Top 10 PFurs Music Videos

As some of you may remember, back in April of 2020 I made a list of my ten favorite Psychedelic Furs music videos and today I made the decision to redo my list. But surprisingly, my list is very much the same as the first, although a new change had been added. Before, I had thought of making this list again but I've never gotten around to it, until now. And before I start I just want to say that these are my own personal opinions and the videos I selected are ones that stand out to me the most.

And now, let's begin. Here are my top 10 favorite music videos by The Psychedelic Furs!

10. The Ghost In You - Director: Tim Pope https://youtube.com/watch?v=T87u5yuUVi8

During the verses Richard Butler sings into one of those types of mirrors that appear in dressing rooms, and when the choruses come on Richard, John Ashton and Tim Butler perform while all of these colored glass bubbles move around them. I love Richard's dancing in "The Ghost In You", it's really great. Surprisingly the "Ghost In You" video wasn't included at all in the All Of This And Nothing video compilation on VHS. You'd think it would be on there and I wonder why it got left out.

9. Until She Comes https://youtube.com/watch?v=dNEDY9I_wOk

The shots of Richard Butler standing on the giant clock are my favorite moments in the video for "Until She Comes". It also shows the band members in a blue room with circles of flashing lights peering through and things like an hourglass, a starfish, etc.

8. All That Money Wants - Director: Walter Pitt https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gti22zo6sm0

"All That Money Wants" marked the return of original drummer Vince Ely, who had left The Furs six years earlier after when Forever Now came out. The video shows Vince, John Ashton and Tim Butler walking around while Richard Butler sings to the camera. My favorite part: Richard's little smile at the end of the video. <3

7. Angels Don't Cry - Director: Tim Pope https://youtube.com/watch?v=XU65Y4gTUYo

What I like about this one is that it was all filmed in one take. Richard, Tim, and John perform on a set that has a bunch of light bulbs and later when the instrumental part starts playing Richard walks away and enters into a different set. As he goes in you see Mars Williams doing the magical saxophone solo and the rest of the band members join Richard.

6. Run And Run - Director: Bill Davis https://youtube.com/watch?v=AJ0eob8S-FQ

The video for "Run And Run" was filmed in New York City while The Psychedelic Furs were in America during the Forever Now tour. It shows the band members signing autographs for fans at a record store, sightseeing, hanging around, and having fun. During that time the "Sleep Comes Down" video was also made, as "Run And Run" featured behind the scenes footage for that particular video.

5. Wrong Train - Director: Hans Neleman https://youtube.com/watch?v=w_Bu7ctVR8c

Here is something interesting. The video for "Sleep Comes Down" actually used to be on my old ranking (at number 10), but after watching the video for "Wrong Train", I like it better than "Sleep Comes Down"! And "Wrong Train" made it at number 5, and you can probably tell why it's high on my new list. The video is absolutely awesome, it's so well made and Hans did a remarkable job directing it. Richard Butler looks fantastic and the look of the video was inspired by Richard's own paintings.

4. Heaven - Director: Tim Pope https://youtube.com/watch?v=4G_CAYf-itw

The "Heaven" video is beautiful, with Richard looking angelic as he spins around while Tim and John look like they're having a blast in the rain. It is mesmerizing to watch. This is Richard Butler's favorite PFurs music video but unfortunately after the video was filmed he caught a cold from being wet for so many hours.

3. Don't Be A Girl https://youtube.com/watch?v=pzIgeOh36_I

This video is cool with all the scenes of the flowers blooming and Richard Butler spinning in the whatchamacallit. With the flowers in the video, I like to imagine that this would be the type of music video The Smiths would probably make.

2. Sister Europe - Directors: Don Letts, Mick Calvert https://youtube.com/watch?v=-R96oxrDHWs

There's something about this video that appeals to me, and even though it's simple, it is so effective. It's dark, mysterious, and the sound of the music matches the look of the video. I read that the band members were actually drunk during filming, and even on a few scenes, you can tell that Richard Butler's movements looked a little off. But still, the video for "Sister Europe" is great and I also want to say I like the very old quality on the vid.

We are now at the grand finale, and here is my number one favorite Psychedelic Furs music video of all time!

1. Love My Way - Director: Tim Pope https://youtube.com/watch?v=LGD9i718kBU

The video for "Love My Way" is just magnificent. It has beauty, elegance, and the visuals are absolutely stunning. This video was played heavily on MTV and it helped The Psychedelic Furs gain popularity in the United States. My dad remembers watching the "Love My Way" video, and he once told me that he thought it was weird but liked it at the same time. Like I said on the "Sister Europe" video it is simple but so effective, and it leaves you in awe. My favorite music videos are a tie between The Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" and Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams", because they have their own style and I love them both for different reasons.

I think what makes The Psychedelic Furs' music videos great is the one and only Richard Butler himself, with his aura and presence, the way he dances on the videos, and his iconic voice. While watching the videos it made me think how awesome and wonderful Richard is, and there is no one like him. I am very glad I had the opportunity to see Richard Butler live in person four times with my own eyes, and those experiences were so amazing. I do hope I will see him and the rest of the band again someday.

Thank you for reading and hope you all enjoyed it!

