Ordinary World by Duran Duran
Its a corker today!
Ah Duran Duran. A band so good they named it twice. Of what I have listened to (around 80% so far) I like pretty much all of their single output. I haven’t played any full albums so would like to do that at some point. But overall their music works for me.
But focusing on singles let’s look at Ordinary World. It is my favorite song of theirs by a long shot and this is the band that gave us View to a Kill!
In fairness, Ordinary World is also one of my all-time favorite tracks from any band. This track is a magnificent record that is full of pathos, starting out gentle, gradually building like all the best anthems, before turning into a soaring melody, with that irresistible chorus. Essentially, a real show-stopper whenever played.
The track was released in 1992 and was actually the first single from Duran’s debut album (self-titled). What a way to kick things off! Unsurprisingly, the song did very well in the charts
I think Simon Le Bon’s vocal is perfectly judged; it’s a ballad and he lets it go with enough depth to hit that ‘power ballad feeling’, and yet it’s restrained enough to never become overstated.
The great lyrical content is clear and the song always stirs something within me! The tracks hooks are often playing back in my head long after the songs finished, and I think that’s the sign of an actual masterpiece.
And this musical backdrop perfectly presents the song’s themes, the loss of a loved one and that love, and the struggle to move on.
Thank you Duran Duran for crafting a solid gold track, that’s what I can say in summary.
Cover versions
It’s one of those songs where I find the original hard to beat. However, I would definitely recommend the very talented Adam Lambeth’s cover, which I saw performed recently on ITV’s Starstruck. A wonderful vocal and interpretation of the song, below is the single version:
What do you think of Ordinary World?
#songinfocus
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