"New Moon on Monday" | ||||
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Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger | ||||
B-side | "Tiger Tiger" | |||
Released | 23 January 1984 (UK) [1] | |||
Recorded | May–June 1983 | |||
Studio | AIR (Montserrat, Caribbean) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"New Moon on Monday" on YouTube |
"New Moon on Monday" is the tenth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 23 January 1984 in the United Kingdom. [2]
The second single to be taken from the band's third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), the song was another success, reaching the top ten on both the UK and US charts. On 11 February 1984, the single reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart and on 17 March, it reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, after entering on 14 January 1984 at number 56.
In a contemporary review, Cash Box said that the song "follows the surefire hit formula" but "the loneliness-themed tune is more lyrical than usual." [3]
In a retrospective review, "New Moon on Monday" was praised by AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco, who wrote: "The music holds the unusual lyrics together by wedding effervescent verse melodies that bounce high and low to a triumphant-sounding chorus with a rousing feel." [4]
The music video for "New Moon on Monday" was filmed by director Brian Grant during the morning of 7 December 1983 in the village of Noyers in France. It has a loosely sketched storyline in which the band appear as members of an underground resistance movement called "La Luna" (the name is one of the few connections between the video's content and the song lyrics), organizing a revolt against a modern (1980s-era computers are used) oppressive militaristic regime, apparently in France.
"We set out to make a little movie," recalled Grant. "I'm not sure we succeeded." He was not the first choice to shoot the video, as Russell Mulcahy, director of many of the band's other videos, was unavailable. [5]
Several versions of this video exist. The longest is a 17-minute "movie version" which includes an extended introduction before the song starts (including a scene of dialogue between Simon Le Bon and the story's female lead, played by Patricia Barzyk, winner of the Miss France title in 1980; a brief snippet of "Union of the Snake" is also heard on a radio), and is set to an extended remix of the song. A shorter version, with a spoken French-dialogue intro, was originally submitted to MTV, who then later requested an even shorter version without the prologue.
Yet another version was produced for the video collection Dancing on the Valentine (1984), showing blue-lit scenes of the band members in front of a full-moon backdrop. All but one of the versions were included as easter eggs on the 2004 DVD compilation Greatest .
Both guitarist Andy Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes [5] say that this is the band's least favourite music video. "Everybody ... hates it, particularly the dreadful scene at the end where we all dance together," Taylor wrote in his memoirs. "Even today, I cringe and leave the room if anyone plays [it]." He recalls that they were miserable since their Christmas holiday had been cut short to shoot the video, and spent most of the day on the dark and cold set drinking, to the point that he was "half cut" by the time the last scenes were shot. "It's one of the few times I've seen Nick dance." [6]
"New Moon on Monday" was backed with a remix of "Tiger Tiger", an instrumental track taken from the Seven and the Ragged Tiger album, done by Ian Little. The release was rounded out by an extended version of the title track.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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"New Moon on Monday" has also appeared in the film Razorback (1984). [15]
Duran Duran
Additional musicians
Technical
Duran Duran are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of bassist Simon Colley and drummer Roger Taylor the following year, the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.
Greatest is a greatest hits album by English rock band Duran Duran, released in 1998.
Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by the English rock band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band, recording sessions took place in France, the Caribbean and Australia between April and October 1983 following Duran Duran's decision to record outside the UK as tax exiles. Unlike their previous two studio albums, the sessions were marred by a lack of productivity and tensions rose between the band members over its direction.
"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 14 March 1983.
English new wave band Duran Duran have released 16 studio albums, four live albums, four compilation albums, two remix albums, two box sets, seven extended plays, 46 singles and 14 video albums. Duran Duran have sold over 100 million records. The band have achieved UK top-five albums in five consecutive decades, and US top-10 albums in three decades.
Strange Behaviour is a remix album by English rock band Duran Duran. It was released by EMI in March 1999.
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released in 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983). The single became the band's first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to top the UK Singles Chart.
"Notorious" is the fourteenth single song by English rock band Duran Duran. Released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986, it was the first single from Duran Duran's fourth studio album of the same name and it showcased a new direction for Duran Duran with a funk rock sound.
Singles Box Set 1981–1985 is a box set by English rock band Duran Duran. Consisting of 13 CDs, it was released on 12 May 2003 by EMI and covers the era from Duran Duran (1981) to Arena (1984), as well as the non-studio album single "A View to a Kill" (1985).
"Save a Prayer" is a song by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982 as the third single from their second album Rio (1982). It became Duran Duran's biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number two. As of October 2021 "Save a Prayer" is the sixth most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.
"Planet Earth" is the debut single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.
"My Own Way" is the fourth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, originally released on 16 November 1981.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, Rio (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, and 8 June 1982 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Rio" is the seventh single by English rock band Duran Duran. It was first released as a single in Australia, in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982.
"Union of the Snake" is the ninth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 17 October 1983.
"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 26 October 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"A View to a Kill" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released on 6 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the James Bond film of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It is the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart while stuck behind Paul Hardcastle's "19". The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001 and was also performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split.
"Ordinary World" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in December 1992 by Parlophone, EMI and Capitol as the first single from their self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. The ballad, both written by the band and co-produced with John Jones, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Iceland and Sweden, and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Nick Egan and filmed in California.
"Meet El Presidente" is the sixteenth single by English rock band Duran Duran. Released on 18 April 1987 as the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Notorious, it only reached number 24 in the UK Single Charts and stalled at number 70 in the Billboard Hot 100.
"I Don't Want Your Love" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released on 19 September 1988 as the first single from their fifth studio album, Big Thing (1988). As with the album, the band's name was rendered on the artwork as Duranduran.