U2 - Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of

JAN 29 2001 · 12:00

U2 - Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of (2001) Director: Kevin Godley Era: Post-Millennial Alt-Rock Revival (2001) - U2's return to anthemic rock form following 1990s experimentalism; single from All That You Can't Leave Behind released January 29, 2001 High-tier archival value. The Kevin Godley international version of this video is a formally distinctive artifact of early 2000s prestige music video production, notable for its conceptual purity, restraint, and the way its dark sepia palette and loop structure externalize the song's psychological subject matter. As the companion to one of U2's most critically celebrated and commercially successful singles (Grammy winner, #1 in multiple territories), and as a Kevin Godley directorial work, it holds dual significance as both cultural document and auteur video art. Context: Released January 29, 2001, 'Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of' arrived as U2's second single from All That You Can't Leave Behind, a widely celebrated return to anthemic rock after the band's polarizing 1990s experimentation. The song was written by Bono as a response to the 1997 death of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, framed as a posthumous argument against despair. The Godley video, bleak, looping, and physically visceral, translates the song's philosophical argument into kinetic metaphor: a figure perpetually thrown down, perpetually rising. Shot in early 2001 Los Angeles, the video's dark desaturated palette and repetitive structure mirror both the song's gospel-funk emotional gravity and the cultural mood of a music world processing loss. The song went on to win the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Director notes: This is the international version of the video (EU/Australia/Asia release), directed by Kevin Godley and shot in Los Angeles, California in January 2001. It depicts Bono being repeatedly thrown out of a moving vehicle and struggling to rise in the middle of the street, a literal visual metaphor for being 'stuck in a moment.' The footage is interspersed with shots of the band attempting to cross a busy highway. At the video's conclusion, the band arrives to help Bono stand, with the Edge crossing traffic to assist him. The video was produced to accompany the single released outside North America on 29 January 2001. It is included on both the U218 Videos and The Best of 1990-2000 compilations. A separate North American version was directed by Joseph Kahn and features an American football game concept.