Rhonda’s Take:
Musicality/Instrumentation: Where to begin with this one… I have to say that when I first heard it, all I could think of was how incredibly “quirky” the music is. I don’t really get a real “groove” going on (although John’s got a good bass line. I just don’t think the song was meant for real groove, so to speak!), and Nick has got some really interesting synth lines going on on top of the meat of the music. I especially like the almost pipe organ sound to a lot of Nick’s music, and in the middle 8, I really love what he does as a call and answer with the guitar. It reminds me very much of the theme song to the Munsters. (you probably wouldn’t know this TV show unless you’re from the US and were either growing up in the late 60’s/early 70’s – it’s black and white – or you watched Saturday afternoon TV at some point!) The music, especially Nick’s part, is very reminiscent to the background music you would hear in a funhouse at a carnival or fair, which, given the subject matter of the lyrics, it’s very appropriate! One thing I do like about the music in general is that while I can hear everyone – I think it’s fair to say that no one is meant to be a star, nor are they really left in the background.
Vocals: My major complaint with this song and Simon’s vocals in particular l is that I think they forgot to balance out the mix. He sounds like he’s stuck in soprano-land for much of the song, and I really think they could have done him a world of justice by having him sing in a different key. He isn’t quite as whiny as he was in say, Violence of Summer (Loves taking Over) off of Liberty – but in my opinion he comes dangerously close. One bright spot in the song is the back-up vocals that repeat Simon’s during the chorus. They are just deep enough to help balance out the insanity. (is it John?) Of course, one could argue that the sing-songy sound of his voice plays a fantastic balance with the subject matter – it could have been a dark and brooding song but instead they went for the funhouse effect instead, probably as a sort of commentary on just how ridiculous it is that we all pay so much attention to this sort of news….but I’m getting ahead of myself and talking about lyrics now…so let’s move on!
Lyrics: One thing I have to say about this song is that for whatever reason, I’m drawn to paying close attention to the lyrics. That doesn’t always happen with me – a lot of times I’ll be listening so closely to the music that I forget all about what the song is about, but on this one – the lyrics draw me in every time. It’s not as though they’re genius lyrics, either! I think some of it is because I’m trying to find something to identify with, and also because I think Simon is generally singing MY song here. I really hate what has become much of our “news” here in this country, because truth be told – I couldn’t care less about what a young starlet has been accused of stealing at a jewelry store, or why a TV star seems to think he’s Gods biggest gift to mankind or why he thinks he deserves the world on a platter. I’d really just prefer to have them all go away. Quietly. Yet, I guess I’m in the minority on that one – because we’re getting that sort of news dished to us on a daily basis, so somebody must be tuning in for it! I suppose the argument could be made that if I’m following people on Twitter (and admittedly I am), I’m just as hungry for it as anyone else. We’re in a voyeuristic world right now, like it or not. Those people we love hearing about on TV are just as messed up as we are in our own lives, it’s just that they’re amplified, or pixelated, quite a bit. Talk about living under a microscope, right? Anyway, as much as I think the lyrics are almost juvenile “easy reading” on this song – I like them. He’s saying the things I think about when I read the paper, watch the news, or even go to Yahoo! for a search.
Production: Here is where I feel the downfall of this song begins and ends. I don’t know whose idea it was for Simon to sound similarly to a chipmunk – but they should be fired. I really REALLY feel they got that one all wrong, and while yes – some of that fault does lie with Simon because he should know better than to sing so whiny, someone needed to be steering this ship just a tad more to the other side. Turn down the treble and turn up the bass just a little bit and the song would have had a little more depth. I understand they were going for a certain effect, and the song does have a funhouse type theme going for it, which really does play up the commentary that the band is making about the subject of the song, I still think they could have done the song far more justice had they tried to bring down Simon’s vocals to a different key. I couldn’t quite figure out why I felt like I’d heard this song before (in the Duran Duran catalog) until the other day when my iPod played Violence of Summer for me. It’s not nearly as overproduced (although it’s still quite a production as far as I’m concerned – it’s just done differently), but the sound is still there and it’s very similar in nature. I do get the feeling that every single track on the song was turned up to “10” in the final mix, and I think they could have done plenty to alleviate the brick wall of sound I’m being smacked in the face with when the song begins. Yes, it has a certain effect, but I think there is something to be said for being subtle, and the production on this song is a miss.