Behind the Songs: Don't Believe

Photo: Reed Davis

Richard Butler: "I think we chose that song [as the first single for Made Of Rain] because it sounded like, you know, if people picture in their minds or ears what a typical Psychedelic Furs song sounds like. I think that might be kind of what it would sound like, that one." (BBC6 Music 2020)

Tim Butler: "It was a song I'd written that had a verse and a chorus. And I sent it to Richard and he said to me, 'Yeah, I like the verse part but write another chorus.' So I was [inaudible] away writing a different – not riff, but chorus, but we go to the studio and just started playing the verse riff. It came together pretty quickly. I think it's some of the last tracks we recorded as well [for Made Of Rain]." (Interview with Kyle Meredith, 2020)

Tim Butler: "I think that one is the most – the one that most harkens back to the early sort of aggression of The Furs; circa 'India,' the first album." (Interview with Kyle Meredith, 2020)

Interviewer: "I've heard the first four singles that have been released ["Don't Believe", "You'll Be Mine", "No-One", and "Come All Ye Faithful"] and I really loved them. It seems [Made Of Rain's] going to be an 'all killer no fillers' album."

Paul Garisto: "Thanks and believe me, the best is yet to come." (Melody Lane 2020)

Richard Butler: "That was a song written with Tim. It was an idea that [inaudible] had, but we decided that we only really liked the first part. So really the whole band weighed in, and it became really a band composition. In that we came up with other parts for it in the studio as a band." (Out Of The Box (Q104.3) 2020)

Interviewer: "Tell me about the song 'Don't Believe,' which has a very interesting opening line: 'The money's got the medicine and you can't believe in anything.'"

Richard Butler: "Well, that's about the health care system - big pharma and all that. It's just saying that it's difficult to believe in anything." (Songfacts 2020)

Richard Butler: "I think 'President Gas' was the only time I've been that scathing in my narrative, although I think 'Don't Believe' is pretty scathing on [Made Of Rain]." (Spin 2020)

Interviewer: "'President Gas,' from 1982, has the lyric 'It's sick, the price of medicine,' and on 'Don't Believe,' on [Made Of Rain], you sing, 'Money's got the medicine.' I take it you're not a big fan of the healthcare system in America."

Richard Butler: "No, I'm not. Not at all. And sadly, the Tory government seems to be dismantling the National Health Service in England, slowly. And I thought the National Health Service was a great institution. I wouldn't mind paying extra taxes for healthcare." (Tidal 2020)

Tim Butler: "At the moment 'Don't Believe' is my favorite [on Made Of Rain] because it harkens back to the force and sound of a song like 'India', guitar-wise, vibe-wise." (Uncut 2020)

Interviewer: "I'm loving the new songs. And while there's a very different feel between 'Come All Ye Faithful', 'No-One', 'You'll Be Mine' and 'Don't Believe', the latter I have to say is classic Furs from the opening bars, even before Richard's voice comes in."

Tim Butler: "Err, yeah, I think so. Some of it's more classic, but I think the sound of the whole thing was influenced over the long hiatus we had by the music around us, so of course it's going to seep into what you write, and I think it's very current but still very much Furs."

Interviewer: "I agree, and those first four releases from [Made Of Rain] suggest that wide range. Are those tracks fairly indicative of the LP as a whole?"

Tim Butler: "Yeah, I think everyone will be very pleasantly surprised and we're very, very happy with it. It's a typical Furs album in that it goes from all-out rockers to ballads and back again. That keeps you interested. If an album's all 'balls to the wall' or all laidback, you tend to lose interest. But hopefully this will keep people interested from beginning to end." (WriteWyattUK 2020)

Rich Good (in response to my comment asking him which song from Made Of Rain was his favorite to play live): "Hmm that's a difficult question to answer... 'This'll Never...' perhaps? Or 'Don't Believe'? 'No-One'...!" (Instagram 2021)

Interviewer: "What are your favorite songs to play on Made Of Rain?"

Rich Good: "'Don't Believe', 'No-One', 'Ash Wednesday'… 'This'll Never Be Like Love'. Again, 'all of them' would be an accurate answer." (Post-Punk.com 2022)

Behind the Songs: Cigarette

Richard Butler: "That song was about sitting at the end of somebody's bed and sort of smoking a cigarette and letting the day go through your head." (Interview with Robert Cherry, 2001)

John Ashton (on the songs by his band Satellite Paradiso): "I did write 'Angelic', 'Bad Blood', 'Situation', 'Insomnia' and 'Outlaws' and a few others at a time when I was still playing in The Furs. I modelled 'Angelic' on 'Pretty In Pink' – it has a similar chord structure and is based around the D chord progression – albeit with a few twists and turns thrown in. 'Cigarette' is basically The Furs's version of the 'Angelic' idea." (Interview with Dave Furneaux, 2014)

Interviewer: "If we go back to the year 2000, you rejoined the Psychedelic Furs in a reformed lineup. As a big fan of the band, I attended many of the subsequent tours. They recorded a new song 'Alive' for a greatest hits package and two others ['Cigarette' and 'Wrong Train'] for the companion DVD. Yet I sensed a reluctance to record new material. Was that a trigger that forced your hand to do the Satellite Paradiso record and depart from the Psychedelic Furs?"

John Ashton: "Yes Dave. That was the biggest trigger of all." (Dave's on Tour 2016)

John Ashton: "I had given Richard Butler a version of 'Angelic', and he wrote the Furs song 'Cigarette' from that." (Dave's on Tour 2016)

Interviewer: "I have to ask, was 'Cigarette' considered for [Made Of Rain]? I was watching your 2001 unplugged version recently, and love that. Seems odd to say this seeing as they came after you, but there's something of an REM quality there. It's as much Michael Stipe as it is your brother."

Tim Butler: "Yeah, that (song) was never seriously considered, never brought up. Not to say it won't – maybe down the line a bit, but we came up with so many new songs in the six or seven months leading up to when we recorded [Made Of Rain]." (WriteWyattUK 2020)