Videodrone #15: Well, Did You Evah!

Videodrone is a weekly feature looking at music videos from the last half century. 

Well, Did You Evah! (1990)

There have always been tribute albums, where various artists pay homage to their favorite influences, but it wasn't until the late '80s/early '90s that tribute albums were also used as fundraisers. One of the early ones was Red Hot + Blue, the first compilation in the Red Hot Organization's Benefit Series, which raised nearly $1 million for AIDS activist group ACT UP.

The album featured contemporary artists covering the work of composer Cole Porter. Released in September 1990, the album was accompanied by an ABC special featuring videos for each of the song. In my alt-rock-centric world, U2's moody electronic cover of "Night and Day" got plenty of radio airplay but there were plenty of other interesting takes on the album.

One notable cover was "Well, Did You Evah!," a whimsical number originally written for the 1939 musical DuBarry Was a Lady and later performed by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in the 1956 movie High Society. On Red Hot + Blue, it was performed by Deborah Harry and Iggy Pop. The video was directed by Alex Cox, who helmed '80s punk-influenced movies Repo Man and Sid and Nancy.

The video is a hoot, with Harry and Iggy clearly having a blast as they cavort through various NYC locales, bringing punk attitude to a petting zoo, shopping at a bodega, robbing a bank and hanging out around a garbage can fire. Both were in their early 40s and still fairly young at the time, although both artists still record and tour to this day. They're clearly enjoying each other's company and that attitude comes across on screen.

It was an interesting time for Iggy. He was riding a renewed wave of popularity due to his recently released album Brick by Brick, which featured another duet, this time on "Candy" with Kate Pierson of the B-52's. Normally long-haired and shirtless in videos and performance, Iggy sports shorter hair and suits in this video.

As great as "Well, Did You Evah!" was, it was only released as a single in the U.K., where it reached #42 on the U.K. singles chart. I don't recall ever seeing the video on MTV or hearing it on the radio, but damn, it's a great version.