Powderfinger - My Happiness

AUG 14 2000 · 12:00

Powderfinger - My Happiness (2000) Director: Chris Applebaum Era: Post-Grunge Alternative Peak (2000) - Australian alt-rock crossover era; Powderfinger's commercial breakthrough with Odyssey Number Five, concurrent with US alternative radio expansion and peak MTV TRL rotation High curatorial value as a confirmed canonical artefact of Australian alternative rock's most commercially successful era. Directed by a verifiably significant MTV-era director at a transitional career point, the video's innovative narrative conceit, Brisbane location authenticity, and multi-award recognition make it essential for any archive documenting Australian music video history or early-2000s alt-rock visual culture. Context: Released August 2000, 'My Happiness' arrived at the crest of Powderfinger's commercial peak, leading their ARIA #1 album Odyssey Number Five. The video's Brisbane street-level realism anchored the band's identity as distinctly Australian while the playful slinky narrative gave the clip international accessibility. The song's US crossover, put on heavy rotation by KROQ-FM before its American release, and subsequent Republic Records deal made this video a cultural bridge artefact between Australian indie rock and global alt-rock MTV audiences. It topped the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2000 and won ARIA Single of the Year 2001, cementing its status as one of the defining Australian pop-rock documents of the era. Director notes: Directed for production company Fifty Fifty Films, who produced numerous Powderfinger videos. IMDB lists production company as A Band Apart. The video was shot on location in Brisbane, Australia, including Roma Street railway station. It employs a whimsical narrative conceit, a slinky as the travelling protagonist, weaving through real Brisbane locations and a café performance setting. IMDB records an April 15, 2001 US release date for the video, consistent with the single's US radio servicing on February 13, 2001. Produced by Keeley Gould (per IMVDb).