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From: lo@harvard.ARPA (Bert S.F. Lo)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: (Duran)^2 and lyrics
Message-ID: <136@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 9-Nov-84 20:56:21 EST
Article-I.D.: harvard.136
Posted: Fri Nov  9 20:56:21 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Nov-84 19:53:11 EST
References: <2550@dartvax.UUCP> <3098@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Harvard University
Lines: 63

> >	From: merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant)
> 
> >	Thus, the lyrics are going to be silly...but who cares?
> >	I'm not an amazing Duran Duran fan, I admit, but they 
> >	do write some good danceable stuff and I love to dance.
> >	They aren't trying to write music to make you think,
> >	they are trying to write music that you don't have to
> >	think about.  Personally, after spending a whole day 
> >	working on a procedure, program, document, or whatever
> >	I like to do something that is positively mindless,
> >	whether it's watching Gilligan's Island on TV, going
> >	to see Rocky Horror, or listening to Duran Duran.
> >	--
> >	"I'll do what I want and I'll            Peter Merchant
> >	 do it in my own time." -- Asia
> 
> Why can't you dance to music that doesn't require having a labotomy to
> be able to ignore it's inaneness?  Dance to the B52s, Tom Tom Club,
> Robert Frip, King Crimson, (old) Gang of Four, Beatles, Herbie Hancock,
> Yello, etc.!
> -- 
> 				-Doug Alan
> 				 mit-eddie!nessus
> 				 Nessus@MIT-MC
> 
> 				"What does 'I' mean"?
> 
>  

So what you're saying is that you should only dance to music that is "not
inane", disregarding the fact that the best dance music is usually inane.
And all this time I thought dance music was music to dance to. Obviously,
we're not supposed to dance to music that makes us want to dance, only to
music that makes us want to dance and is somehow "relevant" (I'm not sure
what you'd call it, Doug).

Get off your high horse, Doug! Dance to what makes your body move, instead
of what someone calls "intelligent" music. I dance to Duran Duran, A Flock
Of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Ministry, OMD, Bronski Beat ... So some of it's
stupid. So what? So some of it's not. So what?

As for just listening, I like the same artists. The music is what matters
most to me. Lyrics are sort of secondary but not entirely. If there is an
aural effect to how the words are used, even though they mean nothing, OK
This is how the lyrics to Duran Duran's songs strike me.  If the words do
have a meaning, OK. I'll listen to them, maybe think about them.  But I'm
not going to slag any group just because the lyrics do/don't have meaning

Why didn't anyone complain when ABC hit with "The Look Of Love (Part 1)",
or A Flock Of Seagulls with "I Ran (So Far Away)", or Spandau Ballet with
"True"? These groups all had chart success with songs that you'd call in-
ane. But, of course, they didn't go on to sell many many more records and
become teenybopper idols. Is that the problem? If so, complain about that
If not, then why pick on Duran Duran's music now?

By the way, if you want to get elitist about your music, you should start
picking on Frankie Goes To Hollywood.  After all, they're selling so many
records and T's. They're bound to be the next pretty boys of music.

_________________________Bert S.F. Lo (lo@harvard.ARPA)_________________________

           "The wild boys are calling on their way back from the fire
            An August moon surrenders to the dustcloud on the rise"