Overall: When I first heard the song, it was clear it was Duran Duran. No mistaking that one, and I would venture to guess that any other critic out there would agree. I can sum up what I felt in two words though: Bubble Gum. Syrupy sweet, sticky, cane-sugar bubble gum. I had a lot of trouble getting past that feeling to begin with, and I felt it was a disappointment for the album. I didn’t feel as though the music had real depth, and the lyrics, while comical – didn’t help. However, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to the song on and off for the past couple of weeks, and as time has gone on, I’ve learned to appreciate some of the more annoying parts of the song. Overall I don’t feel as though it’s one of the stronger songs on the album, but there’s nothing wrong with inserting a little fun every now and then, and I think that’s the part that this song plays. It’s not the worst song they’ve ever written, it’s definitely not one of their finest, but I can imagine myself bopping along to this song at 2am as I’m driving home from a long night out with the girls….so how can that really be all that bad?
Rating:
Amanda’s Thoughts:
Musicality/Instrumentation: Musically, this song draws me in and wants to make me bounce up and down in my seat! It is very upbeat and gives an overall sense of fun! I love how it starts with a couple beats followed by some sort of spinning sound followed up with John’s bass. While the verse is maintained with all instruments, the chorus increases the tempo then moves back with the initial spinning sound before slowing the tempo down to the next verse. Rhonda described the sound as some sort of fun house and this seems accurate to me with that spinning sound. Nick’s keyboards become more obvious during the middle part of the song as there is an additional sound that seems to be something going up and down or high and low. I love all of the changes, musically, as it moves through the song. The changes seem to fit naturally and works to create a sense of fun. One thing I have truly appreciated with many of the songs on this album is how they paid particular attention to having something unique at the end of the songs. This one was no exception as the spinning sound returned until it sounded like a needle or something coming slowly to rest.
Vocals: When I first heard this song, I was totally into it until Simon started to sing. He seemed to be singing too high and it distracted me from quality music. It almost made me think that he had taken some helium from a balloon (not really but you get my point). Now, I don’t notice the vocals as much during the chorus. Perhaps, it matches the music better or something at that point. Then, he goes even higher to sing the bridge about “reading the headlines” around 2 and a half minutes in. I wonder if that part is even necessary. How would the song be if there were no vocals at that section? Criticism aside, it is a song that makes me want to sing along and I find myself doing just that despite the high vocals!
Lyrics: Whenever I hear this song now, I think about Simon’s inspiration for this song, which was some sort of art piece he saw where a person seemed to be intently focused on other people. I am glad that I know that story or else I would be even more annoyed with the lyrics. Do I think that people in contemporary developed countries focus a great deal of attention on celebrities? Yes. Do I think that helps get people to buy magazine subscriptions? Without question. That said, hasn’t Duran done this topic a bunch? Perhaps, they haven’t done it in this same way but there seems to be a lot of songs referencing celebrity culture in some fashion: Pop Trash Movie, Red Carpet Massacre, and, perhaps, Falling Down to name a few. Here’s where I miss younger Simon. Yes, I understand that they are influenced by contemporary life in a way that they weren’t when they were in their early 20s. I get that and I also understand seeing themes repeat in one’s writing. Heck, I’m sure that we do this on this blog and we haven’t been writing for 30 years. I just wish that if Simon wanted to tackle this topic again, he would have done it in a way that is less obvious. This is when I miss the more obscure LeBon lyrics of the past.
Production: To me, the production could have made this song better. Something could have been done with Simon’s vocals to keep the feel of them without making it sound like he was singing after sucking down some helium. It also feels to me that the production seemed basic. Everything was allowed to stay at the same level. While I noticed the different instruments and enjoyed them, I didn’t get a sense that one instrument was in the limelight only to be taken over by another instrument as classic Duran always felt like to me. This song gave me a feel of the songs on Astronaut in a way in that it is a good song but nothing was done to enhance it. Nothing was done to make it better.
Overall: When I first heard this song, I admit that I skipped over it quite a bit. To be fair, though, I heard it at the same time I heard Too Bad You’re So Beautiful, which will be coming to a review near you soon, and that is a song I love. I think the song had real potential. I enjoyed the music very much but think that Simon’s vocals and lyrics detract from it. I also think the production could have added something special to the instrumentation that it is lacking. Yet, I still find myself moving in my seat and singing along, which means that the song provides a sense of fun, which is always good!
Rating:
