A still from the video for "Games Without Frontiers" by Peter Gabriel
There’s just something refreshing about Peter Gabriel videos. They have a way of bridging the gap between pop and performance art. Take this 1983 video for “Games Without Frontiers.”
Opening with a snapshot montage of the singer’s expressive face, it progresses to a crawling, unitard-clad Gabriel in front of an army of plastic dolls. Let’s not forget the last shot of the rotating doll’s head (not to trivialize the song’s larger commentary on war or the dolls’ part in conveying the message)…
Great song featuring Kate Bush repeatedly delivering the tune’s title in French: “Jeux Sans Frontieres,” not “She’s so popular,” as many of us may have heard as children…
Then there’s the wall of televisions, the table of decadent foods surrounded by guests in excessive fashions (an ’80s video theme–remember “The One Thing” by INXS?), and of course, Gabriel’s boundless energy while sporting a skinny tie. An artist is at work here.
Enjoy! And Happy Friday!
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