The Reflex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Reflex”
“The Reflex” cover
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger
B-side "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", "New Religion"
Released April 16, 1984 (1984-04-16)
Format 7", 12", CD Single
Recorded Late 1983
Genre Dance, New Wave
Length 5:29
Label EMI - DURAN 2
Producer Duran Duran, Ian Little, Alex Sadkin
Duran Duran singles chronology
"New Moon on Monday"
(1984)		 "The Reflex"
(1984)		 "The Wild Boys"
(1984)
Alternate Sleeve
UK 7" sleeve
UK 7" sleeve
Seven and the Ragged Tiger track listing
"The Reflex"
(1)		 "New Moon on Monday"
(2)
Greatest track listing
"Is There Something I Should Know?"
(1)		 "The Reflex"
(2)		 "A View to a Kill"
(3)

"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by Duran Duran, released worldwide on April 16, 1984.

The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

"The Reflex" became the band's most successful single. It was their second single to top the UK singles chart, after "Is There Something I Should Know?" in 1983, and would prove to be their last UK #1. It was also Duran Duran's first single to hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (for two weeks) on 23 June 1984 (see 1984 in music), and became a huge hit internationally.


Contents

[edit] About the song

The song's lyrics are puzzling to most listeners[1] although there is strong conjecture it's either about erections or drug abuse.[1]

Lead vocalist Simon LeBon said he has no clue what the song means. [2] According to the lyrics, the Reflex is a mysterious child and a game.

The remixes for both the 7" and 12" singles were done by Nile Rodgers, of Chic fame. It was his first work with the band, and he would later go on to produce "The Wild Boys" single as well as the album Notorious (1986) and several tracks on Astronaut (2004).

Producer Ian Little recalls the sound Nick Rhodes came up with on his Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard: "...whenever I hear that steel-drum part it always brings a smile to my face because it's so out of tune. Steel drums always are, but it was exactly right in terms of rhythm and tone. So a wood-block sound was mixed in to make it even more percussive and, Bob's your uncle, it did the job."[2]

[edit] Music video

The video for "The Reflex" was shot during the Sing Blue Silver tour at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario on 5 March 1984. Director Russell Mulcahy filmed some of the closeup footage in the indoor arena that afternoon, and the rest was filmed live during that evening's concert.[3]

"The Reflex" is primarily a concert video, accurately portraying Duran Duran's Sing Blue Silver tour performance style. However, in keeping with the band's insistence that their videos "never be ordinary", the video screen above the stage displayed bits of naked models wearing collars and chains illuminated with black light, occasionally interrupted by computerized video white noise. At one point, a waterfall appears to pour out of the video screen above the stage to soak the audience. The computer graphics used to achieve this were cutting edge at the time, but rapid advancement in the field quickly made the effect look dated.

Mulcahy found it challenging to edit the video to match the jumpy fast-and-slow edits in the Nile Rodgers remix of the single. For the instrumental break in the middle of the song, he had to do some video "scratching" with Simon Le Bon's silhouette.

Keyboard enthusiasts have taken special note of the Fairlight CMI (the first digital sampling synthesiser) that Nick Rhodes operated with a light pen in this video, and throughout the tour.

[edit] B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

The live b-side "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a cover of a Cockney Rebel song, recorded November 26, 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London, with lead Rebel Steve Harley joining the band onstage.

A second live b-side released on the US single, "New Religion", was recorded 7 February 1984 at The Forum in Los Angeles. This is not the same live version that appears on the Arena album.

[edit] Covers, samples, and media references

Cover versions have been recorded by Less than Jake and the duo of Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee.

The song has also been featured in the soundtracks for the movies American Wedding (2003) and Corky Romano (2001), as well as an episode of the short-lived 2002 television series That '80s Show in which bassist John Taylor made a guest appearance.

The song was referenced by Dave Chappelle in one of his skits that aired on The Lost Episodes.

[edit] Chart positions

Country Peak
position
Flag of the United Kingdom UK 1
Flag of the United States US 1
Flag of Belgium Belgium 1
Flag of Canada Canada 1
Flag of Ireland Ireland 1
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 1[4]
Flag of Australia Australia 4
Flag of Germany Germany 8
Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 10
Flag of Austria Austria 11
Flag of Italy Italy 11
Flag of France France 15

[edit] Track listing

"The Reflex" was the second Duran Duran single to feature a vanity catalogue number in the UK, DURAN 2.

[edit] 7": EMI DURAN 2 (UK)

  1. "The Reflex" (7" version) – 4:20
  2. "Make Me Smile (Come up and see me)" (Live) – 4:54

[edit] 12": EMI 12 DURAN 2 (UK)

  1. "The Reflex" (Dance mix) – 6:35
  2. "The Reflex" (7" version) – 4:20
  3. "Make Me Smile (Come up and see me)" (Live) – 4:54

[edit] 7": Capitol B-5345 (US)

  1. "The Reflex" (The Dance Mix - edited) – 4:25
  2. "New Religion" (Live in L.A.) – 4:52

[edit] CD: Part of "Singles Box Set 1981-1985" boxset

  1. "The Reflex" (7" version) – 4:20
  2. "Make Me Smile (Come up and see me)" (Live) – 4:54
  3. "The Reflex" (Dance mix) – 6:35

[edit] Notes

  • The Dance Mix - edited and 7" version are the same mixes

[edit] Other appearances

Apart from the single, "The Reflex" has also appeared on:

Albums:

Singles:

  • Capitol Gold Cuts (1990)

Videos:

Video games:

[edit] Personnel

Duran Duran are:

Also credited:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lyric Interpretations.com
  2. ^ Buskin, Richard. "Classic Tracks: The Reflex". Sound on Sound, July 2004.
  3. ^ The Duran Duran Timeline: 1984
  4. ^ De Nederlandse Top 40, week 23, 1984. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.


Preceded by
"Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
June 23, 1984- June 30, 1984		 Succeeded by
"When Doves Cry" by Prince
Preceded by
"Hello" by Lionel Richie		 UK number-one single
May 27, 1984		 Succeeded by
"Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham!


v • d • e
Duran Duran
Simon Le Bon • Nick Rhodes • John Taylor • Roger Taylor
Former members
Albums
Compilations, EPs and remixes
Singles
Videos
Duran Duran Video 45 • Duran Duran • Dancing On The Valentine • Sing Blue Silver • Arena (An Absurd Notion) • The Making of Arena • Three To Get Ready • Working for the Skin Trade • 6ix by 3hree • Decade: Greatest Hits • Extraordinary World • Greatest • Live From London
Related bands
Other