Satellite Spies “It Must Be Love”

Satellite Spies had one good song – their 1985 hit “Destiny in Motion”. But it turns out their “It Must Be Love” was an ever bigger hit. While the video funding was given in 1992, the single was first released in 1994, then re-released in 1999, where it peaked at #9 and hung around the charts for almost five months. Take that, synthpop Spies!

The Satellite Spies of the “It Must Be Love” era were led by Deane Sutherland, one half of the original Spies. There’s been a lot of drama between Sutherland and the other original member Mark Loveys, resulting in the great Satellite Spies Wikipedia edit war of ’12, summarised over at Public Address.

But back to 1992. The synthpop is gone. “It Must Be Love” is a middle-of-the-road pop number. Everyone in the band has mullets – thick, lustrous fluffy mullets. We see the band playing at night, outside in a spooky location, with liberal use of smoke machine. Adding to the spooky is a vampire. He’s of the traditional Dracula variety – no Twilight glitter here – and he’s chasing after a dusky maiden.

Lead singer Deane seems to never blink in the video, giving him an eerie zombie-like appearance. Eventually ol’ Vlad sinks his teeth into the girl, vampirising her. She in turn sneaks up behind Deane and bits his neck, with his mullet conveniently swept to one side. Why, it’s almost as if he wanted to be bitten. But maybe he’s poisoned her with his pop zombie juice. I hope the group’s next video “Please Never Leave” explores this.

Best bit: Deane Sutherland’s cross earring, another remnant of the “Destiny in Motion” era Spies.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a lesson to be learned.

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