Huey Lewis & The News – If This Is It

The music video for “If This Is It” was filmed in Santa Cruz, California, in June 1984. Huey is seen trying to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend (Janet Cross). He sees her on the beach and at a line of midway amusements with other men, and has a flashback of a romantic night with her. His ex’s friend (Sandra Wilder) observes Huey’s frustrations and feels sorry for him. After one last effort by Huey to win his ex back fails, he sits alone on the beach as the crowd fades. The ex’s friend then appears, smiling at Huey, and they walk away together toward the boardwalk. The video ends with a family, who spent hours looking for an open space on the beach, finally locating one, only to be attacked by a shark underneath the sand that charges toward them.

The band appears in various scenes on the beach, one of which features them singing the chorus while buried in sand with only their heads visible. Comedian John Means appears as the Ball Toss Manager.

In an interview with the blog Noblemania, Cross recalled the challenges of playing Lewis’ irritable ex-girlfriend. “Looking angry at Huey Lewis was tough,” she said. “The whole filming was hilarious, one stunt after another and all the different boyfriends they gave me. When [Huey and I] were pretending to fight it was hard not to laugh.”

The video was directed by Edd Griles, who also directed the band’s videos for “The Heart of Rock & Roll” and “Stuck with You”, as well as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time”.

The video starts with a snippet of another Huey Lewis and the News song, “I Want a New Drug”, also from the album Sports.

“If This Is It” – Single by Huey Lewis and the News from the album Sports
B-side: “Change of Heart”
Released: July 10, 1984
Recorded: 1983
Songwriters: Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis
Producer: Huey Lewis and the News
Charted No.6 US; No.39 UK; No.6 Canada.