09 December 2010

Cagey rad 80s spotlight



In 1993, the band released a second self-titled album: this Duran Duran album is known as The Wedding Album (for Nick Egan's cover art featuring the wedding photos of the band members' parents) to distinguish it from the 1981 release. Listener demand for leaked single "Ordinary World" forced it onto radio playlists months earlier than planned; it reached Number 3 on the U.S. chart and Number 6 in the UK and won a prestigious Ivor Novello Award award for song writing.[37] "Come Undone", a slinky number primarily written by Cuccurullo, with lyrics by Le Bon, made Number 7 in the U.S. and Number 13 in the UK. Both the band and the record label seemed to be caught by surprise by the album's critical and commercial success (#4 in the UK, #7 in the U.S.). Bassist John Taylor had been considering leaving the band but changed his mind. The band's largest tour ever, which included stops in the Middle East, the then recently de-embargoed South Africa, and South America, was halted after seven months when Le Bon suffered from strained vocal cords. - Wikipedia

'Come Undone' - maybe represents a kind of subtle surrender or mutual retrocession between two souls, and at least one of the subjects ends up with a figurative realization that both are far from certainty/a destination. (?) Very memorable video, and passionate - 'slinky' as described above: The guitar in the very beginning has a waxy, hollow quality of waters flowing, bending, churning in darkness, which thematically makes sense.  The wispy verses themselves ("Lost, in a snow filled sky,") differ from the selected abstract visual staging and are somewhat less immediately concrete than the cityscapes (car horns, newspapers) in Sin of the City and Ordinary World. The video seems to portray fragility (we see the crack in the glass and the people themselves in some bizarre, artsy struggles), in some parts desperation, with an unfinished resolution (and not unnecessarily so).  Stylistically, very elegant choices of color and costuming, and very hip for its time - a high point for Duran Duran. The "shimmering quality" - the rhythym of tambourine, cymbals and background voices and pull you into Simon Le Bon's lead vocals.  This song is among the favorites of Duran Duran's fans.

No comments: