Jona Lewie — I Think I'll Get My Hair Cut

JUL 01 1982 · 12:00

Jona Lewie — I Think I'll Get My Hair Cut (1982) Era: British New Wave / Stiff Records Era (1982–1983) - Peak period of UK indie-label new wave eccentricity; post-punk energy channelled through quirky synthpop and wry observational songwriting on pioneering independent label Stiff Records. High archival value as a rare visual document of Jona Lewie's performance style and Stiff Records' promo aesthetic at their commercial peak. The video is not widely discussed in music video scholarship, making it a valuable primary source for study of the independent UK label promo tradition of 1982–83. Quantitative metadata confirms its stylistic coherence with the period: fast editing (2.48s avg shot), warm low-contrast image (brightness 89.28, contrast 50.12), and moderate saturation (98.52) all align with the intimate, unglamorous ethos of Stiff's visual output. Director unknown status makes it a candidate for future archival attribution research. Context: Released on Stiff Records in 1982 — a label described as giving British indie music its 'utterly unique flavor' — this single arrived at the height of Jona Lewie's commercial visibility following the international success of 'Stop the Cavalry' (1980, UK #3) and 'Louise (We Get It Right)' (1981, #2 Australia). The track opens the 'Heart Skips Beat' LP (1982, Stiff SEEZ 40), produced by Rupert Hine. Lewie's music blended new wave, synthpop, and a distinctly British pub-rock wryness, making him an outlier even within Stiff's roster of eccentrics. The video's promotional function situates it within the early MTV/music video era, when UK independent labels began investing in visual accompaniments as primary promotional tools for the emerging video-channel market. Director notes: The single 'I Think I'll Get My Hair Cut' was released on Stiff Records (catalogue BUY 139) in 1982, produced by Rupert Hine. IMVDb dates the music video to 1983. No production company or director credit has been located in any publicly accessible database or archive. The low-budget, performance-centred visual approach is consistent with Stiff Records' in-house or commissioned promo style of the period. Quantitative metrics (avg shot length 2.48s, 72 scene changes, brightness 89.28/255, saturation 98.52, colour temperature 2.18) indicate a warm, fast-cut performance clip typical of UK independent label promos of 1982–83.