Trollheart

Sometimes songs are written about odd or unusual subjects, or take strange topics for their lyric. The last time out we looked at Peter Shelley’s “Love me love my dog” which, while an odd song, at least makes a very basic sense. Occasionally though, there are songs written than seem not to make any sense, at least to me. This is one of them.

The Reflex --- Duran Duran --- 1984 (EMI)

I mean, really, does anyone know what Simon LeBon is talking about here? The reflex? What reflex? ”The reflex is a lonely child/ Who's waiting by the park”? Huh? I always took it to mean sort of the idea of love or sex, the urge to, you know, do “it”. But now I start to think about it I wonder what in the hell are they talking about? Is it just a nonsense lyric or is there some explanation in there for what the “reflex” is supposed to be? Perhaps there is, but it’s never mentioned or clarified in the lyric, and of course the record-buying sheep just bought this single and sent it to number one, probably because it was Duran Duran and at the time they could do no wrong, having had several top five and some number one hits in the eighties. But their overall commercial appeal was coming to an end at this point, and by 1986 they would be largely forgotten about, with their last major hit single a Bond theme.

But I don’t say this to slag off Duran Duran. I don’t particularly have anything against them, though young Trollheart sneered at and hated them. I still don’t like them but must admit to humming the odd tune. If a band is going to write a hit single though I think it’s incumbent upon them to have it make some sort of sense. The fact that nobody, so far as I know, queried what the lyric was about, shows to me the general apathy and lack of interest in actual songs by the general public, and more emphasis --- too much perhaps --- simply on the fact that it was a “good tune”. And also that it was Duran Duran.

But it remains a mystery to me, and I would wonder if anyone can enlighten me. ”Why-y-y-y- don’t you use it?” asked Le Bon, to which I reply, shrugging, “cos I don’t know what the hell “it” is!”

"The Reflex.
The Reflex.
The Reflex.

You've gone too far this time
And I'm dancing on the valentine.
I tell you somebody's fooling around
With my chances on the danger line.
I'll cross that bridge when I find it;
Another day
To make my stand.
High time is no time for deciding
If I should find a helping hand.

Why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it?
Buy time don't lose it.

Why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it?
Buy time don't lose it.

The reflex is a lonely child
Who's waiting by the park.
The reflex is a door to finding
Treasure in the dark.
And watching over lucky clover
Isn't that bizarre?
Every little thing the reflex does
Must be answered with a question mark.

I'm on a ride and I want to get off
But they won't slow down the round-about.
I sold the radio and T.V. set
Don't want to be around when this gets out.

Why don't you use it?

The reflex is a lonely child
Who's waiting by the park.
The reflex is a door to finding
Treasure in the dark.
And watching over lucky clover
Isn't that bizarre?
Every little thing the reflex does
Must be answered with a question mark.

Why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it?
Buy time don't lose it.

The reflex is a lonely child
Who's waiting by the park.
The reflex is a door to finding
Treasure in the dark.
And watching over lucky clover
Isn't that bizarre?
Every little thing the reflex does
Must be answered with a question mark."

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018