You are not seeing things. We are doing another review within a month! I know! It is shocking! This time around we are reviewing, discussing, looking at Secret Oktober, the b-side to Union of the Snake. Many of us heard this song for the first time after buying the single of Union of the Snake but many of us heard it for the first time as the credits rolled at the end of Sing Blue Silver. No matter if you heard it via the single or via the documentary, many fans fell instantly in love with this song. Now, if you have been reading this blog for awhile now, you probably know if we are among those who fell hard for this song. Read the full review to see if we are and why!
Rhonda’s review:
Musicality/Instrumentation: I will not lie, this is by far one of my most favorite Duran Duran songs ever. A little known secret about me is that I have a very hard time listening to this song without crying. I don’t know why. (psychosis? Probably.) There is no such thing as NOT being biased on this one and I won’t even try. I can already tell you it earns 5+ cocktails because it is musical perfection and that’s the end of that. But, since Amanda will try to throttle me (she’s got to catch me first) if I don’t do a full review….here we go: I love this from the first bell. I like the quiet, calming subtlety. I don’t care that there is not really any guitar to speak of (shocking, I know). The same could be said for bass. The keyboards transport me away, and I just don’t think Nick Rhodes has ever written better. That one loop…it keeps time throughout the song and for some reason, it’s hypnotic enough to work. I love the way Roger’s percussion is just barely there – just enough to hear it without it overpowering.
Vocals: I don’t typically get chills, but when you sit and listen to this – you hear two vocal parts. The part where Simon sings, and the part where Simon speaks his part in a lower voice. It gives me chills. There is no straining, there really isn’t a ton of stacked harmonization going on, it’s just Simon and I really can’t say how he could have improved…it’s perfect.
Lyrics: Where to start? This song makes me so sad at times. It’s one of those songs that I heard as a kid and didn’t have the first clue, but then as an adult I hear it and know without a doubt that it’s about me. I mean, not REALLY me because Simon didn’t know who in the hell I am from Adam (or Eve…) back then…or now…but it’s about me and probably a million other Duranies out there. My favorite line in the song, and quite possibly my most favorite line of lyric ever: “Free fall on a windy morning shore, nothing but a faded track of footsteps could prove that you’ve never been there.” The whole song to me just describes being alive but not fully present. It’s like you’re there…but you’re not really there. I just think this is Simon at his absolute best, and to think it was written and recorded in 24 hours blows my mind.
Overall: I have such a hard time believing that this was written in such a short period of time, but then I do tend to believe that some of the very best songs end up writing themselves. Sometimes you don’t have to tinker with things to make them work. This song feels organic and real in every single way, even though it was done during the Seven and the Ragged Tiger period it doesn’t feel at all overproduced, and although it doesn’t have much by way of instrumentation beyond the vocals, the synthesizers and percussion…it’s still perfect with the very slight exception that it’s not nearly long enough. I WISH THEY WOULD PLAY THIS ONE LIVE MORE OFTEN!!
Cocktail Rating: I already told you…. 5 cocktails!!
Amanda’s review:
Musicality/Instrumentation: Before I even listened to this song again to properly review it, I knew that I wasn’t going to be completely objective. Some songs are tough to be that way and this one certainly is as it reminds me both of 1984 and of the UK tour in 2011. Still, as I listened to the song for the millionth time, I did the best I could to REALLY listen. Of course, the first thing that grabs my attention and always has is that very unique beginning with the gentle sounds to start it. From there, the song is filled with what sounds like a lot of keyboards, some that are constant and other keyboard sounds that come briefly. These extra sounds remind me of wind chimes as they are relatively quiet and peaceful. I don’t hear a lot of other instrumentation. Normally that would bother me but this time it just works. It creates a very strong mood and allows for Simon’s strong vocals and lyrics to shine.
Vocals: I always loved Simon’s voice. Who hasn’t? Yet, for some reason, I don’t think I really noticed them as a kid until this song. I love the deeper range that he has during the verses, really matching the instrumentation. Plus, I like the little echo of his vocals that is even deeper, creating depth and more emotion. Then, of course, as the song moves further along, Simon’s vocals become even more passionate, drawing attention to the emotion, to the heart of the lyrics, which could be deemed the chorus of the song as lines repeat.
