Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl

2003

Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl (2003) Director: Robert Hales Era: Early 2000s Garage Rock Revival (2003) - Peak of the post-punk/garage rock renaissance spearheaded by Australian and Anglo-American acts reclaiming raw, visceral rock energy for a new generation. Exceptionally high curatorial value as a confirmed MTV VMA Best Rock Video winner that encapsulates both the visual and sonic identity of the early-2000s garage rock revival. The video's innovative use of ink-pour visual effects tied directly to album artwork, its landmark role in the Apple iPod advertising campaign, and its status as the signature song of one of Australia's most internationally successful rock acts of the decade make it an essential archival document. The rapid-cut performance format and graphic design-led direction represent a reproducible aesthetic template studied and referenced across the following decade of rock video production. Context: Released in August 2003 as the lead single from Jet's debut album Get Born on Elektra Records, 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' emerged at the height of the early 2000s garage rock revival, a movement that also included The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Vines. The Melbourne four-piece consciously channeled 1960s Motown rhythms and classic rock swagger. The video's stark black-and-white aesthetic and ink-based visual concept, shot at Vinopolis, London, reinforced the band's retro-modernist identity. The song gained massive US exposure after being featured in Apple's iconic iPod silhouette advertising campaign in early 2004, helping propel Get Born to over one million US sales. It was voted number one in Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2003 and won the MTV VMA for Best Rock Video. Director notes: Directed for Elektra Records in 2003, shot at Vinopolis, London. The video is shot entirely in black and white, with Jet performing in a blank white studio environment. As the band plays, black ink pours out of their instruments and equipment, forming a landscape visually referencing both the Get Born album cover artwork and the Beatles' Revolver LP. A female silhouette dancing figure is also incorporated. The production was promoted by HIP Video Promo beginning August 8–11, 2003, ahead of the single's US release on August 18, 2003. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video and earned a Best New Artist nomination for the band. Hales' graphic design background is directly evident in the video's concept, which translates the band's 2D print identity into a live-action ink-generation sequence. Director of Photography is credited as Samuel Bayer per 72state.com production records, with editing completed at Hydraulx.