Artist: Duran Duran
Original Artist: Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel (linked below)
Title: Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
Lyrics:
There ain't no more, you've taken everything
From my belief in Mother Earth
Can you ignore my faith in everything
'Cause I know what faith is and what it's worth
Can you ignore my faith in everything
'Cause I know what faith is and what it's worth
Why?: The first time I heard this song was when I was 13 years old, and just diving into Duran Duran's extensive back library in 1988. Recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon in 1982 and released as a B-side to The Reflex 12" single I did not quite realise for about ten minutes that this was even a cover... and then I read the label on my newly acquired vinyl.
I had no idea who Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were at the time. Remember, this was pre-internet so it was quite some time before I found a used tape with the original song on it and I fully admit, I did not like the original version. I was still honing my musical chops and still sweet on 80s synth pop (and still am). So this was the furthest from what I was listening to at the time. It would be many years before I finally began to appreciate the original version, but Duran Duran's cover remains my favourite. I can't answer exactly why Duran Duran's version gave me (still gives me) goosebumps. I think something about how it sounded like a Duran Duran song (to me) but markedly different. It gave me this enormous feeling of nostalgia, even though, at 14, what the heck did I have in life experiences to make me feel that level of nostalgia? But that's what I felt. Simon leBon's voice gave me the kind of shivers and goosebumps when I was a teenager that Mark Hollis' voice does to me now. Having brought up Duran Duran's version of song after many years of not hearing it, I giggled and was awed by it once again. I'm still a Duranie at heart. That's never going to change.
Linked below, the original Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel version and BONUS: Erasure's version (which I also enjoyed) from their cover album Other People's Songs complete with their accompanying weirdly wonderful video.
Hi, it's viewfromnowhen here :) You expressed it perfectly well - I don't know why but Duran Duran's version of Come Up And See Me always makes me nostalgic for something I didn't really experience... Is that even possible? It seems so! Simon's voice is very special indeed - a whole different experience from Mark's voice, but still poignant and infinitely expressive in its own right.
ReplyDeleteHiya! Good to see you here! Thanks for your comments! I'm happy to see my point got across. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who feels that way sometimes. It's weird, isn't it how that works, eh? At 14 this song made me feel old, but happy and a bit melancholic all at once. Cheers VeroDM! :)
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