics - Silent running

What this video is

Released in 1985 as the debut single from Mike + The Mechanics — the side project of Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford formed during a Genesis hiatus — 'Silent Running' arrived at the height of Cold War cultural anxiety in Western pop media. The song's narrative, conceived as a sci-fi parable about a man displaced in time warning his family of impending societal collapse, resonated broadly with audiences…

Why it matters

A landmark example of the adult-contemporary / mainstream rock crossover that defined Atlantic Records' mid-80s output. The single reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, establishing Mike + The Mechanics as a commercially viable entity separate from…

The director

James 'Jim' Yukich is an American television and film director. He graduated from Purdue University's Brian Lamb School of Communication in 1978 and began his career in the mailroom at Capitol-EMI Records in Hollywood, rising to staff…