The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches

JUL 01 1996 · 12:00

The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches (1996) Director: Roman Coppola Era: Mid-90s Alternative Rock Mainstream Breakthrough (1995–1996) - Peak MTV alt-rock era; Seattle post-grunge scene crossing into mainstream pop consciousness via Columbia Records major-label distribution High-value archival artifact representing the intersection of mid-90s alternative rock's commercial peak, a formative Roman Coppola directorial credit, and a defining document of PUSA's humor-driven aesthetic. The video's long unavailability in quality formats and its 2023 HD remaster make it particularly significant for digital preservation scholarship. Its cheerful absurdism and craft-forward concept design stand as a counterpoint to the era's dominant grunge visual vocabulary. Context: Released February 1996 as the third single from PUSA's self-titled debut (originally released March 1995 on PopLlama, re-released July 1995 on Columbia Records), 'Peaches' arrived at the apex of the Seattle alternative rock crossover into mainstream pop culture. The song peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Modern Rock Tracks, reached #1 in Iceland and top 20 across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The video's whimsical absurdism, ninjas attacking a band in an orchard of canned-peach trees, perfectly encapsulates the band's self-described non-serious, humor-first artistic philosophy and the broader mid-90s alt-rock rejection of grunge's earnest solemnity. Director notes: Directed in 1996 during Coppola's formative period as a music video director, predating the formal founding of The Directors Bureau (also 1996). The video is a textbook example of his noted approach: absurdist concept-driven narrative fused with band performance, using low-budget practical production design to maximum comedic and visual effect. The orchard set features trees bearing cans of peaches as a literal riff on the song's lyric about industrially produced fruit, while a ninja attack sequence interrupts the performance midway through the instrumental break. The video was for years only available in low quality online; an official HD remaster was uploaded to YouTube on February 28, 2023. PUSA is listed among Coppola's confirmed music video clients alongside Daft Punk, Moby, Green Day, The Strokes, and Fatboy Slim.