Adam & The Ants — Stand And Deliver (Video)

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

Adam & The Ants — Stand And Deliver (Video) (1981) Director: Mike Mansfield Era: New Romantic / Post-Punk Peak (1981) - British new wave at its commercial and visual apex; theatrical costume pop supplants punk austerity with flamboyant self-mythology and chart dominance Tier 1 artefact of early 1980s British pop culture. Stand And Deliver represents the commercial and aesthetic apex of Adam & The Ants' run, encoding New Romantic visual codes, theatrical narrative ambition, and a breakthrough moment in music video craft. Its production at Hatfield House, co-direction by the artist, and the iconic make-up sequence make it an irreplaceable primary source for research into the formation of the modern pop video as cultural object. Context: Released May 1981 as the lead single from Prince Charming, Stand And Deliver arrived at the precise moment Adam & The Ants crossed from cult post-punk act to mainstream pop phenomenon. It debuted at UK No. 1 and held that position for five weeks, becoming the third best-selling UK single of 1981 with over 1.03 million copies sold. The video crystallised the band's signature fusion of New Romantic fashion-consciousness, glam-rock theatricality, and British heritage iconography. Its highwayman narrative drew on the 18th-century folklore phrase 'stand and deliver — your money or your life' and was visually informed by the then-current Dick Turpin TV series as well as Monty Python's 'Dennis Moore' sketch. The make-up ritual sequence opened a new grammar for pop video self-presentation, positioning the star's dressing-room preparation as mythological act. Director notes: Confirmed co-directed with Adam Ant per IMDB (tt10793118) and IMVDb. Released 1981, copyright (c) 1981 CBS. Shot on location at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, UK. The video centres on a Dick Turpin-style highwayman narrative with the full band participating as on-screen cast. It contained a hanging/gallows sequence deemed too violent by some broadcast music programme producers, leading to an edited version being issued that excluded the scene. The opening make-up application sequence became an iconic standalone image — a still from it was used as the sleeve artwork for the band's subsequent single. IMDb credits cast as including Adam and the Ants, Adam Ant, Amanda Donohoe, and Kitty Virtue.