"The Reflex" | ||||
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Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 16 April 1984 [1] | |||
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Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"The Reflex" on YouTube |
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran,released on 16 April 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.
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." [6]
Cash Box said,"Spotlighting the slick vocals of Simon Le Bon and the tight Euro-pop rhythms set to a funk beat,'The Reflex' will certainly cause a stir for current fans and it will probably reach a new,more dance oriented crowd." [7]
Main photography of the music video for "The Reflex" took place during the Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,Ontario,Canada,on 5 March 1984. Director Russell Mulcahy filmed some of the close-up footage in the indoor arena that afternoon,and the band's performance was filmed live during that evening's concert. [8]
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 version of a Steve Harley &Cockney Rebel song,recorded 16 November 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London,England,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,California. This is not the same live version that appears on the album Arena (1984).
7":EMI / Duran 2 United Kingdom
12":EMI / 12 Duran 2 United Kingdom
7":Capitol / B-5345 United States
12":Capitol / V-8587 United States
CD:Part of Singles Box Set 1981–1985
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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As of October 2021 [update] , "The Reflex" was the fourth-most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK. [40]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [41] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [42] | Gold | 75,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [44] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions have been recorded by Less Than Jake [45] and the duo of Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee. [46]
A chain of 1980s-themed nightclubs in the UK is named after the song. [47] The Birmingham branch is located directly opposite the former site of the Rum Runner, Duran Duran's early home base. [48] American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle sings an excerpt from the song during a "Stereotype Pixies" sketch from Chappelle's Show . [49]
The song is featured in the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul , "Axe and Grind". [50] It is also on the soundtrack of the 2008 video game Saints Row 2 , on the fictional radio station 107.77 The Mix FM. [51]
The song is used in American Wedding as Stifler and Bear dance-off in a night club.
"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 14 March 1983.
"Somebody's Watching Me" is a song recorded and written by American singer Rockwell, released by the Motown label in December 1983, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name. It features guest vocals by Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson, and Jermaine Jackson performing. The song became a major commercial success internationally, topping the charts in Belgium, France, and Spain, and reaching the top 5 in Canada, West Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. In the UK, it reached No. 6 and is Rockwell's only top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart. Rolling Stone magazine called the song "an international and enduring smash hit that, more than 30 years later, remains the perennial paranoia-rock anthem and Halloween mix go-to song."
Singles Box Set 1981–1985 is a box set by the English pop 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).
"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single.
"No More Lonely Nights" is a song written and performed by Paul McCartney, first released on 24 September 1984 on the album Give My Regards to Broad Street.
"Another Part of Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. Produced by Quincy Jones, it was released as the sixth single on July 11, 1988, for the singer's seventh studio album, Bad (1987). The song was originally featured in Jackson's 1986 3D film Captain EO. It is the sixth song on the album. As with earlier songs in his career such as "Can You Feel It" and "We Are the World", the lyrics emphasize global unity, love and outreach.
"It's My Life" is a song by the English new wave band Talk Talk. Written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, it was the title track on the band's second album, It's My Life (1984), and released as its first single in January 1984. It reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart, but did better in several other countries, reaching number 33 in Germany, number 32 in New Zealand, number 25 in France and number 9 in Italy. It was their only hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31 the weeks of May 19 and 26, 1984; and it peaked at number 30 in Canada. The song also peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
"Addicted to Love" is a song by English rock singer Robert Palmer released in 1986. It is the third song on Palmer's eighth studio album Riptide (1985) and was released as its third single. The single version is a shorter edit of the full-length album version.
"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 (1983). The song was released on 4 May 1983 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, and 8 June 1983 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Celebration" is a 1980 song by American band Kool & the Gang. Released as the first single from their twelfth album, Celebrate! (1980), it was the band's first and only single to reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2016, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 31 January 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. In February 1975, the song reached number one on the UK chart and received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2021. It spent nine weeks in the Top 50, and as of 2015, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The song is one of the most-played songs in British broadcasting history.
"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.
"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 22 October 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"A View to a Kill" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 7 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.
"New Moon on Monday" is the tenth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 23 January 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"Dancing in the Dark" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the first single released ahead from his 1984 album, Born in the U.S.A., and became his biggest hit, helping the album become the best-selling album of his career.
"Self Control" is a song by Italian singer Raf, released in 1984. It was written by Giancarlo Bigazzi, Steve Piccolo and Raf, and arranged by Celso Valli. The track topped the charts in Italy and Switzerland, and started the explosion and dominance of Italo disco-style recordings in continental European charts during the 1980s.
"Automatic" is a song recorded by American vocal group the Pointer Sisters for their tenth studio album Break Out (1983). The song was released by the Planet label on January 13, 1984, as the second single from the album. It was written by Brock Walsh and Mark Goldenberg.
"New Sensation" is a song by Australian rock group INXS. It was the third single released from their sixth studio album, Kick (1987). The music was composed by Andrew Farriss and the lyrics were written by Michael Hutchence. The song features a signature Kirk Pengilly sax solo and lyrics about a partying lifestyle.
"The Riddle" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw, released in 1984 as the lead single from his studio album of the same name. Kershaw described the lyrical content as being nondescript to fill as a "guide vocal" for the production. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top 10 in countries like Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. An accompanying music video was made for the song and features references to Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).
...[Duran Duran] finally got to #1 with the big and overstated dance-pop track "The Reflex".