Having just selected the wonderful B-52’s song “Roam” for the upcoming What’s In A Word? Green Monkey Mix, it reminded me of a minor epiphany I had regarding the song (to be specific, the video of the song).

I would occasionally watch music videos back at the end of the 80’s. I loved this song, so I’d watch it if it came on. One thing that always popped out at me was the image of some men riding in the back of a pickup truck.

What struck me was the word on the back of the truck — “ATOYOT”. I know that car manufacturers have different models in different countries — for example, I rented a Ford Mondeo in Austria a few years back, a model I had never seen in the US. So, I had just assumed the “Atoyot” was a foreign-marketed model.

It wasn’t until several years later, as I was driving down a highway near Chicago, that I happened to catch a glimpse of the back of a large sign. And then, I suddenly understood.

The makers of the video had flipped the image! I didn’t realize it at first because all the letters in the name are symmetrical.

Here’s the video in its entirety. The truck doesn’t make an appearance until just past the three and a half minute mark.