Welcome to another episode of New Wave Beat. I’m your host, Jason D’Orazio. I’ll discuss Duran Duran’s third studio album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger. With the resounding commercial and critical success of Rio, Duran Duran fans were clamoring for more music. The band struggled with the recording of a follow-up album, but did manage to release it in late 1983. In his autobiography, John Taylor was not particularly pleased with the album, but I am. While it does not reach the mastery and diversity in sound that Rio had, Seven and the Ragged Tiger offers great songs and hooks galore. It is sometimes considered as having more of a poppy sound, but the lyrics throughout the album represent inner struggle and turmoil, and is not as heavy on love and lust themes.
While it got tacked onto the re-release of Duran Duran’s debut album, I’ll talk a bit about the song Is There Something I Should Know now, because it came out in between Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
“Please, please tell me now. Is there something I should know? Is there something I should say?”
The song begins with an impassioned chant of, “Please, please tell me now” of which there is a reprise in the choruses. The melody is kind of in-between Save a Prayer and Hungry Like The Wolf in terms of intensity. The bass guitar is really good on this one, and Simon LeBon’s voice is full of vigor. On the surface, the song seems to be about the narrator wondering what he needs to do to win over a love, though references to “snow” and “blow” suggest a possible cocaine reference. The accompanying video mostly consists of Duran Duran performing and dancing to the song. The band is decked out in matching blue dress shirts and black pants, and the backdrop is full of simple geometric patterns, creating a distinct theme.
There are brief clips of previous videos in it as well. Is There Something I Should Know was a top 10 hit in the US, and hit the top of the charts in the UK. Duran Duran used the song as a set opener in their Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour.
“The union of the snake is on the climb. Moving up, moving up, it’s gonna break through the borderline”
Union Of The Snake starts with a high-pitched synth, and then it’s joined by a subtle but great guitar section. A saxophone enters the fray starting at the second verse, and comes to the forefront in the bridge. LeBon is a little bit more restrained than in Is There Something I Should Know, but his vocals are still melodic and hook-heavy. The synth is a little bit more eccentric-sounding than some of the band’s other hits, which is not a bad thing at all.
The lyrics might be talking about one’s inner reptilian nature coming out. References are made to one’s senses breaking, and of course, the chorus, “The union of the snake is on the rise.” The stylistic video, reminiscent of the movie Road Warrior, would be a foreshadowing of the Wild Boys video that came out a little bit later.
The Union of the Snake video features a lizard-like humanoid creeping around a desert landscape, tracking the band that’s decked out in Indiana Jones-like gear. Later, Simon LeBon discovers an underground cathedral. Finally, towards the end of the video, he passes out but is saved. Union of the Snake was a number three hit in both the United States and United Kingdom, continuing the torrid streak that Duran Duran was having.
The song New Moon On Monday is the second single off Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
“New Moon on Monday, and a firedance through the night. I stayed the cold day, with a lonely satellite.”
The drums are the highlight of the intro, and the other instruments then join in. New Moon On Monday showcases a great range in vocals by Simon LeBon, starting in the lower register but successfully reaching for the high notes by the time the chorus rolls around. The chorus also has a five-note synth riff near the end that I found to be one of the great hooks in the song. This is indeed a hard song for me at karaoke because of the vocal range and my deep voice.
The song could be about feeling euphoria, perhaps because of a love interest. Indeed, lyrics like “Firedance through the night” captures the high that the narrator has. “Every minute, I keep finding clues that you leave behind” showcases how the narrator is drawn to the possible love interest.
The video runs almost a minute longer than the standalone song. It has the band sneaking around the city, fomenting revolution which occurs at the climax. New Moon On Monday was also a top 10 hit in both the UK and across the pond in the United States.
Duran Duran had their biggest hit of the album, along with the one that gets the most airplay nowadays, with The Reflex.
“The reflex is a lonely child. She’s waiting by the park.”
The album version of The Reflex was solid, but the subsequent single version is catchier, adding the famous “na-na-na-na” hook to the song to go along with the original’s “why-i-i-i” and other intentional stuttering. This new version was remixed by Nile Rodgers of Chic. This is notable not just because the single was their first US number one single, but also foreshadowed further collaboration between Duran Duran and Rodgers (and Rodgers working with other new wave bands like the B-52s).
This alliance would inject a new element into the band’s music that allowed them greater musical flexibility. One of the many things I like about The Reflex is that all the instruments and vocals play a strong role. Super fun as it is, I’m not sure what the reflex is referring to. I would love to hear your interpretations of what it means.
The video features the band playing live. While in general I do not prefer this video format, I will give this one a pass because they were just a tad busy in the early ‘80s, and the band likely wanted to change it up a bit after a long string of narrative videos. The video captures the electric environment of their early concerts, of which I wish I could have seen.
Okay, let’s go into some of the album tracks.
