DAVID GRAY - Babylon

JUN 19 2000 · 12:00

DAVID GRAY - Babylon (2000) Director: Kieran Evans Era: Post-Britpop Singer-Songwriter Renaissance (2000) - Era of intimate, lo-fi British folk-electronic crossover breaking into mainstream consciousness via grassroots word-of-mouth and radio play Exceptionally high. This is the canonical 'official' UK video for one of the defining British songs of the era, Gray's signature track and one of the 100 most successful songs in Billboard Triple-A chart history. Directed by BAFTA-winner Kieran Evans, it merges documentary filmmaking sensibility with music promotion in a way that was formally unusual for its time. Its rapid-cut verité London portrait, warm-toned restraint, and direct-address performance remain visually distinctive and culturally resonant. Highly recommended for Tier 1 preservation and active archival curation. Context: Released to accompany the re-issue of 'Babylon' in June 2000, this video arrived at a pivotal inflection point for David Gray and the White Ladder album, which had been originally self-released on IHT Records in November 1998 and failed to chart before slowly building a devoted following in Ireland. By 2000, the album had reached number one in Ireland and was being picked up by EastWest in the UK and ATO Records, Dave Matthews' label, in the US. The video's documentary realism, centred on anonymous Londoners going about their daily lives, visually embodied the album's grassroots, anti-commercial ethos. 'Babylon' peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart upon re-release and reached number one on the Billboard Triple-A chart in the US, helping cement Gray as a defining voice of the era of introspective, guitar-led British songwriting that would influence artists including Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, and George Ezra. Director notes: Evans directed Version 1 (the UK version) of the 'Babylon' music video, released in 2000. The video features David Gray singing directly into the camera as it pans from right to left across multiple scenes throughout the city of London, including shots at the London Underground. It was produced for IHT Records and EastWest Records in support of the re-release of the White Ladder single. A separate US Version 2 was directed by Mike Figgis. The UK version was uploaded to David Gray's official YouTube channel in July 2013 and had accumulated over 10.8 million views by mid-2020.