Genesis: Land of Confusion

This video uses puppet images of both the group (Genesis) performing this song and of various other musicians as well as political figures (especially Ronald Reagan) to make a point about the political turmoil going on at the time. Watching it then, we were pretty worried of what a man who was previously in show business and was up there in age was doing in the Oval Office. Doesn't seem much different to today what with a billionaire who once hosted a reality TV show called "The Apprentice" and is stroking much the same fears but more intensely than during Reagan's time making plenty of us worry for the future now more than ever. Those puppets were courtesy of the British series "Spitting Image" of which there was briefly an American version during this time. The video had lost none of its power and with the current celebrities, it could still make a point today. So on that note, I highly recommend Genesis: Land of Confusion.

In 1986, Phil Collins and his band "Genesis" had a top 5 hit with this work "Land of Confusion". And the words of the song were trying to capture the current times and the decade of uncertainty with decisions and choices that had to be made in the world. The video is well done and acted with animation puppets as the art puppets show the band and even then current president Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy were shown as puppets who felt the fear of the current times of tension with the Soviet Union. I loved the song and the video was well done one highly memorable one for it's time and the puppets were cool it made the music video so well and went along with the song!

Most definitely this is Genesis best video clip. The majority of their videos consists of the band playing their act, good shots and edition but they lack something. "Land of Confusion" carries a critical theme which perfectly defined the decade, unavoidable political and there's plenty of art to enjoy and admire with puppets presenting not only the band members but also Ronald Reagan and other characters reflecting the period, one of apparent tension and fear with the Cold War still going strong. And the sound, lyrics and music...a shock to the senses in so how well-executed and perfect it was - to the die-hard Genesis fans who prefer their progressive rock phase might not work all that much but I always liked them in both pop/rock and progressive moments.

The song is serious with their critique while the video makes fun of everything we hear. Puppets representing the band and Ronnie (gotta admit, those were some ugly things but they achieved the needed satirical effect, monstrous creatures crawling and moving through a desperate world at the brink of collapsing) make the amusing part of the video ("Oh Superman where are you now?") along with a fantastic art direction, and some dialogues at the opening and ending with a clueless Reagan going to sleep - then the video presents the real scenario he was involved - and ending with the "nightmare" he just woke up. Also comes a spoof on "We Are the World" which is brilliant. The lyrics asks us why this is the land of confusion and with all the terror, chaos and creatures we see it's not hard to imagine why the band isn't wrong with their thoughts. Directors John Lloyd and James Yukich made one of the most creative, thoughtful and brilliant videos of the era and Genesis greatest video achievement (ok, I like "Invisible Touch" as well, specially their Capella version at the conclusion, it's very amusing and "Jesus He Knows Me" is hysterical with its attack to televangelists). But this one points out to so many aspects from the decade and in such an artsy form that it's impossible to resist its effect. It's real and speaks louder than news, we can understand to what criticism they were making: social, political, economical, cultural, a whole understanding of how troubled and limited that era was in so many aspects. Phil Collins hit the nail in the head with precision and didn't left us with just the critical part; he asked us to use our hands and make the world a place worth living in. True then and true now. The urge in the song and clip is one barely ever touched and present in the world of arts and entertainment, and yes, I think "Genesis: Land of Confusion" is an integral part of both. 10/10