A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away) (Video)

What this video is

Released 5 March 1982 as A Flock of Seagulls' third single, 'I Ran (So Far Away)' arrived just as MTV was establishing its programming identity. Its heavy rotation on the channel during the Second British Invasion helped propel the song to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 by October 1982. The video's striking visual identity — centered on Mike Score's architecturally swept hair and the all-foil set — made it one of the…

Why it matters

A foundational text of new wave and synth-pop music video aesthetics. 'I Ran' demonstrated that a minimal budget could be overcome through bold design thinking — the foil-mirror set became an archetype for DIY futurism in early MTV-era clip-making. It is among the earliest examples of a music…

The director

Tony van den Ende is a music video director who began his career in the early 1980s. 'I Ran (So Far Away)' (1982) was among his first directorial credits. He went on to direct videos for Rufus & Chaka Khan ('Ain't Nobody'), Simply Red ('Holding Back the…