Shut Us Down is one of three promotional videos from Lindsey Buckingham's 4th solo album, Under the Skin, released in October 2006.
Under the Skin is the first album created by Lindsey after he married and had children. Many of the songs on the album are on the topic of love and family, something for which he had been looking for years and not found. There is a new gentleness in his music and his approach as he experiences a much simpler, happier lifestyle.
As a result of Lindsey's new experiences, this video is very different from most of his previous videos, which often had a frenetic pace and showed Lindsey jumping from one activity to another, seemingly searching unsuccessfully for meaning in his life.
In Shut Us Down, the entire video is shot in one take with Lindsey sitting in his studio, singing and playing the guitar. The camera moves between close-ups of Lindsey singing as well as full and three quarter length shots and long close views of Lindsey playing the guitar. Although the camera moves during the video, Lindsey remains in one place, the only movement is the fast-paced picking of his fingers on his guitar.
Throughout the video, Lindsey looks off to the side, never looking into the camera. This, combined with his plaintive tone of voice, gives a feeling of intimacy - the feeling is that we are getting a glimpse into his private feelings. In many scenes, Lindsey closes his eyes and you can see the deep emotions displayed on his face as he sings.
The video ends with a close-up of Lindsey playing the melody, then a few final strums and the video ends.