"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by the English

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band

Duran Duran 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 (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

, released on 16 April 1984. The song was heavily remixed by

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

and Jason Corsaro for the single release. It 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. On ''Billboard'''s chart, it also became the first of two songs blocking

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

's " Dancing in the Dark" from reaching number one (along with

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. The ...

'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 ...

").

Song history

Producer Ian Little recalled the sound that

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates; 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member and the keyboardist of the band Duran Duran. He has also been the only constant member of the group since their 1978 ...

played on his

Roland Jupiter-8 The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981. The Jupiter-8 was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980s. Approximately 3,300 units have ...

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'', is 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 online ...

'' wrote: "Spotlighting the slick vocals of

Simon Le Bon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is an English singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Briti ...

and the tight Euro-pop 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 ...

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 Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...

in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 5 March 1984. Director

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director of film, television, and music videos. He began his career directing music videos for artists like Elton John and Duran Duran, before making his feature directorial debut with the ...

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.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

In addition to the 4:26 single remix, the 12" also includes 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 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 writte ...

" is a cover version of a

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were an English rock band who formed in the early 1970s in London. Their music covered a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years, they have had five albums on the UK Albums Chart and twelve s ...

song, recorded 16 November 1982 at

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...

in London, England, with lead Rebel

Steve Harley Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice (27 February 1951 – 17 March 2024), known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock music, rock group Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Cockney Rebel. The band achieved ...

joining the band onstage. A second live B-side released on the U.S. single, "New Religion", was recorded on 7 February 1984 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. This is not the same live version that appears on the album ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

'' (1984).

Formats and track listings

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 / 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" version is the same version as the regular 7". 12": Capitol / V-8587 United States #"The Reflex" (dance mix) – 6:35 #"The Reflex" (the dance mix—edited) – 4:25 CD: Part of '' Singles Box Set 1981–1985'' #"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

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

, "The Reflex" was the fourth-most

streamed Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downloadin ...

Duran Duran song in the UK.

Certifications and sales

Cover versions

Cover versions have been recorded by

Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Buddy Schaub (trombone), Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxophone) and Matt Yonker ...

and the duo of

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

and

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He app ...

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. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smuggl ...

, Duran Duran's early home base. American standup comedian

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...

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 ...

''. The song is featured in the sixth episode of the sixth season of ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'', " Axe and Grind". It appears in the soundtrack of the 2008 video game ''

Saints Row 2 ''Saints Row 2'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It is the sequel to 2006's '' Saints Row'' and the second installment in the ''Saints Row'' series. The game was released in October 2008 for the Pla ...

'' on the fictional radio station 107.77 The Mix FM. The song is used in ''American Wedding'' as Stifler and Bear compete in a danceoff in a night club.

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 Music videos shot in Toronto