Faith No More - Ricochet

JUL 01 1995 · 12:00

Faith No More - Ricochet (1995) Director: Alexander Hemming Era: Post-Grunge Alternative Metal Transition (1995) - Mid-decade inflection point as alternative metal bands navigated the commercial and cultural aftermath of grunge's peak, embracing rawer live aesthetics over polished studio production High curatorial value as a rare, officially omitted artefact from Faith No More's video canon, the video does not appear on any official VHS or DVD compilation, making it a culturally significant gap in the band's archival record. Its documentary rawness and Parisian live-capture context make it a valuable primary source for 1995 alternative metal visual culture and European tour documentation. Context: Released May 1, 1995 as the second single from Faith No More's fifth album 'King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime', 'Ricochet' emerged during a turbulent transitional period for the band and for rock music broadly. The song reached number one on the UK Rock and Metal chart and charted in multiple territories. The choice to build the video around live Paris concert footage, rather than a constructed narrative or studio performance, reflects an industry-wide mid-90s pivot toward authenticity signalling, in partial reaction to the perceived artifice of late-80s/early-90s MTV-polished videos. The video's raw documentary grammar situates Faith No More within a tradition of European live-capture promos favoured by alternative acts of the era. Director notes: The video was filmed in Paris, incorporating backstage and concert footage recorded at the Élysée Montmartre. It is notable for being one of the only Faith No More music videos omitted from their official video compilation 'Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Videos'. The production favours a raw documentary approach, consistent with the low-budget, live-capture aesthetic common to alternative metal videos of the mid-1990s. Producer: Derin Schelsinger. Production company: Slash Records.