OMC “Right On”

1996-omc-right-onModern life is tough for Pauly Fuemana. As he plays chess with his glamorous friends in a cool urban cafe, he starts to think back to his carefree childhood in the mystical Island Bay. But it’s not the windy Wellington suburb. Pauly’s Island Bay is a warm sunny seaside spot that filled with the joy of the Pacific Islands.

Following in the steps of their massive worldwide hit “How Bizarre”, “Right On” doesn’t stray very far from the winning sound of “How Bizarre”. It has the Pacific guitar, ladies singing the chorus, mariachi horns and a handy catchphrase. It’s a fine pop song in its own right, but tends to pale in comparison to “How Bizarre”.

In an attempt to capture the spirit of his childhood, Pauly boards a colourful Elvis-driven bus and gathers up some friends, destination Island Bay. Despite the carefree world of both the lyrics and the video, Pauly looks very serious, as if perhaps there are deep troubles weighing on him. And when he does smile, it looks like he’s trying to hide it, as if looking happy would damage his reputation.

But the video gets a happy ending, with the urbanites reaching Island Bay and enjoying a twilight singalong. And that’s not a bad thing to experience.

Best bit: the important businessman taking an important phone call on his chunky ’90s cellphone.



Director: Rob Mclaughlin
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… some very dark moods.

2 thoughts on “OMC “Right On””

  1. That man with the phone is me 🙂

    I love – and am very proud – of the fact that the late and great Charlie Gillett named this tune as one of his 100 greatest songs of all time on his BBC radio show.

    To me it and Land Of Plenty were Pauly’s two finest moments. This is essentially a Polynesian beach party and the lyrics are about his father and the things his dad talked of. Some of the lines were quotes from Pauly’s dad e.g. ‘Elvisi at the wheel’.

    I remember the day this was shot so well. It was a party atmosphere. How Bizarre was number 1 and we were all laughing and full of the wonderful summer’s day. The party was in Pt. Chev and the rest of the video was shot around Parnell.

    1. Ha! I wondered if it was you. What a brilliant cameo. Thanks for the background info. The video had such a lovely happy ending, it’s hard not to get caught up in it. And yeah, this seems to capture the OMC spirit more than How Bizarre.

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