Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator

What this video is

Released in August 1989, 'Love in an Elevator' arrived at the apex of the MTV hair-metal era, when music videos functioned as primary promotional and cultural vehicles. Aerosmith's video represents a pivotal moment in the band's second-act commercial renaissance following their mid-80s sobriety and re-signing to Geffen Records. Filmed at the iconic Bullocks Wilshire department store in Los Angeles, the video blends…

Why it matters

A canonical text of late-1980s hard rock music video production, 'Love in an Elevator' demonstrates the mature grammar of the MTV-era performance/narrative hybrid format. Its fast intercutting (3.44s ASL), comedy-vignette structure, and high-production-value location filming set a benchmark for…

The director

Martin Henry Callner (August 25, 1946 – March 17, 2025) was a Chicago-born, Cincinnati-raised American director. He began his career at WCPO-TV in 1969, moved to HBO in 1975 directing comedy and concert specials, then pivoted to music videos in the early…