"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

US singles chart The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in ...

and their second to top the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Song history

"The Reflex" became the band's most successful single, topping the UK chart on 5 May 1984. It was their second UK No. 1, after 1983's " Is There Something I Should Know?", and would prove to be their last. 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 This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984. __TOC__ Specific locations *1984 in British music *1984 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1984 in country music * 1984 in heavy metal music * 1984 in hip hop music ...

), and was a huge hit internationally. (Their only other single to hit no. 1 in the US was the title song to the 1985 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 Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

out of the top spot (the other one being

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

's "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

"). The band wanted it to be the lead single from ''Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' (1983), but their label did not 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 An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

'' (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."

Critical reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said that "spotlighting the slick vocals of Simon Le Bon and the tight

Euro-pop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

rhythms set to a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

beat, 'The Reflex' will certainly cause a stir for current fans and it will probably reach a new, more dance oriented crowd."

Music video

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 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario 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. "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 music videos "never be ordinary", the video screen above the stage displayed bits of naked models wearing collars and chains illuminated with

black light A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a sepa ...

, occasionally interrupted by computerized video

white noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines ...

. At one point, a

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

generated waterfall appears to pour out of the video screen above the stage to soak the audience. Keyboard enthusiasts have taken 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) ''Arena (An Absurd Notion)'' is a concept concert video filmed during the course of Duran Duran's 1984 Sing Blue Silver North American Tour in support of the album ''Seven and the Ragged Tiger''. Background Instead of releasing a straight conc ...

'' (1985); 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) "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album ''The Best Years of Our Lives''. The song was written ...

" is a cover version of a Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel song, recorded 16 November 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London, with lead Rebel

Steve Harley Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. E ...

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 album ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

'' (1984).

Formats and track listing

7": EMI. / Duran 2 United Kingdom

#"The Reflex" – 4:20 #"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

#"The Reflex" (Dance Mix) – 6:35 #"The Reflex" " version– 4:20 #"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

#"The Reflex" (The Dance Mix-Edited) – 4:25 #"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

#"The Reflex" (Dance Mix) – 6:35 #"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'' box set

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

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

As of October 2021 "The Reflex" is the fourth most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.

Cover versions

Cover versions have been recorded by Less Than Jake and the duo of

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

and Ben Lee.

Media references

A chain of 1980s-themed nightclubs in the UK is named after the song. The Birmingham branch is located directly opposite the former site of the

Rum Runner Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The t ...

, Duran Duran's early home base. American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle sings an excerpt from the song during a "Stereotype Pixies" sketch from ''

Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were th ...

''. The song is featured in the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul,

Axe and Grind "Axe and Grind" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of ''Breaking Bad''. Actor Giancarlo Esposito directed the episode written by Ariel Levine. The episode aired on May 16, 2022, on ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reflex, The 1983 songs 1984 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Capitol Records singles Cashbox number-one singles Duran Duran songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles EMI Records singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Russell Mulcahy Song recordings produced by Nile Rodgers Songs written by Simon Le Bon Songs written by Nick Rhodes Songs written by Andy Taylor (guitarist) Songs written by John Taylor (bass guitarist) Songs written by Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer) UK Singles Chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles