"Rabbit in Your Headlights" is a song by British

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

duo Unkle. It was released as the lead single from their debut album '' Psyence Fiction'' (1998). The song features vocals from

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

singer

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

. The song was written by Yorke and Unkle member Josh Davis and produced by Unkle, the track heavily uses samples from other songs. "Rabbit in Your Headlights" combines Yorke's vocals with a variety of samples from sources ranging from Dutch band Supersister to the film ''

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

'' (1997). It takes its title from a quote from the thriller

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder ( he, סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב ) is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of th ...

'' (1990); dialogue from the film is also one of many samples on the song. The song also appears to sample the percussion from Talk Talk's "New Grass" from their album ''

Laughing Stock ''Laughing Stock'' is the fifth and final studio album by English band Talk Talk, released in 1991. Following their previous release '' Spirit of Eden'' (1988), bassist Paul Webb left the group, which reduced Talk Talk to the duo of singer/mul ...

'' (1991). While the single was not a commercial success, it was positively received by critics. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' credited "Rabbit in Your Headlights" as a "turning point" for Yorke, placing his vocals in the context of experimental electronic music for the first time and foreshadowing Radiohead's 2000 album ''

Kid A ''Kid A'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 2 October 2000 by Parlophone. It was recorded with their producer, Nigel Godrich, in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and their hometown of Oxford. After th ...

''. The music video, directed by

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...

and starring actor

Denis Lavant Denis Lavant (born 17 June 1961) is a French actor. He is known for his distinctive face and the physically demanding aspects of the roles he plays, which often involve slapstick, acrobatics or dance, as well as for his long-standing association w ...

, was acclaimed for its direction and cinematography, and won numerous awards.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, directed by

, premiered in November 1998. Glazer said he saw it as a companion to his music video for the 1997 Radiohead single "

Karma Police "Karma Police" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 25 August 1997, as the second single from their third studio album, ''OK Computer'' (1997). It reached number one in Iceland and number eight on the UK Singles Ch ...

". The video won the MVPA's Best International Video of the Year Award in 1999. In 2006, ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' ranked it number one on their list of the Top 100 Music Videos of All Time. It is anthologised on the DVD '' Directors Label, Vol. 5: The Work of Director Jonathan Glazer''. The video uses a technique which Glazer later used for the "

A Song for the Lovers "A Song for the Lovers" is a song by English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft, included as the opening track on his 2000 album, '' Alone with Everybody'', as well as his first solo single following the break-up of the Verve. The song was releas ...

" video, being shot in

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

and allowing the

diegetic Diegesis (; from the Greek from , "to narrate") is a style of fiction storytelling that presents an interior view of a world in which: # Details about the world itself and the experiences of its characters are revealed explicitly through narra ...

sounds produced by objects and characters to be audible above the music. The music itself is non-diegetic.

Plot

The video stars

as a man wearing a heavy parka and walking along the middle of the road in a busy car tunnel. He appears to be disoriented, mumbling and shouting incoherences, only occasionally including intelligible words such as "Cristo", "Allahu Akbar", and "sinner!" Some of the cars honk at him and swerve out of his way. All of a sudden a car hits him from the side, and he is left on the ground. The car, a

Saab 900 The Saab 900 is a mid-sized automobile which was produced by Saab from 1978 until 1998 in two generations; the first from 1978 to 1993, and the second from 1994 to 1998. The first-generation car was based on the Saab 99 chassis, though with a ...

, continues its course without stopping or slowing down. After a while, the man stands up and starts walking again as if nothing had happened. Then another car hits him; this time the hit occurs straight on and sends him flying a couple of feet. A passing motorist watches with contempt as the man rolls in the street. The man gets up again. A car swerves by and slows down alongside the man, occupied by three young men played by British actor

Craig Kelly Craig Kelly (born 29 September 1963) is an Australian politician, who represented the Division of Hughes as a Liberal Party and later United Australia Party MP from 2010 to his defeat at the 2022 Australian federal election. Kelly initially ...

as the vehicle's driver and UNKLE's

James Lavelle James Lavelle (born 22 February 1974) is an English electronic musician, record label owner and curator. He founded the Mo'Wax record label in 1992, and has been the only constant member of UNKLE. He directed the 2014 edition of the Meltdow ...

and

Richard File Richard File (born 19 November 1975) is a British composer, music producer, and vocalist best known for his work with James Lavelle as part of Unkle. He has also released singles under the alias Forme. Career File joined Unkle in 1999, having ...

as passengers. The driver repeatedly inquires as to the man's destination, who for his part seems oblivious to their presence and continues along his way blurting, "Saint Christopher"; the driver soon tires of this and speeds off whilst calling out, "Nice coat, man!" Another car hits the man, and he gets up almost instantly. More accidents occur, some cars honk, some cars swerve out of the way — but none stop. The man removes his parka and throws it on the ground. He is shirtless underneath, and we see his chest covered with bruises and cuts. After the

ritornello A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage in Baroque music for orchestra or chorus. Early history The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century madrigal, which were usu ...

, leaving just a piano and drums playing, the man stops as well. He smiles and opens his arms in a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

-like position. A Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 is coming his way and makes no intention of stopping. The car hits the man, but this time he stands unmoved, and the car is destroyed upon impact.

Track listing

# "Rabbit in Your Headlights" – 6:18 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights (Instrumental)" – 6:00 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights (Underdog Mix)" – 4:46 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights (Underdog Instrumental)" – 4:31 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights ( 3D Mix - Reverse Light)" – 7:32 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights (3D Mix - Reverse Light Instrumental)" – 7:32 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights ( Suburban Hell Remix)" – 6:07 # "Rabbit in Your Headlights" (DJ Shadow and James Lavelle NKLEfeaturing Thom Yorke) -- 5:02

References

External links

Music video profile
o
mvdbase.com
{{Authority control 1998 singles Unkle songs Songs written by Thom Yorke Trip hop songs