Here we are, ready to review Amanda’s favorite song EVER…..
Come Undone is the second single off of The Wedding Album, and it flew out of the gates, catapulted by the smash success of Ordinary World. It was the second consecutive US top-10 hit from the album, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard charts.
The instrumentation and idea for the song comes directly from Warren Cuccurullo, who admitted to Steve Malins in Notorious that originally, he’d sat down to reinterpret the guitar line from First Impression off of Liberty. His hope was to use this new interpretation as part of a project he was planning to do with Gavin Rossdale, but that Nick suggested he use it for Duran Duran. Simon came up with lyrics for the song almost immediately, declaring them as a gift for his wife, Yasmin.
Video
Lyrics
Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin
I’ve been waiting for you
Signed with a home tattoo
Happy birthday to you was created for you
Can’t ever keep from falling apart at the seams
Can I believe you’re taking my heart to pieces?
Ah, it’ll take a little time
Might take a little crime to come undone
Now we’ll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Words, playing me deja vu
Like a radio tune, I swear I’ve heard before
Chill, is it something real?
Or the magic I’m feeding off your fingers
Can’t ever keep from falling apart at the seams
Can I believe you’re taking my heart to pieces?
Lost, in a snow filled sky
We’ll make it alright to come undone
Now we’ll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone (can’t ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone (can’t ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you need?
Who do you love? (Can’t ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Rhonda
The guitar that the opens Come Undone is very unique. While definitely not carrying the melody, and sinking more and more into a background rhythm as the song continues on, it reminds me of what it sounds like to hear music underwater. The rest of the instrumentation is supported by synthesizer, a solid drum, and in the very distant background…bass.
I don’t think it’s any surprise that John didn’t play the bass on this track. It sounds nothing like his typical bass line, and isn’t at all heavy, or intricate. Its job here isn’t to attract attention, only to support and provide balance, which I suppose it does. The song is simple, in that there aren’t a ton of tracks stacked. There is the guitar track, a track or two (or three…) of synth that helps intensify the mood, the drums, a bit of bass, and of course the lyrics – both lead and backing. The song isn’t meant to be complex or complicated, it is a song meant to say what it means, and mean what it says.
The beauty of Come Undone is its simplicity, which is in direct opposition to the complexity of its lyrical subject – relationships. I don’t know if that was done by design, or by chance, but it is the type of thing I am mostly likely to notice about a Duran Duran song, and rarely am I disappointed.
The one thing I will say about Come Undone, is that it tends to drone on a bit. The lack of punch in the song is boring, particularly when performed live, but even when listening to it on the album, it drags on. It is a song meant to be listened to at home, put on in the background, with your beloved. I never quite got the point of it live.
I guess ballads were never really my thing anyway.
Amanda
I have to admit that I have dreaded writing this review. It is one thing to give a song a hard time in passing and another to spend a significant amount of time writing a review and saying what I think on paper or on a computer screen, especially when it is a song that many love. I wish that I could write a glowing review. I do, but I cannot. What I can do is try to be fair and objective. This is not easy as when I think of this song, I think of it live with Simon taking center stage and singing next to Anna Ross. While I enjoy their vocal chemistry, I find the song boring, especially live. Perhaps, this is because I am a John fan and he does not do much during the entire thing but stand silently in front of Roger’s drum kit, playing a few notes. That said, is the boring adjective fair?
It seems to me that Come Undone is a different song than what we are used to with Duran Duran, at least up until that point in their career. Yes, they have had ballads, including the other chart topper from this album but those all felt special in some way. Save a Prayer is not a usual topic for a ballad and many of the ones between seemed to take on a uniquely emotional stance like Do You Believe in Shame and Ordinary World. In this case, it is written as a love song of sorts with some sexy undertones. It is definitely one of the most straight-forward love songs the band has and I am just not used to that. I tend to be drawn to the more obscure, the songs that make me think more.
Likewise, the instrumentation feels pretty straight-forward as well. Rhonda used the word simple and I think that fits. There is not a lot of complication here and I suspect that was done for a reason. They didn’t want lots of layers of instrumentation, figuring that it might take away from what they hoped would be a song of beauty. I think many listeners see and hear it that way, as beautiful and sensual, and that too much of any instrument would detract from that feeling. I get that. I can understand that but it does not create much excitement for me, even though it works for lots of others.
The one element that I do like about the song is the addition of a female vocal. In some ways, it is a surprising move as the song is a love song from Simon to his wife. Does the female vocal add to that message? Is the female vocal like a response to Simon’s call of love? Maybe. Nonetheless, I appreciate the addition as it adds a flavor that makes it more interesting to me as a listener and definitely makes it more interesting for me when it is played live.
Overall, the song is fine. It does not make me cringe or anything like that. I have just struggled to bond with or connect with it at all.
