Bowie described this video (and the video for his subsequent single, "China Girl") as "very simple, very direct" statements against racism and oppression, but also a very direct statement about integration of one culture with another. A strong evidence of it happened at the opening of the video in the bar: according to video director David Mallet, bar patrons didn't go over well with the locals, who in addition didn't appreciate Bowie and his fashionable crew. Besides, some of the patrons were resented with the Aborigines who starred the clip, mocked them with their own dance moves. Mallet decided shot it and edited it into the video: the white people whose are dancing in the bar were actually making prank or joke of the Aborigin couple.
The music video (which uses the shorter single version) was made in March 1983 by David Mallet on location in Australia including a bar in Carinda in New South Wales and the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran.
Stevie Ray Vaughan played the guitar solo at the end of the song. It has been theorized, but not proven, that the white linen gloves that Bowie wore in the music video are a symbol about that he actually is not playing the guitar.
The song topped both the U.S. and U.K. singles chart.
At the time of the music video's filming, the young dancing couple (Terry Roberts and Joelene King) were two students from Sydney's Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre.