The The - Heartland

What this video is

Released in June 1986, 'Heartland' is a direct artistic response to Thatcherite Britain — attacking Conservative political polarization, class division, and what Matt Johnson described as the UK's subordination to American cultural and political power. The video's production at Greenwich Power Station amplifies the song's industrial-Britain symbolism. Funded by an extraordinary £350,000 CBS Records advance, the…

Why it matters

A landmark of British post-punk political music video, 'Heartland' exemplifies the genre's capacity to fuse confrontational lyrical content with cinematic visual language. As the lead single and opening video of The The's Infected project — one of the most expensive and artistically ambitious…

The director

Peter Martin Christopherson (27 Feb 1955 – 25 Nov 2010), aka 'Sleazy'; English musician, video director, designer, photographer. Co-founder of Hipgnosis (Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel album covers), Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and Coil. Directed 40+ music…