Lyrics: When I think of this song, I probably think about the lyrics first and foremost. After all, it does feature one of the best Duran lines ever with, “All night parties, cocktail bars”. To me, it describes the lifestyle that Duran seems to exemplify and one that ultimately reminds me of touring or the best parts of touring. Beyond that fabulous, fabulous line, how are the rest of the lyrics? I loved the lyrics as a kid because it seemed like great poetry with references to trains, butterflies, birthday parties, etc. Now, of course, I can look at the lyrics and see how it fits with so many lyrics of this time. It shows the partying lifestyle but with a sense of loneliness, probably the loneliness that comes with fame and lack of real connection. The song is still filled with beautiful poetry with the use of weather and nature imagery. This is made all the more impressive since it was written, recorded and mixed within 24 hours.
Overall: To me, this is one of those special songs. Is it because I have connected it to the magical time of 1984 or because now I have connected to it to the UK tour of 2011? I’m sure that is part of it. Yet, the poetry of the lyrics really hits me, each and every time. It has memorable lines and soft, gentle music that just resonates with me. While the production does clearly place it within the Seven and the Ragged Tiger time period, it doesn’t feel too much to me or feel overproduced. It is allowed to just be. Perhaps, that is because they did the song so quickly. There simply wasn’t time to do more. Yet, I would argue that less is more, in this case. Probably, the only drawback for me is the length. It is too short. Still, how could I give it anything less than…
Cocktail Rating: 5 cocktails!
Have you guys ever done a b-sides ranking? Secret Oktober is up there but my fave is I Believe/All I Need To Know.
We found a favorite b-side but not ranking them all. That is a good idea! I will be happy to do that! Thanks!! -A
Heartfelt congrats on the awesome review.
To follow you have mine.
MUSICALITY/INSTRUMENTATION: that reagge-ish beat makes me crazy and it is one of my fave tracks ever. They rarely tried to play reagge things, so its being unusual to me is the key of the popularity of the songs
VOCALS: When he sings in lower voice he sounds the ideal for the melody and the pace of the track.
LYRICS: The obscure meaning made me love the song more
OVERALL: To me it’s a 4,5 stars out of 5, one of the best tracks ever.
Secret Oktober is my favorite duranduran song. Period. I just can’t write here how much it means to me, both musically and lyrically, because I don’t know the words to describe or explain that. Maybe those words weren’t invented yet, don’t know.
The other thing about this song that I really love is that this was a premonitory song announcing, without anyone realizing it, that Arcadia was about to be born. The sandstorm thundery chaotic seven & the ragged tiger album was not what I was hoping for, and surely not what duranduran we’re hoping for also, after the classic rio album. So red the rose would fulfill that aspiration, at least for me, and secret oktober was the first step in that journey.
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of Secret Oktober in that way, but now that you mention it and I’m thinking about it, yes. Yes, I can see that. I wouldn’t jump to call it Arcadia-esque, but I think it has all of the elements that Simon and Nick were looking to include in Arcadia. I think it was definitely paving the way there for them, for sure.
I really waver between Secret Oktober, Is There Something I Should Know (I really don’t know why this is on my list, save for the fact that I have loved this song since I was a kid and I think it brings me back to that time in my life very, very well so it’s a sentimental favorite), Late Bar (for the moments when I want to love life with complete abandon), Before the Rain and All You Need is Now as my favorites…but out of those, Secret Oktober strikes the deepest emotional “chords”, so to speak. I really do not know how I held it together so well when they played it in Brighton in 2011. I think my complete shock in hearing the song kept me from really getting emotional about it, if that makes sense. I love Duran Duran and I adore their lyrics, but this song is just something very, very unique and quite different for me. True brilliance from a song that was recorded in a day. I love that.
I agree with you on SATRT. I loved it as a kid because well, it was Duran Duran and at that moment in time, my tastes were immature and my love for the band probably superseded all else. As I grew up though, I realized just how…out of character(??) the album really feels. Chaotic is an excellent way to describe it and the music within. There is so much going on with every single song on the album, yes, chaotic really IS a great word for it. I still like elements within, but when I think of their catalog as a whole, I can see they’ve done much better work over the years. -R