So John Taylor tells Katy that the new album is to be named All You Need is Now. Quite a departure from King of Nowhere, I’d say. 🙂
Where King of Nowhere could possibly be very telling as to the bands’ overall mood at times, if I’m going to be fair and truthful to all that has ever been Duran Duran, All You Need Is Now is probably a much better title for one of their albums.
I don’t think Duran Duran has ever really been the brooding type of band, so sunk into reality that they can’t see the beauty in just living. No, I think the band has probably been just the opposite. Simon himself said in one of the promo videos for the Astronaut album that the band is about pure joy (as was the song [Reach up for the] Sunrise, off of that same album). The band has always been about enjoying the here and now, and let’s face it – if All You Need is Now is to be the next album title – that truly embodies the full spirit.
Even more interestingly to me were the reactions from the fans as the community contemplated King of Nowhere as the album title, and once again All You Need is Now. With King of Nowhere, many fans were disappointed – they felt the title was too depressing, too negative – and some were even concerned that it was going to end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. (clearly those fans haven’t been around since Astronaut – the last album title was Red Carpet MASSACRE, folks.) Last night, I took a peak around some of the boards after this latest news was announced, and amazingly enough, the fan community as a whole reacted far more positively, saying that the title reminded them of the type of hope, love and joy that they believe the band stands for.
I think that the fantasy life – the yacht, the wealthy (young) men, the models, the champagne, the exotic locations – is the package that once sold the world on Duran Duran. It’s not just one part of it, it was the sum of all of the parts that made the group what we know it. Many of those same fans are around today, and I can’t speak for all of them, but for me, my reality is pretty far from the life Duran Duran once portrayed in their videos and songs. The band is still very much an escape at times (heck I even travel to shows in order to escape from the present!), and during those times – I really do try to live in that present. I only get a weekend or two a year at the very most to spend with my friends, and when you’ve only got those few moments – you tend to try and only live in that moment, right?
Even back in “reality”, living in the now is a lesson all of us should learn. Not long ago, my father was very ill, and while I would sit and worry and ask him how he was feeling – he would constantly tell me not to think about it. “What will happen will happen, but while you’re alive, you need to LIVE.” I don’t think I ever understood that until the day he died. It’s a simple, but very difficult lesson to put into practice….and I stand even more fascinated that the band is continuing to teach and challenge their fans, should they take the effort to look a little deeper than the surface.
