Corey Hart — Bang (Starting Over)

JUL 01 1990 · 12:00

Corey Hart — Bang (Starting Over) (1990) Director: Meiert Avis Era: Post-New Wave Pop Transition (1990) - Canadian arena-pop artist Corey Hart navigating the stylistic shift from mid-80s synth-driven new wave toward early-90s rock-inflected adult contemporary A culturally significant transitional artifact documenting both the final chapter of Corey Hart's major commercial run and the broader stylistic evolution of mainstream music video production at the turn of the decade. Directed by Meiert Avis at the height of his Propaganda Films-era influence, the video represents a high-craft application of performance-realism aesthetics to a Canadian pop context. Valuable to researchers studying MTV's visual evolution, Canadian pop history, and the career trajectories of 1980s chart artists navigating the 1990s market shift. Tier elevated by confirmed directorial attribution to a major figure in music video history. Context: Released in 1990 as a single from the album 'Bang!' (Aquarius Records / EMI-USA / Capitol Records), 'Bang (Starting Over)' arrived at a pivotal moment in Corey Hart's career. The album was viewed as a comeback effort following moderately received records in 1986–88, and while the single charted domestically in Canada, the album marked the end of Hart's US chart presence. The song's title — and the music video's energetic visual register — telegraphed a deliberate restart narrative at a moment when the pop landscape was shifting away from the polished synth-pop of Hart's breakthrough era toward grittier rock sounds and emerging alternative culture. The video's warm, naturalistic production aesthetic reflects the industry's early pivot away from the high-gloss artifice of mid-80s MTV toward more grounded, performance-anchored visuals. Director notes: Confirmed via IMVDb (https://imvdb.com/video/corey-hart/bang-starting-over) as director of 'Bang (Starting Over)' by Corey Hart, released 1990. Producer credited on IMVDb: Ben Dossett. The video was produced during the peak of Propaganda Films' dominance of the US music video market. Avis's characteristic approach — warm practical lighting, intimate performance framing, and disciplined cutting tied to musical dynamics — is consistent with the quantitative metrics observed: avg shot length 1.58s, warm color temperature 1.88, mid-range saturation 65.9, moderate motion 9.40.