By Heidi
After weeks of anticipation, Invisible arrived in our midst in times of lock down and not much happening. I was working from home and needed a break – or perhaps I just took a break the moment Invisible was released. At first, I was mildly puzzled thinking ‘What?’, then ‘Hmmm…’ then ‘this reminds me of Medazzaland’ which is an album I really like. With Corona, I had plenty of time and listened to the song a few times more, still not liking it very much.
I’m a restless person who usually enjoy music as a backdrop to something else I do like cooking or reading and therefore rarely give it much thought. This is why I’m pleased to have this opportunity to give Invisible a closer listen. This is what I’ve learned: Invisible is a masterful depiction of a relationship gone wrong. The opening alone is a bewildering experience where we are thrown headfirst into this dysfunctional relationship. The synth is dizzying. Her voice is alluring but I also sense danger. So just like the invisible part of this relationship, we are left to wonder what is really going on. The many questions in the song underline this. In contrast she asks no questions. She simply states ‘you are invisible to me’. This is Simon Le Bon at his best describing a dysfunctional relation with only hints leaving the rest to our imagination. I like it a lot.
Throughout the song the instruments provide the same dizzying effect but in lots of different ways so we never really know what is going on musically. This must be the way it feels like to be in a relationship like the one described in the song. Only with the drums between chorus and verse do I sense some kind of revolt, but it leads nowhere. What remains is that the lyrics and the instrumentation are beautifully woven together to create the confusion that is Invisible.
