What Duran Duran Means to Me Over the Years...

                                                   
Re-invention and keeping it fresh and in tune with an ever-changing society and world that's what Duran Duran did over the centuries. This in response to longevity.  Looking back and re-listening to some amazing songs and tunes and lyrics. Still pondering the meaning of many songs and lyrics and alluding to what they could be about in my mind and my opinion.  Some of it funny, some silly, some poignant and reminiscing of the great decades from the '80's-'90's in particular.  How the talking point at college (not uni - proper FE college) with friends and obsessives.  No I won't go into the guy who fancied himself as a Simon LeBon lookalike, who became a friend, but yeah looking back he did.  Ssh I've said that so many times now everywhere that I've lost count!  The memories endure and being Princess Diana's fave band too!
                                                 
All that and a James Bond movie title song!  This band surely had A View To A Kill!

I felt Cinderella Ride was an homage, of sorts,  to the late princess Diana and again that'll probably be more my opinion.  It's a haunting fairytale bringing up visions of doing good and trying to bring out the best of humanity, whilst trying to escape more personal painful phantoms.

I love(d) Rio and everyone used to laugh at that when at college and I had to defend it and myself for being crazy wild [boys] over it! (Sorry it's punny!] What was wrong with it, catchy tune and lyrics penned especially by Simon in a bar on the back of  a napkin when watching the waitress! It's a great visual personification of what he saw and imagined! "...cherry ice cream smile..." who cannot get inspired by that!  Though some have said it refers actually to that waitress's movements, I'd always go for the choice of the river itself - again personified.  But could the river be a metaphor for the woman! My friends used to much prefer Hungry Like The Wolf, all good and fine in its own way but these days, wonder what the fuss and arguments were all about anyway! All were amazing sounds.

Obviously the most obvious one would be The Reflex and reading fans online with their ideas on the meaning of the words was strange to even surreal in some cases.  To me it was always about actions and reactions.  You know how for every action there is an equal opposite reaction.  But laughed so much over people saying it was about sexual urges!! Needless to say it was probably a 'get up and do' kinda song rather than sit there and be passive!  Though the band did admit the boozy moments didn't help in deciphering the meaning behind it.

                                                      
Hey Sunset Garage again more sublime lyrics and who'd have known the lines:
"with your big eye punk
fashion fingernails..." could have such a subconscious impact on my profile pic on Twitter.  Ha.  Seriously I should quote that on my nails pic portfolio!

Perhaps a funny one in my own mind would be The Chauffeur.  As I felt it was more about the car, rather the Spirit of Ecstasy statue/figurine on the iconic Rolls Royce car, especially with the lines: you know with added personification...
"The front of your dress, all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time
With your beating heart...
Sing blue silver..."

With the 'Spirits' arms behind her and her dress blowing backwards in the wind resembling wings!  And more so if you know the history behind the very first statue commissioned for the car, designed by the sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes and the model, Eleanor Valasco Thornton who posed for it!  All fascinating stuff.  Google it sometime!  I know the lyrics were a poem written by Simon in 1978, two years before he auditioned for the band, but I always imagined the inspiration behind it could be this.  Such a fanciful notion I know, but that's how their songs inspire and conjure the imagination.  Even if it is mostly always romantic notions I seem to conjure and think up!  Isn't that one particularly special part of music and how there's so much meaning behind songs, whereas on the other hand, some are simply there to be enjoyed without adding what we think they mean!  Works both ways and where would we be without such aspiring artists and songs.  A very Ordinary World that would be.

Then again Ordinary World - the song is so far removed from being ordinary!  Again it's about so much more than first meets the ears!  A homage of sorts to what was happening in the world at large once again!  Such connotations in songs can also lead to discussion over what people are not free to think, write or talk about!  Me getting too philosophical for some I guess.

Then there was New Moon On Monday - no not about werewolves (but ya never know!) This one to me seemed more politico in context.  A new changing world order with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Same with in some sense with Paper Gods from the iconic Paper Gods album.  It's so relevant to today's world and society, striving for materialism and getting 'cut' along the way with so many putdowns and rejections that we must endure!  That the world truly is a "basket case" right now.  Who'd have known it would have such a prophetic impact with such a socially serious vibe...

"Bow to the paper Gods in a world that is paper thin
The fools in town are ruling now
Bleeding from paper cuts, money for head shots
Fools leading (today)
Who needs it?"

Again if you really think about it there's an underlying political/socio message, even if unintentional.  Especially of how "the total human race became a basket case..."
Then again there are many who need it in order to make ends meet anyway they can.  Guess those that don't need it are those with power, wealth and fame!