I’m Looking For Cracks In The Pavement is a little slower and has some nice guitar work in the verses before Simon starts singing and right before the choruses.
“Something on my mind. Breaking open doors I’ve sealed up before.”
The synths are a little bit experimental in the intro, which is pretty cool, but are also effective later on in the song. The lead guitar is more subtle, but provides color at the right moments. Lyrics like “My head is full of chopstick” and “If I had a car, I’d drive it insane” suggests the song is about an internal mental struggle, sort of in the same vein as Union Of The Snake.
I Take The Dice has a strong, high-pitched, four-note synth hook throughout, with another synth layer added on. Meanwhile, castanets and John Taylor’s guitar add to the rhythm.
“Show me your secret. Tell me your name. Catch me with your dizzy smile.”
Simon LeBon is melodic as usual and occasionally adds grit to change things up a bit, for example, on the words, “Braced lips.” The short bridge reminds me a bit of Is There Something I Should Know? Lyrically, I think phrases like, “Just this once, I take the dice,” refers to the narrator wanting to establish some assertiveness in his interpersonal relationship or relationships, much like someone at a craps table or playing a board game.
Of Crime And Passion starts with a heartbeat sound and then comes at you fast and charging.
“Don’t look away. ‘Cause you’re in the crossfire and there ain’t no room to change.”
Simon’s wailing at times and the Taylors’ guitars reminds me of Careless Memories from their first album. In my opinion, it features the best and most prominent guitar work of the album, especially in the bridge. The song, I believe, is about being heartbroken, with lyrics like, “Falling into the gaping hole where your heart should be.” Indeed, LeBon is a victim in the crossfire of love and based on the words of Of Crime And Passion, he ain’t too happy about it.
Shadows On Your Side has a killer baseline and again, features Andy Taylor more.
“But the shadows are on your side. As soon as the lights go down. In the darkest place you can find.”
The synths appropriately engender anxiety. It is stylistically similar and is a good companion piece to Of Crime And Passion. I have a strong feeling that Shadows On Your Side is, like a lot of Seven and the Ragged Tiger, about personal struggle. The line, “With everybody to say that you’re having the time of your life when your life is on the slide,” might be a reference to the breakneck pace that Duran Duran were going at in the early ‘80s, and that causing both internal and external turmoil.
Tiger Tiger is a relaxing instrumental track that allows the listener to take a breather from an album that moves along at a brisk pace. It allows Nick Rhodes to experiment a bit more with his keyboards, especially early in the song. It leans a little bit to the avant-garde and because of that, I think of it as kind of a prelude to the work that part of the band would do in its spinoff band, Arcadia. But more on that project next time. Like Union of the Snake, the saxophone shapes the song to some extent. The mental picture I have when listening to this track is relaxing on the beach, and I’m curious to hear what you picture.
The last song off Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Seventh Stranger, has a five-note raindrop-like synth that permeates throughout.
“Look through the eyes of a stranger. Fall in love in the wake of such a lonely cry.”
The lead guitar is catchy and poignant in the chorus. Although one of the slower songs in the album, LeBon delivers good range and energy with this track. Regarding the lyrics, they are profound and I think it’s about ending relationships and then seeing those lovers as if their romance never happened. Lines like, “I look through the eyes of a stranger,” do hint at this. Indeed, The Seventh Stranger is an underrated gem and is a good wind-down to conclude a high-intensity album.
The singles around the time of Seven and the Ragged Tiger had a combined three B-sides:
Faith In This Colour is an instrumental that allows Roger Taylor to program a killer drum machine riff. Like fellow instrumental, Tiger Tiger, Rhodes gets to play around with the synths. It is pretty good, but I prefer Tiger Tiger, given that the band wanted just one LeBon-less track on the album.
Secret Oktober is a fan favorite. While not my favorite from the early ‘80s era, I still feel it is a solid track. It has a very good vocal range by LeBon and memorable synths by Rhodes. It might be about the lull after a whirlwind of activity. Could it be a reference to the breather the band wanted to take after the craziness of their early ‘80s schedule?
A live version of Make Me Smile is the B-side of The Reflex and is also a cover of a Steve Harley hit. It’s a competent cover. Early on, the song is quite sparse but launches into full energy mode a little less than two minutes in. It is more guitar-heavy than most pre-Ordinary World tracks, so if you like ‘90s and early 2000s Duran Duran, you might enjoy this a lot.
So with Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Duran Duran continued their whirlwind schedule, performing at sold-out shows at large venues such as the Oakland and Carolina Coliseums. In John Taylor’s autobiography In the Pleasure Groove, there is a picture of him exhausted with an oxygen mask on around the time of this tour. He wrote that he was getting very little sleep and had hit a hard alcohol and drug habit. Well, you could say that Duran Duran was becoming notorious…
And that’s a wrap for this episode of New Wave Beat. Take care of yourselves, everyone!
