10 Best Music Videos Of The 90s
4. Around The World - Daft Punk
Michel Gondry has many directing credits under his name, building a reputation as an experimental, avante-garde artist. He directed the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, along with music videos for Bjórk, The White Stripes, Kylie Minogue and Kanye West.
His 1997 collaboration with Daft Punk was his first attempt at using a music video to truly highlight organised choreography, as he had been disappointed to see other videos using edits and lighting to take away the power of the movement.
The video represents the song itself, with the different levels of dancers standing in for different instruments. The robots are the singing voice, while the rapidly moving athletes represent the base guitar. The disco girls are the keyboard, the skeletons are the guitar and the mummies represent the drumbeat.
It was, for Gondry, a family event. With himself direction, the choreography was polished by Blanca Li, with whom he had and has worked several times. The costumes were designed by Florence Fontaine, the mother of his son, while the flashing lights were operated by his brother, Oliver.
The music video remains one of Daft Punk's most memorable while the song, simple in its lyrics, is one of their most famous. It has been referenced in several other videos, though never quite like the original.