Daily Duranie Review – Vertigo

Daily Duranie Review

It is time for a review!  As you know, we are reviewing the album, Notorious, track-by-track.  This week, we take a look at the 6th song on the album, Vertigo.  For many fans, this one seems to be a favorite off this album.  Is it worthy? Pay attention, Duranies, because this week, we have finally found a song where Amanda and Rhonda disagree….

Rhonda:

Musicality/Instrumentation of Vertigo:

From the first drumbeat, Vertigo has a sultry, slow, slinky feel that gives the song a very slight jazz touch, which is far different from other artists are doing during this period of time. The guitar, while present, takes on more of a rhythmic angle as opposed to lead. Even in the middle 8, you can hear the guitar but it is muted as an undertone to the synthesizer, making the synthesizer incredibly prominent. It’s a shame because you can hear real brilliance in the guitar track, but it’s not given a chance to shine whatsoever – it only serves as background texture to a much bolder synthesizer. For me, having the synthesizer and everything else muted gives a schmaltzy flavor to the song and disguises the potential for a much brighter and bolder song underneath.

Vocals on Vertigo:

The vocals for this song really don’t strike me one way or another, with the exception that in the chorus, Simon is almost completely lost in the background. The backup vocal track is very loud and nearly overtakes him.  Another section where this happens is the “maybe maybe maybe!!” section before the second chorus, although in that instance, the effect works much better, providing forcefulness rather than just covering up the lead. Having the backup singers loud and present definitely goes along with R&B flavor of the record, but I think it is a bit of a miss for me overall because rather than support Simon, they really tend to overshadow, and I don’t think that’s necessarily good for the song.

Lyrics on Vertigo:

I think the lyrics here are very interesting. On one hand, you might assume they are sexual given the first verse, “Hey guys, turn it up to get sleazy. Twist it in a vice.” But keep listening…”Don’t you feel edgy? Bite your lips and bleed. Conversation is empty; abandoned in the freeze.”  Or “Just need a little hit tonight”.  I kind of think the song has far more to do about drug abuse or hiding one’s true self in order to deal with fame. “Do the dance, do the demolition. Don’t lose the chance to hear when you don’t listen.”  Seems to me as though Simon is pleading with this person not to lose their real self completely. (I know you’re all probably saying the song is about John’s drug use. Perhaps…I don’t know)  As lyrics go, their meaning is not entirely obvious to me, but I like some of the lines throughout the song.

Overall on Vertigo:

This is a song that feels produced to within inches of its original life and intention. I can hear a fabulous guitar riff that is so masked and/or muted in parts it’s criminal, and a very heavy-handed synthesizer that doesn’t even create tension with the guitar – it completely monopolizes. In many ways, I feel this album and song was the start of where the band really seems to be in near-constant identity crisis mode, however well-loved it may be by fans. The background singing was over the top in parts, making Simon sound more like just another voice than the lead singer which really took away from the song for me.

2.5 cocktailsTwo and half cocktails

Amanda’s:

Musicality/Instrumentation on Vertigo:

I have to admit that this is my favorite song off of the album.  It wasn’t always but over the years this song has really grown on me.  My task here then is to figure out why.  What do I like about this song?  Like every other track on this album, it is instantly recognizable as being off the Notorious album.  There isn’t quite the battle between instrumentation like the first album or the layers upon layers of sounds/instruments/extras like Seven and the Ragged Tiger.  No, in this case, the instrumentation can be clearly heard.  It isn’t so much a situation of battling as it is a situation of working together for the most part.  For example, both keyboards and guitars are clearly heard and seem to be working together.  When the song begins, keyboards take bit more of the spotlight but it doesn’t last long as guitars are very clear by the time the vocals begin.  This isn’t to say that drums and bass aren’t present because they are.  In many ways, it seems like this song is very standard as each of the instruments do what they are supposed to do and when the chorus comes on, the tempo increases.  That said, there are some moments when one instrument is more obvious but it is way more subtle than what was done in say the first album.  The one thing this song does not have, unlike many of the other tracks on the album, is horns.

Vocals on Vertigo:

I admit that I love Simon’s vocals on this song.  They sound incredibly smooth and the moments that could bug me (“maybe maybe maybe”) don’t bother me as much as they could.  The chorus obviously has some backing vocals, which work really well with Simon’s voice.  It adds to the chorus rather than distracting from it.  In fact, I would say that the chorus presents a strong feeling that matches very well with sort of desperation found in the lyrics.  Both the vocals and the lyrics sound like they are pleading with whomever the song is directed towards.

Lyrics on Vertigo:

After doing these reviews of Duran Duran songs for so long, I have gotten to the point that I believe that all, or at least most,songs are about them, that they are all autobiographical in some way.  I doubt that is true but it seems like so many songs have been about their experiences that I start with the assumption that it is about them.  Does the assumption work for Vertigo?  The thing about these lyrics that have always struck me is the chorus:  “Where’s the real life in your illusion?  On the dark side of power’s in confusion.  Do the dance.  Do the demolition.  And lose the chance to hear when you don’t listen.”  Is fame the illusion?  Is being popular an illusion?  Is someone hiding something else?  Is the dancing, figurative or literal?  If someone is hiding something, they might have to “dance” around various things, right?  Does that lead to confusion to demolition?  Of course, the song also makes reference to needing a “hit tonight”.  Should I assume that is about John?  My favorite line, though, definitely is the one about losing “the chance to hear when you don’t listen”.  Don’t we all do that in our lives?  We don’t really listen or we don’t really pay attention to what we should do when we should.  Maybe it is about lying to ourselves.  Clearly, these lyrics make me think.  For that reason alone, I like them.

