It's Underrated Song Week!! (4/11)

[Railyn]

I've decided to do some underrated songs this week. Songs that didn't get much attention, or some minor one-hit-wonders.

Since I'm fresh off the Duran concert, I've decided to throw this one in. It's the first song off what I've always considered their "comeback" album. There would be two big hits off that album. This would not be one of them. It was released as a single and I believe did well in UK, but not so here. Perhaps it's because they're stabbing at a lot of American things in the song.

At any rate, it's a great song, as Duran Duran lashes out at the media machine that gave them their fame, then tore them back down:

TOO MUCH INFORMATION
By: Duran Duran
Album: Duran Duran (1993 - a/k/a The Wedding Album)
Author: Duran Duran (credited to whole group)

Destroyed by MTV,
I hate to bite the hand that
feeds me so much information
The Pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
it's too much information for me

Hey TV Child look into my eyes
Here by intervention I want your attention

Promotion Boy in a suit and tie
He wants you to use it
You're too shot to loose it

It's pumpin down the cable
Like never seen before
A COLA manufacturer is sponsoring the war

Here comes the news with love from me to you

Destroyed by ABC
I hate to bite the hand that
feeds me so much information
The Pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
it's too much information for me

Turn on the tube
Hits you with the Groove
advertizin muzik
We want you to choose it

These teeth are white trainers ULTRA BRITE

This band is perfect just don't scratch the surface

We covered all the angles
the survey people said
Just put us on the cover we'll be smilin anyway

This video was made with LOVE to you

Destroyed by BBC
I hate to bite the hand that
feeds me so much information
The Pressure's on the screen to
sell you things that you don't need
it's too much information for me

Destroyed by MTV
I hate to bite the hand that
feeds me so much information
The Pressure's on the screen to
sell you things that you don't need
it's too much information for me

Dialate your MIND
Dialate your MIND
Dialate your MIND

Got to give it to me
Got to listen to me
Got to give in to me
Now I'm on the line

I try......

My Opinion In A Nutshell: This song is one of my all time favorites of theirs. It's edgy, and well done. I was hoping they'd sing it at their show, and although they dusted off some album cuts, this wasn't one of them. They did, however, run some anime on their video wall where they blew up the EMI building. I got these lyrics off their official website, so any misspellings are intentional. You can find a clip here: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002V1D/qid=1113226931/sr=2-7/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_7/002-9180454-7079213

Favorite Line: This band is perfect just don't scratch the surface
We covered all the angles
the survey people said
Just put us on the cover we'll be smilin anyway

[Dawn]

Great lyrics! This does seem to have a little more of an edge to it than their '80s chart hits.

I loved Duran Duran's music back in my high school days, but kind of lost touch with them around 1989 or 1990 when I stopped listening to the top 40 stations and got more into oldies. I remember reading about this album, but wasn't familiar with any of the cuts from it. From what I've heard, I may have to pick up a copy of this CD sometime!

[lora]

I absolutely love lyrics like this, and they are right on the money here. Good choice.

[Railyn]

Dawn said:

Great lyrics! This does seem to have a little more of an edge to it than their '80s chart hits.

I loved Duran Duran's music back in my high school days, but kind of lost touch with them around 1989 or 1990 when I stopped listening to the top 40 stations and got more into oldies. I remember reading about this album, but wasn't familiar with any of the cuts from it. From what I've heard, I may have to pick up a copy of this CD sometime!

Of all their post-Seven and the Ragged Tiger cd's, this one is by far the best (except for their new one - Astronaut - which is on par with this one). It was kind of a rebirth for them. They had re-grouped, and reinvented themselves. John had kicked his cocaine habit, and for the first time in a long time, it seemed to be more about the music than about commercial likeability.

Their later cd's were also that way, and met with mixed commercial success, but they didn't seem to care anymore about the numbers, and when a band can reach that point, then I think their best stuff comes out.

[Railyn]

Lora said:

I absolutely love lyrics like this, and they are right on the money here. Good choice.

Yep. They are saying that they appreciate what the media did ("I hate to bite the hand that feeds") but it's a double edged sword, and the same people who sang their praises, then cut them down when they weren't as commercially viable anymore.

It's true that without MTV, I don't know that they'd have been anywhere near as popular here in the US. I saw a 5 part documentary about MTV once (I taped it and have the tape somewhere....) and they touched on the idea of Video Killed The Radio Star was so right-on. They cited Christopher Cross as the prime example. He had a ton of radio hits. Then MTV came out. Christopher wasn't particularly interesting looking or sexy, and faded into relative obscurity. They gave numbers to back it up - I just don't remember them.

The first Duran Duran song I "heard" was their first major commercial release, "Planet Earth" back around 1981. I loved the song, and was already gravitating toward new wave as my taste in music, but I use the tearm "heard" loosely, as it was only because a friend of mine had HBO, and they had "Video Jukebox" between movies, that I saw the video/heard the song. That's kind of hard to explain - I hope it makes sense - I heard the song on the video - had not heard them on the radio at all before that, and wouldn't hear them on the radio around here at all until the "Rio" album came out. I remembered their name and got the album that "Planet Earth" is on (aptly called "Duran Duran").

Had it not been for HBO (MTV wasn't out at that point), it would have been another 2 years before I even heard of them.

A side note slightly not related: videos were in England years before they were here. Bands in England made "promo films" for their songs, which were aired in nightclubs. This is why so many of the early MTV years were mostly British artists (and probably why most of my favorites are from England).