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The Reflex

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For other uses, see Reflex (disambiguation).

"The Reflex"
Song
B-side

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

Song history

"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, topping the chart on 5 May, and would prove to be their last UK no. 1. The single entered the charts in America on 21 April 1984 at no. 46, became Duran Duran's first of two singles to hit no. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (for 2 weeks) on 23 June 1984 (see 1984 in music), and was a huge hit internationally. (Their only other single to hit no. 1 in the US was the title song to the James Bond film "A View to a Kill".) It was also the first of two songs that kept "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen out of the top spot (the other one being Prince's "When Doves Cry"). The band wanted it to be the lead single from Seven and the Ragged Tiger, but their label didn't like the warbling singing during the "why don't you use it" segments, thinking this would hinder its success as a stand-alone single track.

The remixes for both the 7" and 12" singles were created 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 recalled 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, successfully, it did the job."[1]

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.[2]

"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 typical at the time, but rapid advancement in the field quickly made the effect look dated.

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.

Some symbolic scenes from the official video were taken and later mixed with the alternate version shown in the band's concert film Arena (An Absurd Notion); in the final segment when the band, the crowd and even the fans undertake the final and crucial battle against the evil Dr. Durand Durand.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

In addition to the 4:26 single remix, the 12" also included an extended remix of "The Reflex". The live b-side "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a cover of a Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel song, recorded 16 November 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.

Formats and track listing

7": EMI. / Duran 2 United Kingdom

  1. "The Reflex" – 4:20
  2. "Make Me Smile" (Come Up and See Me) (Live) – 4:54 (Recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon London, 16 November 1982)

12": EMI. / 12 Duran 2 United Kingdom

  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 (Recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon London, 16 November 1982)

7": Capitol Records. / B-5345 United States

  1. "The Reflex" (The Dance Mix-Edited) – 4:25
  2. "New Religion" (Live in L.A.) – 4:52 (Recorded live at The Forum Los Angeles, 7 February 1984)
  • The Dance Mix-Edited is the same version as the regular 7".

12": Capitol Records. / V-8587 United States

  1. "The Reflex" (Dance Mix) – 6:35
  2. "The Reflex" (The Dance Mix-Edited) – 4:25
  • The Dance Mix-Edited is the same version as the regular 7".

CD: Part of "Singles Box Set 1981–1985" boxset

  1. "The Reflex" – 4:20
  2. "Make Me Smile" (Come Up and See Me) (Live) – 4:54 (Recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon London, 16 November 1982)
  3. "The Reflex (Dance Mix)" – 6:35

Appearances

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

Albums:

Singles:

  • Capitol Gold Cuts (1990)

Videos:

Personnel

Duran Duran are:

Also credited:

  • Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals
  • B J Nelson – backing vocals
  • Raphael Dejesus – percussion
  • Mark Kennedy – percussion
  • Alex Sadkin – producer
  • Ian Little – producer
  • Nile Rodgers – remixer
  • Jason Corsaro – remix engineer

Charts and certifications

Order of precedence
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single (first run)
6 May 1984 – 13 May 1984 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single (second run)
27 May 1984 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
5 May 1984 – 26 May 1984 (4 weeks)
Preceded by Belgian Ultratop 50 Flanders number-one single
23 June 1984 – 14 July 1984 (4 weeks)
Belgian VRT Top 30 Flanders number-one single
23 June 1984 – 14 July 1984 (4 weeks)
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
30 June 1984 – 7 July 1984 (2 weeks)
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
9 June 1984 – 14 July 1984 (6 weeks)
Single Top 100 number-one single
9 June 1984 – 7 July 1984 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
23 June 1984 – 30 June 1984 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
US Cash Box number-one single
16 June 1984 – 23 June 1984 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian CHUM number-one single
9 June 1984 – 23 June 1984 (3 weeks)

Cover versions

Cover versions have been recorded by Less Than Jake[33] and the duo of Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee.[34] The song is part of the "Hooked on Polkas" medley on the 1985 Dare to Be Stupid album by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Media references

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

The song is also featured in the video games DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution 7thMix (2002), Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (2004) and Saints Row 2 (2008), as part of its 1980s radio station.

A chain of 1980s-themed nightclubs in the UK is named after the song.[35] The Birmingham branch is located directly opposite the former site of the Rum Runner, Duran Duran's early home base.[36]

References

  1. ^ Buskin, Richard (July 2004). "CLASSIC TRACKS: 'The Reflex'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  2. ^ Archived 2003-12-09 at the Wayback Machine. The Duran Duran Timeline. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 23 juni 1984" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6755." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  8. ^ Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine. CHUM. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  9. ^ Archived 2006-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. MusicSeek.info. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  11. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Reflex". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  12. ^ a b "I singoli più venduti del 1984" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Duran Duran - The Reflex" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  14. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  15. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  16. ^ "REFLEKS – Duran Duran" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  17. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ^ "Duran Duran – The Reflex". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  20. ^ "Seven and the Ragged Tiger – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  21. ^ Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  22. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  24. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  25. ^ "TOP – 1984" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  26. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  27. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1984". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  29. ^ Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Duran Duran – The Reflex". Music Canada.
  31. ^ "British single certifications – Duran Duran – The Reflex". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The Reflex in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Duran Duran – The Reflex". Recording Industry Association of America.
  33. ^ "Various Artists – The Duran Duran Tribute Album". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  34. ^ "Ben Lee And Kylie Minogue Team Up For Duran Duran Cover". MTV News. Viacom. 15 April 1999. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  35. ^ Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Reflex. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  36. ^ Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine. Reflex. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
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