Portishead – Only You

Tuesday January 26, 2010 · By

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.

Loading...

This is a subtle masterpiece by Chris Cunningham. Always one to incorporate the mood of the track into its visual presentation, the jazzy “noir-ness” is translated into a dark and seedy back alley that is more than it seems.

As the song progresses and we watch the young boy’s body move along with the music, we realize he’s moving as if he’s underwater. The singer is as well, but her connection to the boy is left ambiguous. And what of those watching from the windows, who appear to be the ones actually underwater? Is this a literal landscape, alien and backwards? Is it a metaphor for our experiences growing up? Is this a story about a boy who has been lost to pneumonia?

This interpretation is left up to the viewer, and the video is the better for it.