Wow. It has been a long time since I was able to sit down and blog. I knew that January was going to be insane at work but I had no idea. Anyway, I appreciate everyone’s patience as I start to get things up and running in this new or latest version of the blog. Likewise, I am beyond grateful for the people who have started to submit some blog posts. I hope to start posting those soon. If you would like to participate, I would love to have you. This month’s themes are: Review of Invisible, Review of All of You, and Favorite Concert (or how you envision a favorite concert). Of course, I’m always open to any other blogs about Duran, fandom, etc. Send any and all to my email – dailyduranie at gmail dot com. On that note, let’s dive into what I think about the first song off Duran’s latest album.
Now, if you have been around this blog for awhile, you might be thinking–“Wait! I think I heard some review of this song already.” You would not be wrong. Rhonda and I did a YouTube vlog and then we invited Jason to dive a little deeper. You can check them out here and here. Obviously, we were all pretty much impressed with the song when it first came out. The question then remains: Do I feel the same as I once did? After all, this song has been a part of our world now for seven months or so.
I remember the first time that I heard this song. The first thought that popped into my mind was that there was a LOT going on. That thought was confirmed by listening with my AirPods and still is true today. Musically, there is a lot going on with this song. At first, I was worried that there was too much going and too many effects. Yet, that all feels fitting, especially with the line, “Discouraged by the noise.” I feel like that line is key. There is a lot of “noise” in the form of instrumentation, effects, etc. I remember that when the song came out there was a brief discussion about how the band did not feel it would be right to go with a more positive, happy song given the times that we are living in. I completely agree with that. I don’t need any more gaslighting. There is plenty out there and I appreciated the acknowledgement that there is just a *lot* going on in the world. By releasing a song that had a lot going on, it matched the times we are living in.
Beyond the general feel of the song, the other area of strength for me remains the lyrics. I have heard it described as a relationship gone bad with one person feeling unheard, unseen, invisible. I can completely see that. At the same time, they are vague enough that anyone could relate. All of us, I believe, have had times or situations in which we have felt invisible. That sentiments resonates so strongly with me as I feel like I have been screaming at the top of my lungs about how poorly teachers have been treated with minimal acknowledgment and certainly no positive changes. Now, I find myself feeling that way about the danger American democracy is in. My point still stands. This is a universal feeling. Some might have just felt it in a particular setting (it reminds me of standing at a party or club in the corner by oneself) while others have experienced it long term. The lyrics are strong.
So, do I feel like the song has held up seven months later? I do, for the most part. I appreciate the fact that this song will fit the time that it was released but won’t be so specific that it won’t speak to people later. It has that timeless feel while also being exactly of its time. That being said, I find myself not as excited to listen to it as I once did. Maybe, it is because I’m in a better place, emotionally, and don’t feel as “invisible”. Maybe, other songs have caught more of my attention. Perhaps, it is sometimes too much. I’m not sure. Again, time might give a better answer.
I have been listening to this album A lot, trying to determine my order of preferences for the songs. To be honest I’m having difficulty ranking it, but at this point I’m pretty solid on ‘Invisible’ being my favorite track .It’s the total package of lyrics, and music. You can hear something different every time I’m not a trained musician, just played in school, so I can’t describe exactly why I love it except to say the music sounds like insanity, kind of an auditory ‘The Scream” As someone who has been the recipient of similar treatment, the lyric ‘Has the memory gone, are you feeling numb?’ resonates, as does the line ‘No fault, no blame’ This is simply one of Simon’s best poems, for me.
You bring such other amazing lines from this song. I had not really thought about insanity but I can totally see that. Thank you for sharing your perspective!