Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - (Forever) Live And Die

What this video is

Released on 28 August 1986 as the lead single from OMD's seventh studio album The Pacific Age, '(Forever) Live and Die' arrived during a pivotal transitional moment for British synth-pop — the genre was consolidating its global commercial reach via MTV while simultaneously being critiqued for abandoning its experimental roots. The single peaked at No. 11 on the UK chart and entered the top 10 in Canada and several…

Why it matters

Represents a defining example of mid-80s British synth-pop's commercial maturation — melodic sophistication, string-like synth pads, and an unusually tender lead vocal from Paul Humphreys distinguish the track from harder-edged contemporaries. The video's mixed-format analogue production approach…

The director

Leslie Libman is an American television director who, alongside her late husband Larry Williams, formed a prolific commercial and music-video directing partnership in the 1980s before transitioning to prestige television. Williams (b. 26 June 1950,…