The Mutton Birds “Pulled Along By Love”

1999-mutton-birds-pulled-along-by-loveIt’s the Mutton Birds penultimate single, but before I leap into “Pulled Along by Love”, I should jump back to ’96 and ’97. That’s when the group released their single “She’s Been Talking”, first in New Zealand, then a year later in the UK, complete with a video for each release. Both were filmed in the UK, but neither were funded by NZ On Air. It’s a good song (with a killer McGlashan melody on the verses), so go on, have a watch.

But back to the main attraction. “Pulled Along By Love” is an upbeat pop number, which seems to be part of the Mutton Birds long-running plan to break the UK. As the Wikipedia entry for their fourth studio album notes, they tried really hard but it just didn’t happen.

The video is shot in England (London, I guess) and is focused on Don. He’s either wandering the city streets, taking in his surroundings, or superimposed over other footage of the city.

We also see plenty of shots of an Indian woman in traditional dress. She’s busying herself with coconuts, grains, flowers and brightly coloured Indian sweets. It’s an unusual visual to have in a music video, but it’s a very Mutton Birds thing to do and the gorgeousness of her world fits perfectly with the tone of the song.

There are plenty of shots of Don wandering around a train station, alone in the commuter bustle. With the passing of time, this footage ends up being a reminder that the Mutton Birds never quite managed to be household names in the UK, not reaching Oasis-like levels of fame. For all their effort, on the everyday streets they were still just a bunch of ordinary guys with some great songs.

Best bit: the extreme eyebrow acting at the train platform.

Director: Paul Oremland
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… cold and hot.

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