Everything Is Different Now (2000)
Lyrics :: Screen Captures
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"Plot" Summary: Lovely song. Sweet sentiment. Appallingly grotesque video. Does that make sense to you?
Me neither.
This song is about love transforming Henley's miserable existence into a life filled with hope and promise. Unfortunately, all we get to see is depravity and horror-movie type monsters.
I understand the symbolism. I understand that their external deformities are supposed to be a visual representation of the corrosive, soul-sucking lifestyle Henley had been living with his hedonistic friends. I understand that in the video, Henley is leaving all of this behind, as the song declares. The problem is that we never see him step into a new life. Instead, we are treated to several minutes of a nightmarish freak show - people whose tongues merge as they kiss; people who have holes in their necks through which their drinks leak; people with deformed eyes, mutated faces... and let's not forget the dead body floating in the pool.
As if that weren't bad enough, we also get to see "FrankenDon" with head wounds and stitches. The worst part is when FrankenDon and his chorus of mutants sing "Everything is different now" as "good" Don walks away. This is the part, mind you, that is sung by a gospel choir on the track itself! If I didn't know better, I'd say this entire video was an ironic mockery of the song's sentiment; that the reason FrankenDon and the mutants are singing that chorus is because the director wants to convey that anyone who believes that love is transformative is delusional, and only stepping from one misery to another.
I justify it this way: perhaps FrankenDon is that cynical - hence the ghoulish grin as Good Don turns his back and walks away - but in reality, we know that Good Don will prevail. Too bad we never get to see it.