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Tomorrow's Tears was played on MTV USA during 120 Minutes following a still of Wings of Joy cover, indicating it was played right after the commercial break. The video immediately after it was The Pixies Dig For Fire/Allison (which I only list because of the beautiful coincidence of two Alison songs in a row). The VJ was Dave Kendall.
I don't know the exact date, but it aired during Morrissey's media blitz for Your Arsenal.
I'm assuming that most of you have the 'Til the Stars Shine lyric book. The stanza divisions are according to the lyrics as printed in Alison's official book, but are fairly noticeable segments to even casual listeners of Tomorrow's Tears.
Running time is approximately 3:54.
Stanza 1
The video is shot in letterbox/wide screen format. It opens with Mark's hands playing an old piano. Small pink, budding flowers surround the piano. The image fades into Alison wearing a black, glittery dress with no sleeves and a v-cut neckline. Her hair is typical Alison-style: mostly piled on her head with a few spiral curled tendrils framing her angelic face. Whenever we see Alison, she is singing. She is standing on the right side of the screen, while a conic statue takes up most of the left side of the screen and is further back. As she sings, the lights off-camera change colors (blue, red, etc.). It is not a dramatic change, but it is easy to notice if you keep your eye on the short wall to the extreme left of the screen. When we see Mark's hands playing the piano again, flowers are on the keys and between the strings of the piano.
Stanza 2
Alison begins on the right side of the screen as before, but that image fades into a new screen shot. Alison's face is now on the left side of the screen while flowers and art objects fade in and out on the right side of the screen. As the stanza ends, a floral arrangement grows from the middle bottom of the screen and overtakes the whole screen.
Stanza 3
Alison is now wearing a golden satin dress with sequin adornments along the collar. The sequins also form a diamond shape framing her torso. Again, it is a sleeveless dress, this time with an u-neckline. She is standing and singing against a pole while Jim plays drums in the background. The background is darker; clearly Alison is the focal point. Again, the light changes colors subtly as in Stanza 1. The image shifts though Alison remains in the same place: Jim is replaced by Matt playing guitar. The image fades into a close-up of Matt's hands playing the guitar. Alison is then standing in a small black doorway surrounded by floral images. We then see Mark's hands playing the piano. Flowers crystallize on the screen, obscuring Alison from view. We then see Jim s hands playing the drums among pink flowers and then a full shot of Mark playing the piano: this is first time we ve seen his face in the video. We continue to see faces: Matt playing the guitar, Jim drumming, Mark playing the piano, and Matt looking up. None of the men look directly in the camera.
Stanza 4
Alison s face is close-up on the left side of the screen again as a set of tiger lily-type plants are on the right side. Due to the color change in the lights, these flowers change colors and look like different types of flowers. This flower fades out from view and the image of a guitar replaces it. Again, we see Mark's fingers playing the piano.
Stanza 5
As Alison sings in the middle of the screen (still in the gold dress), images of flowers and the band fade in and out on both sides of her.
Stanza 6
As we reach the point where Alison's voice harmonizes with herself, we also witness two Alisons. Alison in the gold dress is in the foreground on the right side, while Alison in the black dress remains in the background behind a pink trumpet-type flower. The background Alison is quite ghostly, fading in and out as required by the song's harmonies.
Stanza 7
Alison in the gold dress is now only a face, while Alison the back-up singer in the black dress remains in a mostly full-body shot. At the last line of the song, both Alisons fade into one Alison (in the gold dress) in the middle of the screen on a floral background. The background then fades out to reveal the band. As Mark finishes the song with piano notes, Alison closes her eyes and looks down as flower petals float up to the sky all around her.
Reviewed by Jennifer Heinicke
Updated by Christopher with Mark Francombe's corrections.
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