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Cherry Lips

Garbage

Director
Joseph Kahn
Release date
December 3, 2001
Category
Music Video
Genre
Alternative, Rock
Country
United States
Director of Photography
Brad Rushing

The "invisible" effect in Garbage's "Cherry Lips" made for a miserable day on set. To create the illusion of living, floating clothes, the band members had to wear uncomfortable, full-body green chroma key suits under their outfits for the entire shoot. Lead singer Shirley Manson has been vocal about how much she disliked the technical, repetitive nature of the process required to pull off the "Invisible Man" trick. The song's lyrics were inspired by the novel Sarah by JT LeRoy, which deals with themes of gender fluidity and ambiguity. Director Joseph Kahn is known for his high-concept, VFX-heavy style and would go on to direct massive pop videos like Britney Spears' "Toxic" and Eminem's "Without Me." "Cherry Lips" became a massive hit in Australia, where it was used in a major marketing campaign for the Women's Tennis Association.