Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 59

Arcadia - "Election Day"



(Single Release: October 1985)
And here we have the second side of the story, the embittered half of the relationship, if you will. Some half-a-year plus after The Power Station hit the charts, those left in the wreckage of the relationship that was Duran Duran were left to pick up the pieces and try to convince their absent partners that they could date around, too. Consisting of singer Simon LeBon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and drummer Roger Taylor, Arcadia was the yin to the Power Station's yang. Whereas the PS veered off into a different direction, guided by two members from Chic, Arcadia was resolute to continue making music in the tradition of their old union. It was as if they were in severe denial about the breakup, refusing to move on, insisting that it wasn't really over. Even the cover for their one album release, So Red the Rose, is somewhat reminiscent of Rio, with a stylized portraiture of an attractive and exotic woman. It's Jean Cocteau vs. Nagel. It has been said that the title of the album is almost a palindrome. I hate to break it to you, but almosta palindrome isn't anything. It's like when my friend, Brian, used to remark upon close calls such as this and insist that you read it "sideways." The album was successful, going platinum, which is certainly huge by today's dismal sales standards. Even by standards back then, Duran Duran had never gone beyond platinum, but the first three DD records had reached the top ten in the UK and US, while Arcadia only got as high as 23. That must be why Nick Rhodes called the two side projects "commercial suicide." Pfft. I know. Total failures, right? (Sarcasm). The truth is, Arcadia was not a failure per se, but instead merely an extension of the original band, with a few pretty darn great songs. "Election Day" is the short-lived trio's most popular single and it is easy to hear why. Dynamic synthesizers back up Simon LeBon's signature vocals that are highlighted with processed punctuating horns and a memorable chorus, as well as, wait for it, a spoken word section by Grace Jones! As I mentioned yesterday, however, the lyrics are a bit byzantine and strange, bordering on nonsensical, at least as compared to the songs penned by their departed partners. I can't say that I like Arcadia more than any of the first three Duran Duran albums, but it is still enjoyable.