Duran Duran - song-by-song rate & discussion thread

Blame The Machines: 5/5 A brilliant pinnacle track from their discography. This song nails the hat trick. 1) you can’t help but get amped up by that amazing beat 2) you can’t help but sing along with the awesome lyrics and the awesome melody 3) they nail their retro sound while still being a tad modern in their instrumentation.


Being Followed: 4/5 As we’ll see on this album, there are some nods to the past sounds of 80s DD. On this song, there is a faint “Friends Of Mine” vibe. Nicks sweeping synths help smooth out the folds on what is an unusual chord sequence. There is a major 80s drum beat going on here too.

 

Being Followed:

"I dream things I don't want you to know", I love this complete with its pulsating rhythm. So far this album gets off absolutely splendid. By now one - almost - wants to trust its flow.

4/ 5

 

Song scores of the previous two songs:

All You Need Is Now
5/5

Blame The Machines
4/5

Being Followed
I believe this song was at some point called ''Stalins Daughter'' (sing the chorus with these words). Again a great up-tempo song, great visual lyrics (''Something shifting, between the sirens and the glow, of red lights, and the blue slowly turning, a fog is lifting, a silhouette begins the show, then the moment is stolen'' WOW) and fantastic guitar work by Dom. Nice slapping bass by John. Also love the middle 8 with the bubbling synth arpeggios at 2:20 and the complete shift of the vibe of the song from that point for the rest of the song, Nick back with the Crumar Performer at 3:10. The tone for the rest of the ablum is set with the start of these first three songs on the, DD is back with a bang!
4/5

 

"Being Followed"
5/5

One of the highest peaks on an album packed with strong tracks, and the greatest out of the 3 opening tunes. BF can stand tall next to anything from DD's classic first 2 albums.

 

agreed. nice one-two-three punch and "being followed" is the best of the three. wish that they had included it or "blame the machines" in the paper gods tour/set-lists, it's a shame that they didn't!!

 

Being Followed 4.5. This followed me in the mind when the album was released. Another great tune. The album continues to give.

 

Being Followed - yep. Love this. Instrument separation is great and the rhythm of it flows fantastically. It’s dark, like most of the album and that’s my favourite kind of DD atmosphere. A banger! 4.5/5

 

Being Followed: Blondie’s Atomic meets Shadows On Your Side.

The best song on the first half of the album with pulsing synths, James Bond guitar and another amazing chorus. Once again, Simon predicts a decade of online voyuerism and pervasive surveillance.

Ronson outdid himself again with the production. Retro yet effortlessly modern at the same time.

4.5/5

 

All you need is now. That chorus was stuck in my ears for years.
The verses are a bit less.
But still a great return.
4.5/5

Blame The Machines : what a great track. Perfect execution. You can hear the band having fun playing this.
5/5

 

Being Followed- quiet enjoyed it today, the lead up to the chorus is cool, the middle is interesting, guitar is good,,,, but it's obviously really retro/ first album.

 

187. Leave A Light On



“Leave A Light On" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the album All You Need Is Now (iTunes download) on 21 December 2010 and on 21/22 March 2011 (CD version).

The track was co-produced by Mark Ronson and the title was first announced by Nick Rhodes on 25 August 2010 through a YouTube video message posted on duranduran.com.

"Leave a Light On" was released as a promotional single in the United Kingdom. It was officially released for the British market after BBC Radio 2 apparently refused to play the intended single "Girl Panic!" on the verge of the (later cancelled) UK leg in their new world tour. The song peaked at number 31 on Billboard Adult Pop Songs Chart.


Band comments
Nick:
It’s all about the idea of someone returning after a long time away; it’s romantic, but it’s quite dark and mysterious too. You’re carrying a flame for someone, but there’s still an ambivalence.

There was a melancholy to this song from the start, so the lyrics had to reflect that.

Simon:
Again, it’s about imperfection. He’s running from himself. “You breathe the will into the weak ... you ease the lost cause out of me.”

 

Blame The Machines - This song does harken back to an earlier time in Duran's musical career. Now whether or not it's because Nick is using period equipment could be a factor. 3.5 / 5

Being Followed - Starts off sounding like a Western song and even continues through a bit with the whistling in the background. It's an ok song. The only thing that's a bit cringe worthy is his outro vocal. 3 / 5

Leave A Light On - A cousin to Ordinary World and a pretty good song. 4 / 5

4:07 Blame The Machines [Album Version]

3:45 Being Followed [Album Version]|Stalin's Daughter

4:34 Leave A Light On [Album Version]
3:44 Leave A Light On [UK Radio Edit]
3:20 Leave A Light On [US Radio Edit]
3:24 Leave A Light On [US Radio Edit Faded Late]

 

Leave A Light On 5/5. Out of the ballpark. Homerun. Moody, synthetic, and great feeling. Inspiring piece. This example is what had missing in Duran, and it isn’t Ordinary World cheesy either. Welcome back DD, we missed you.

 

Leave A Light On

It's a little busy for a ballad, but a very pretty song. The melody is similar to Out Of My Mind.

3/5

 

On a personal note...

I was the Head Writer for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Duran Duran performed "Leave a Light On" on our show in October of 2011. The other guest that night was comedian Steven Wright, so I thought it would be funny if he introduced the band (because his voice).

This is what I wrote for Steven's intro:

"The 1968 movie Barbarella gave us so many memorable characters, like Jane Fonda's boobies and a villain called Duran Duran. This inspired five guys from England to name their band... Jane Fonda's Boobies. But there was already a band called Jane Fonda's boobies so they changed their name to Duran Duran. Please welcome... Duran Duran."

