The Reflex 1819340 225373779 2008-07-13T10:12:17Z 220.235.20.145 /* Track listing */ {{Infobox Single | Name = The Reflex | Artist = [[Duran Duran]] | Cover = The Reflex.jpg | Album = [[Seven and the Ragged Tiger]] | B-side = "[[Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)]]", "New Religion" | Released = {{Start date|1984|4|16}} | Format = [[7-inch single|7"]], [[12-inch single|12"]], [[CD Single]] | Recorded = Late 1983 | Genre = [[Dance music|Dance]], [[New Wave music|New Wave]] | Length = 5:29 | Label = [[EMI]] - <small>DURAN 2</small> | Producer = [[Duran Duran]], [[Ian Little]], [[Alex Sadkin]] | Last single = "[[New Moon on Monday]]"<br />(1984) | This single = "[[The Reflex]]"<br />(1984) | Next single = "[[The Wild Boys (song)|The Wild Boys]]"<br />(1984) | Misc = {{Extra album cover 2 | Upper caption = Alternate Sleeve | Type = single | Cover = reflex7.jpg | Cover size = 200 | Lower caption = UK 7" sleeve }} {{Extra tracklisting | Album = [[Seven and the Ragged Tiger]] | Type = studio | prev_track = | prev_no = | this_track = "The Reflex" | track_no = 1 | next_track = "[[New Moon on Monday]]" | next_no = 2 }} {{Extra tracklisting | Album = [[Greatest (Duran Duran album)|Greatest]] | Type = compilation | prev_track = "[[Is There Something I Should Know?]]" | prev_no = 1 | this_track = "The Reflex" | track_no = 2 | next_track = "[[A View to a Kill (song)|A View to a Kill]]" | next_no = 3 }} }} "'''The Reflex'''" is the eleventh [[Single (music)|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. ==About the song== The song's lyrics are puzzling to most listeners<sup>[http://www.songfacts.com/lyrics.php?findsong=4885]</sup> although there is strong conjecture it's either about erections or drug abuse.<ref>[http://www.lyricinterpretations.com/lookat.php/bands/Duran-Duran/ad671243fb208e7?rated=1 Lyric Interpretations.com]</ref> Lead vocalist [[Simon LeBon]] said he has no clue what the song means. <sup>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4885]</sup> 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 (band)|Chic]] fame. It was his first work with the band, and he would later go on to produce "[[The Wild Boys (song)|The Wild Boys]]" single as well as the album ''[[Notorious (album)|Notorious]]'' (1986) and several tracks on ''[[Astronaut (album)|Astronaut]]'' (2004). Producer Ian Little recalls the sound Nick Rhodes came up with on his [[Roland Jupiter-8]] keyboard: "...whenever I hear that [[steelpan|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."<ref>Buskin, Richard. "[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/classictracks.htm Classic Tracks: The Reflex]". ''[[Sound on Sound]]'', July 2004.</ref> ==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.<ref>[http://www.durandurantimeline.com/years/1984.html The Duran Duran Timeline: 1984]</ref> "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. ==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 (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]] in [[Los Angeles]]. This is not the same live version that appears on the ''[[Arena (album)|Arena]]'' album. ==Covers, samples, and media references== [[Cover version]]s 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 [[Nigel John Taylor|John Taylor]] made a guest appearance. The song was referenced by Dave Chappelle in one of his skits that aired on The Lost Episodes. ==Chart positions== {|class="wikitable" !Country !Peak<br />position |- |{{flagicon|UK}} [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagicon|US}} [[Billboard Hot 100|US]] |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Belgium]] |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]] |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Ireland]] |align="center"|1 |- |{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Dutch Top 40|Netherlands]] |align="center"|1<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=6470 |title=De Nederlandse Top 40, week 23, 1984 |accessdate=2008-02-27}}</ref> |- |{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australia]] |align="center"|4 |- |{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Germany]] |align="center"|8 |- |{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Switzerland]] |align="center"|10 |- |{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Austria]] |align="center"|11 |- |{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]] |align="center"|11 |- |{{flagicon|France}} [[France]] |align="center"|15 |- |} ==Track listing== "The Reflex" was the second Duran Duran single to feature a vanity catalogue number in the UK, '''DURAN 2'''. ===7": EMI DURAN 2 (UK)=== # "The Reflex" – 4:20 # "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" [live] – 4:54 ===12": EMI 12 DURAN 2 (UK)=== # "The Reflex (Dance Mix)" – 6:35 # "The Reflex" [7" version] – 4:20 # "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" [live] – 4:54 ===7": Capitol B-5345 (US)=== # "The Reflex (Dance Mix)" [edit] – 4:25 # "New Religion (Live in L.A.)" – 4:52 ===CD: Part of "[[Singles Box Set 1981-1985]]" boxset=== # "The Reflex" – 4:20 # "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" [live] – 4:54 # "The Reflex (Dance Mix)" – 6:35 ====Notes==== *The edited Dance Mix is the same as the regular 7" version. ==Other appearances== Apart from the single, "The Reflex" has also appeared on: '''Albums:''' *''[[Seven and the Ragged Tiger]]'' (1983) *''[[Tiger Tiger!]] ep'' (Japan only, 1984) *''[[Decade: Greatest Hits|Decade]]'' (1989) *''[[12" Collection]]'' (Japan only, 1991) *''[[Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran]]'' (US only, 1998) *''[[Greatest (Duran Duran)|Greatest]]'' (1998) *''[[Strange Behaviour]]'' (1999) '''Singles:''' *Capitol Gold Cuts (1990) '''Videos:''' * ''[[Dancing On The Valentine]]'' (1984) '''Video games:''' *[[DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution 7thMIX]] (2002) ==Personnel== Duran Duran are: *[[Simon Le Bon]] - vocals *[[Nick Rhodes]] - keyboards *[[Nigel John Taylor|John Taylor]] - bass guitar *[[Roger Andrew Taylor|Roger Taylor]] - drums *[[Andy Taylor (guitarist)|Andy Taylor]] - guitar Also credited: *[[Alex Sadkin]] - producer *[[Ian Little]] - producer *[[Nile Rodgers]] - remixer *[[Jason Corsaro]] - remix engineer ==References== <references/> {{-}} {{start box}} {{succession box | before = "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]" by [[Cyndi Lauper]] | title = [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] [[Hot 100 number-one hits of 1984 (United States)|number-one single]] | years = [[June 23]] [[1984]] – [[July 6]] [[1984]] (2 weeks) | after = "[[When Doves Cry]]" by [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] }} {{succession box | before = "[[Hello (Lionel Richie song)|Hello]]" by [[Lionel Richie]] | title = [[List of number-one singles (UK)|UK number-one single]] | years = [[May 27]] [[1984]] | after = "[[Wake Me Up Before You Go Go]]" by [[Wham!]] }} {{end box}} {{-}} {{Duran Duran}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Reflex, The}} [[Category:1984 singles]] [[Category:Duran Duran songs]] [[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] [[Category:ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one singles]] [[Category:Number-one singles in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Number-one singles in the Netherlands]]