80’s British band Talk Talk got lumped into the synth-pop and new wave genres of the day, but transcended labels both musically and lyrically. Fronted by vocalist/songwriter Mark Hollis, the band released their sophomore album, It’s My Life in January 1984. The first single released was the title track, and became their only top 40 hit in the US.
Given exposure on MTV, the band found success in the States. The video for “It’s My Life’” consists almost entirely of footage from the 1979 BBC wildlife documentary Life on Earth, and interspersed with shots of Hollis standing in various places throughout the London Zoo. Objecting to record company pressure to lip-sync in the video, Hollis kept his hands in his pockets with his mouth shut tight, with occasional hand-drawn animated lines appearing across his lips.
