So, something interesting happened when Daily Duranie took a look at our upcoming review schedule. We realized that along the way (as opposed to the water…which is something very different, indeed), we forgot to finish reviewing about half of the Liberty album. We suspect it was because once this site had been redone, we weren’t sure where we’d left off. So, we started on a new album, figuring we’d get back to where we were later.
Well, that time has come. So, before moving on, we’re going back to finish what we haven’t done with Liberty!
This week, we’re listening to “All Along the Water”. Produced by Chris Kimsey, the track was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in October of 1989.
Audio
Lyrics
Guess you know where I wanna go got to see the water flow try to understand Got me trapped playing with me like a cat scrape your fingers down my back pin me to the ground All along the water baby Take me to your water babe All along the water babe X2 I get fired can't you see I'm burning up when you come and turn it up higher every time If I stay oh the end is near come and get me out of here come and get me now All along the water baby Take me to your water babe All along the water babe X2 Tell me is there any left I wanna drink it up drink it up baby, if there's any left I'll drink it up, drink it up, drink it up All along the water baby Take me to your water baby All along the water baby All along the water baby Take me to your water baby All along the water baby All along the water baby Thirsty for your water babe Spare me from this torture baby Take me to the water babe All along the water baby Sliding on your torso babe Take me to your water babe All along the water babe (copied from duranduran.com - the lyrics are not exact as shown here, particularly towards the end of the song, but it’s their website, so we stuck with them!!)
Rhonda
Is it possible to listen to this song without at least toe-tapping? I think not. Labeled a guilty pleasure by some, All Along the Water is indeed one of the most danceable tracks on Liberty, and shouldn’t be just a guilty pleasure, despite some suggestive and honestly—cheeky—lyrics and musicianship.
The bass line in this song is particularly genius, as it keeps a foothold for the rest of the band as the song threatens to race off into parts unknown, driven by a solid beat and a guitar intent on reaching the stratospheres. The push and pull between rhythm and melody propels the song towards a screaming guitar apex, that familiar rhythm not letting you go until the bitter end. While keyboards are not necessarily at the forefront, I love that as the song fades, you can hear them lower you back down to solid ground.
Those lyrics? Yep, they’ve got to be pure Le Bon – and for once – I’m solidly convinced the song – music, lyrics and all, really is about sex. While many within the fan community eschew the song altogether, I’m here to say it’s a favorite. I cannot stop myself from dancing when I hear it, and in my mind, that’s a win. Musically, it’s as good as it gets for 1990s Liberty-era Duran Duran. The production, while a bit overdone in parts with severe echo, isn’t so bad as to take away from the pure genius of the musicians involved. Who doesn’t want to hear the guitar blast-off like a rocket ignited? Not to mention the lyrics, which amuse the heck out of me. I can’t deny it! Even I like a little naughty with my nice!
Amanda
In most cases, when Rhonda and I review songs, we generally are not that far off from each other. One of us might like a song more than the other but usually only by a half a cocktail or so. This time, though, we are not super close.
Rhonda is absolutely right that it is next to impossible to not tap your feet or move your body to this song. That is very true, which I definitely enjoy for about the first 30 seconds or so. Then, the song starts to bother me. The biggest problem for me is the lyrics. Yes, I agree that they are all about sex, which I have no problem with but they become so super repetitive to me. If Simon sings, “baby,” one more time, I might scream. Yes, obviously, that is done to get the song in one’s head but it makes me a little crazy. Not every song needs to have an amazing amount of substance to the words, the lyrics but this feels so shallow, empty.
Then, I find some of the same frustrations with the instrumentation. I can definitely enjoy guitars but this just feels like way too much. Maybe that is due to the production, I’m not sure, but I found myself tired of them quickly. After awhile, like the word “baby,” they start to feel repetitive and almost boring as a result. There is some great instrumentation on the song like the bass that Rhonda mentioned, which I agree with but I struggle to get there, to be able to do more than acknowledge that instrumentation. I cannot enjoy the rest of the musicality as much as I would like.
I can see why this song would or could be a guilty pleasure like Rhonda mentioned but it doesn’t work for me for the whole song. It just lacks something for me to really enjoy it.