(I am aware that it was actually Durand Durand; I cheated a bit)

But Steven was not comfortable with the teleprompter, and Craig didn't want to do another take, so this is what went out on the air (the intro and the performance):



I seldom interacted with the bands, but for Duran I thought I had to make an exception. I was told they'd be leaving the building right after their performance (unlike younger bands, and Metallica, who'd spend the show getting drunk in the green room). When the song ended, I waited for them in a corridor that led to the elevators, knowing I'd have a few moments completely alone with them.

I wondered what to say. Should I tell them the first concert I ever saw was the "Seven and the Ragged Tiger Tour" when I was 14? Should I tell them in that same year I went with my younger sister (who also loved the band but for non-musical reasons, which annoyed me to no end) on a quest through the streets of Pinner to find the Lebon family house (we succeeded)? Should I tell them that I thought their last two albums were the greatest one-two punch since the debut and Rio?

Instead, they came toward me and I looked at Simon and said "Nice job."

He looked at me and said "Thank you."

And then they were gone.

I immediately fumbled for my phone and texted my sister: "I JUST EXCHANGED WORDS WITH SIMON LE BON!"

She texted back "OMG OMG OMG."

I was 14 again.

 

—
Excellent!

 

"Leave A Light On"
3.5/5

If AYNIN is Rio pt 2, then "Leave a Light On" is this album's "Lonely In Your Nightmare." It even falls roughly in the same position on this album as that track did on Rio. Decent, authentic early-DD synth balladry.

 

Leave a Light On: I always thought they were trying to replicate Save A Prayer with this one, much like Matter of Feeling on Notorious. But even a 2010 facsimile of Save A Prayer is better than 90% of everything else out there.

While it lacks the magic of Prayer, Ordinary World or Out of My Mind, it still a sturdy piece of songwriting.

3.5/5 - nothing lower than a 3 so far, so we are off to a good start.

 

Leave A Light On
Good song but compared to the rest of the album a bit of a snoozer, one of the few songs of the album where I like the verses more than the chorus. I wouldn't put two songs like LALO and Mediterranea on the same album, and Ilike Mediterranea way more.
3/5

 

All You Need Is Now

I love the chaos of the beginning of the track - the wavy synth, the insane fluttering percussion-y touches that make it seem like something is amiss with the recording. Also the confidence and reassurance of the lyric and vocal delivery.

Amazed at the synth-only isolated track shared earlier. Too much is really going on - synth-wise - in this track. The verses are indeed too busy with "stuff". Partially to make it seem claustrophobic or something to lead to the big chorus I'm sure, which mainly works.

4/5

 

Blame the Machines and Being Followed

I... seem to be in the minority here. No clue why, but these tracks are completely unmemorable for me. Tried listening a bunch again the last few days.

Everything should be there for me: the energy is high, the keyboards, percussion, and vocals are great. John's bass is probably the thing. Uncharacteristically maybe for Ronson, the bass parts are mixed too low. And really, the basslines aren't that compelling.

BtM - the "whoa!"s in the chorus are too much for me, and overally the melody is ... blah. They played it 68 times in total, only on the 2011-2012 tour.

Being Followed - generally, I'd listen to this one more. The beat is weird to start, the melody is insistent and catchy. Only 33 times live!

BtM - 2/5, BF - 2.5/5

 

Leave A Light On

Lovely melody. Lovely bass. Redemptive lyrics sung awesomely by Simon.

Really I thought AYNIN *sounded* great but was filled with unmemorable songs. Revisiting this made me realize there are really some gems in there for me, like this one.

4/5

 

Leave A Light On

I initially loved this but I find the chorus a little too repetitive. I suspect it’s the vocals again. Simon often sings too high and has a tendency to shout. Someone pointed out earlier that’s it’s this album’s version of Lonely In Your Nightmare. If only he sang on this like on Lonely. When SLB does gentle, he does it beautifully and here it would have benefited from a more relaxed and gentle approach. Otherwise it’s a lovely song. 3.5/5

 

Leave A Light On:

Wish this had a different title ("I Drove All Night", perhaps? ) because no matter how much I do not like it, it is associated with Belinda Carlisle. Tom Walker? Cum un!

Now that I got that out of my way, I'll gladly admit that the first deluxe ballad on this album is very lovely indeed. The slightly retro sci-fi touch is nice and the whole affair sounds like watching bubbles rise to the surface of an ocean.

Simon's singing suggests that Morrissey should cover it. Some lights never go out!

4/5

 

188. Safe (In the Heat of the Moment)



"Safe (In the Heat of the Moment)" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the All You Need Is Now album (iTunes download) on 21 December 2010 and on 21/22 March 2011 (CD version).

The song has a garage style that features a spoken rap by Scissor Sisters member Ana Matronic. She contributed to the track in mid July 2010.

In a November 2010 interview, Nick Rhodes said the track is a favorite of his and noted that they kept fiddling with especially the verse melody and having Simon re-record the vocals.

More band comments

Nick:
What was thrilling for me about this one was getting Ana Matronic performing it; she’s the temptress in the song, trying to steer you away from the safety of a solid relationship. Mark really wanted to reference that whole Larry Levan, early Garage stuff, and a touch of Chic.

John:
Wowie zowie – Holy Disco reunion Batman! This song began life as a bass line and loop brought in by Mark, in which he referenced NY post-punk bands ESG and Liquid Liquid. Fantastic fun to play.