The other song that has had a vast impact on me is/was Do You Believe In Shame?  I know it's about the loss of one of Simon's friends, but the words can apply to losing anyone under any circumstances and for me that was my late father.  So much meaning and emotion in so many of the lyrics:
"And it may seem selfish now but I'll hold on to
The memory until all this fear is washed away."
"Cos I believe that a little part of you inside of me will never die.."  Words that echo and resonate forever!

And that backdrop of the Twin Towers makes it even more poignant in my opinion!

Do I confess (okay I just did) when I was younger, very young I wrote some notes *true story) and threw them out of my bedroom window as in the video of this song and funny thing my window was at the front of the house thus more chance they'd be picked up, whether or not they were read or blown to oblivion somewhere...

Other songs were more in the vein of influences for the boys, like Skin Trade and Simon's first few lines of that song give me an Elvis vibe, Simon sounds like him so very much to me..
"Working on the weekend baby
She's working all through the night..."  Yeah my brain working overtime!  ha.

The David Bowie connection even before their tribute to him with singing Star Man, What Happens Tomorrow; You Kill Me With Silence has Bowie connotations specially the chorus, a little.  There are even some songs where Simon does sound like David Bowie, such as The Crystal Ship for starters, or Lady Xanax a little.  Starting to Remember. I don't think he really has to try to sing like him, or be made up to look like him cos he's such a marvel in his singing and masterful voice that he just manages it.  They were and are both iconic performers in their own right! No mimicking or copying necessary or required!
The other one is Somebody Else Not Me.  If we had proms when I was at school, this for sure would have been one song I'd have played back then, or even at school reunions, which we don't have here (thankfully, I might add!)
By the way I actually do like most of the songs on the Pop Trash album

So when asked to name 10 Duran songs off the top of my head, that was easy, could've named more
Rio
Come Undone
What Happens Tomorrow
Ordinary World
Sunset Garage 
The Seventh Stranger
What Are The Chances
All You Need Is Now
You Kill Me With Silence
Paper Gods

                                                
I do like my joke though about if Duran had a Neighbours tribute band based on the Aussie soap Neighbours, it'd be called Durian Durian!  Sure Karl (Alan Fletcher) would fruit that and his obsession with growing the durian fruit in the show last year!  At least some found that funny.

Loved they have a range of perfume out too, recently launched at Liberty of London, with such exotic names as Hungry Like the Wolf, Come Undone, Skin Divers and You Kill Me With Silence; all song titles of course and the tagline of "I smell like I sound."

Thus I thought (had been on a mind for a while) it would be cool if they came out with their own range of make-up products especially nail polish colours and particularly with the song lyrics in most songs, whether directly or indirectly referring or alluding to fashion, or maybe just maybe only in my mind! As long as there are various shades of purple in there I'm all in!!
Including:
Sunset Garage:  "...pink eyed punk fashion fingernails..."

All You Need Is Now: "...decline and fine
like a diamond in the mine..."
"bat your lashes let it shine..."

Only In Dreams: "she keeps a guard up while her nails are wet..."  [Also cool vampire song!]

Meet El Presidente has it in fashionable bucktfuls!!
"...but don't take
Off your high heel shoes...
Dress in flimsy clothing
Use your lipstick line
To cover fear and loathing
With a pink disguise..."

You Kill Me With Silence: "that's your style girl..."

Butterfly Girl: "set free your butterfly girl..."

Cinderella Ride: "the queen of helpless things..."

Paper Gods: "the next thing you must have, find peace with matching bag..."

The Chauffeur:"...blue silver..." {There's a nail varnish colour right there!}

Rio: "...cherry ice cream smile..."  And more...

#FlashbackFriday to #BeforeTheRain will always be an all time classic in the vein of The Windmills of Your Mind or Autumn Leaves with @SimonJCLeBON's haunting voice. So brilliant it could've been used as a theme for a movie! Still should be!

SO as the title states: what Duran Duran means to me over the years: constancy, a friend that's always around no matter what.  Yet aspiring anew, life altering and at the same time remaining the same.  Influential, artistic, innovative.  Thought provoking talking points.  Gracing magazine covers and interviews the world over.  Ever evolving to fit the moods of yesterday, today and the future too.  Sad lyrics, serious lyrics all reflecting an emotion, a memory.  Funny, poignant, silly.  But through it all these guys never changing in personality or character.  Fun loving, humourous. The same amazing guys as when they first started out, that's what I meant by being constant.  Each song, especially my faves, evokes a particular chapter in my life turning pages everyday to find something amiss or of a new found wonderment.  The "bleeding from paper cuts" is apparent in my life from way back in my early years and teens and even now: all in an awesome way!

No other band around in the history of music and nor will there be, at least for me!  Yeah definitely "bow to the Paper Gods..." with those lyrics down pat on paper who wouldn't bow to Duran Duran's majesty?!

PS: hey we need more meet 'n' greets for your London fans soon!