Clips-claps: 04/01/2011

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Le clip de Praise You est dirigé par le réaliseur de vidéo clip Spike Jonze. Jonze apparait dans le film sous le pseudonyme de Richard Koufey, accompagné d'un groupe de danse fictif, le Torrance Community Dance Group.

Le clip est tourné devant un cinéma de Westwood, à Los Angeles, in situ, sans l'autorisation des propriétaires du lieu et au milieu de la foule. Jonze et son groupe dansent sur Praise You (diffusé live sur un radiocassette) sous le regard des spectateurs étonnés ; le directeur du cinéma tente à un moment d'éteindre leur musique. Fatboy Slim est par ailleurs présent parmi les spectateurs.

Jonze obtient l'idée d'une telle vidéo pour The Rockafeller Skank, mais n'a pas alors la possibilité de travailler avec Fatboy Slim. Il enregistre néanmoins une prestation solo qu'il donne en cadeau à Fatboy Slim ; celui-ci l'apprécie tellement que Jonze reçoit l'autorisation de tourner la vidéo officielle de Praise You dans des conditions équivalentes. Elle aurait coûté 800$ à produire, essentiellement pour le radiocassette et la nourriture de l'équipe.

Le clip obtient trois prix importants au MTV Video Music Awards de 1999 : meilleure découverte, meilleure direction (attribuée au Torrance Community Dance Group) et meilleure chorégraphie (pour Richard Koufey et Michael Rooney). Il est également nommé pour le meilleur clip dance.

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The accompanying video for "Praise You" was directed by Spike Jonze. Jonze starred in the film under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, along with a fictional dance group, the Torrance Community Dance Group. Moreover, the video is called "A Torrance Public Film Production" in its intro.

The video was shot guerrilla-style (that is, on location without obtaining permission from the owners of the property) in front of puzzled onlookers outside a movie theatre in Westwood, California. In the video, Jonze and the dance group dance to "Praise You", much to the chagrin of a theatre employee who turns off their portable stereo. One of the actor/dancers in the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group, Michael Gier, documents the making of the "Praise You" video on his website.

The "Praise You" video came into being because Spike Jonze, unable to work with Fatboy Slim on the video for "The Rockafeller Skank", recorded and set his own solo dance video to "Skank" as a gift; Jonze's 'alternate' music video was so well-received by Slim that Jonze's fictional Torrance Community Dance Group was green-lighted for the official video for "Praise You".

Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) is briefly seen in the video as one of the many onlookers, with the clearest view shown at the conclusion of the video, while Jonze is talking about the dance. Cook curiously peers over Jonze to catch a glimpse of the camera before walking off to the right.

The video reportedly cost only US$800 to produce, with most of that money going towards a replacement boombox and food for the cast and crew.

The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction (awarded to "Torrance Community Dance Group") and Best Choreography (awarded to "Richard Koufey & Michael Rooney"). It was also nominated for, but did not win, Best Dance Video. The group also put on a dance performance to the song at the awards.