Vanessa Carlton ‘Operator’ Video Is a Dark Domestic Tale

Vanessa Carlton has shared the visual for "Operator," from her upcoming Liberman album. The Daniel Henry-directed clip is a somewhat hard-to-follow suburban story, in which two young children are left to their own devices in a well-appointed home while a man and a woman — presumably their parents — seem to have left, suitcases in hand.

What does it all mean? Again, it's hard to tell, but that proves to be a boon for Carlton, as it draws the viewer's attention to the song. "Operator" is a lush affair, with a string section and Carlton's keyboard work, which you see as she plays alone in a foggy parking lot. Like the video's mood, the lyrics are imbued with dread: "You should never tell your mother / you should give it time /Pour a drink, here, have another / Cause this is gonna blow your mind." 

Carlton told Billboard that the song is about an older woman convincing a younger man to leave his family to be with her. "She 'operates' the way things happen around her to benefit herself," she says. "That's what operators do. Also, the song happens to be about a woman and a boy but it could easily be the story of two women or two men.”

Liberman is set for an October 23 release — and if you love Vanessa Carlton, check out our list of amazing piano-driven tracks.

15 Murderous Moments in Pop Videos