Overall:

I know that this song works for me.  Why is it?  I love how the lyrics make me think and I love how Simon’s vocals sound on this one.  More than that, though, I feel like what it seemed like they were trying to do on this album really worked here.  They stripped down the extras to allow the real instrumentation to shine through.  It wasn’t about cute little effects unless it enhanced the song.  It was a more mature Duran.  This song shows it.  The instrumentation blends well.  It feels more natural than some of the other tracks off the album.  If you look at a song like Skin Trade, to me, it feels like they were checking off boxes of what to include rather than what felt right.  This song just feels natural to me.
Cocktail Rating:  4 cocktails!
4 cocktails rating

Related posts:

  1. Daily Duranie Review – Hold Me
  2. The Seventh Stranger — The Daily Duranie Review (A)
  3. Shadows On Your Side — The Daily Duranie Review (A)

By Daily Duranie

Once upon a time, there were two Duran Duran fans. One named Amanda, the other named Rhonda. Over many vodka tonics, they would laugh about the idea of one day writing a book about their fan experiences. While that manuscript is still being composed...Rhonda thought they should write a blog. (What was she THINKING?!) Lo and behold: The Daily Duranie was born.

11 comments

  1. I will have to agree with Amanda on this one. My favorite song on the album, or at least right up there with American Science.

    2. That’s OK Kevin. A review comes down to opinion. I think this is the worst track on the album. Others love it. There’s enough for everyone to find something they really like…and besides, if I said I loved everything, I’d be lying. 😀 -R

  2. MUSICALITY/INSTRUMENTATION: where is the funk here? It sounds a Beatles influenced thing.
    LYRICS: this is a speech, an encouraging one, Nile Rodgers did one day to the guys in the studio. You understand it from many clues in the lines. Simon added few romance.
    VOCALS: Simon at his top, for me.
    PRODUCTION: wow, the producer’s words used as lyrics: awesome
    OVERALL: I’m recently re-discovering this tune lately.
    For me 4,5 stars out of 5.

    1. Please explain where you see a speech given from Nile to the band in the studio. I don’t see the romance either. -A

      1. it stars saying: “Hey guys …”.. it continues with “, no one said it was easy…. ” (“it” is their situation of being 3 guys) The romance” is for example “… do the dance do the demolition” clearly it doesn’t mean anything, Simon’s figurate words meaning “You have to shake, You have to let it go”.. read thru the song almost every other line it’s referred to Nile.
        I’ll email you with the deeper translation. I wasn’t shocked to discover it was referred to a Nile’s speech: he was like a father for them in the studio in those days, Vertigo was their best tribute.
        PS. I forgot to say congrats on your awesome new reviews.

        1. Did you read somewhere that it was about that? I would be interested in the deeper translation. -A

        2. I have NEVER heard that about Vertigo….nothing I’ve read has ever even remotely referred to Nile being the inspiration for the song, nor do I read it that way even now. I would think that if it were referring to a speech, I would have read about it before now?? -R

  3. Our real favorite singer, Simon, told a person very close to me, the real meaning of the song, on a veruy lucky occasion back in the 80s.
    As promised, I am giving you the illustration on the Vertigo lyric. It is funny I got “enlightened–up” and realized Simon was not high when he spoke to my friend when, years later, I got it translated it into Italian.
    It turns out the song is on Nile with the guys, speaking of their new situation, as a three men band without Andy and Roger.
    Nile is in the following lines:
    ”Hey guys, turn it up to get sleazy – twist it in a vice – nobody say it was easy – just use your naked eyes – how to see it and how to hide it”: Nile is suggesting them to stop being friendly to everyone around, to start to get dirty, Nobody says it is easy, he’s telling the guys to use their intuition to see it and to be enough clever to do their next moves,
    “Where’s the real life in your illusion? On the dark side the power in confusion”: Nile is encouraging the guys to get disillusioned, confusion rules.
    “ Lose the chance to hear when you don’t listen”: Nile is suggesting to stop giving credit on the rumors if they don’t really care of their content; it refers to the rumors they might have heard on Andy and his new band in LA.
    “Don’t you feel edgy”: Nile is telling the guys the situation is not nice and it’s better to get aware of it, that this is going to change their future.
    “Freedom is your condemnation, you can take it or leave it, just need a little hit tonight”: these to me are the key words. “Freedom is your condemnation” might be referred both to the ones who split up (RT and AT) and the remaining guys (so true!!!).
    Simon’s poetical enhancements are the following lines
    “You can take it or eat it and chew your life supply”,
    “Bite your lips and bleed, conversation is empty, abandoned in the breeze”,
    “Do the dance do the demolition”.

  4. Fxing great tune, without doubt Notorious’ catchiest – possibly even of the whole DD production. The refrain is so sublime that it gets in your head immediately at the first audition. Difficult to explain how it did not make to a single, putting ahead Skin Trade proved a huge mistake.

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