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1992 single by Duran Duran From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Ordinary World" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 19 December 1992 by Capitol as the first single from their second self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. It was later released in the UK by EMI and Parlophone on 18 January 1993.[4] The ballad, both written by the band and co-produced with John Jones, topped the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number two in Iceland and Sweden, and number six on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Nick Egan and filmed in California.
| "Ordinary World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Duran Duran | ||||
| from the album Duran Duran | ||||
| B-side | "My Antarctica" | |||
| Released | 19 December 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Soft rock[1][2] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Duran Duran | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Ordinary World" on YouTube | ||||
The song was nominated for Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in May 1994. Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon sang the song with Luciano Pavarotti at a benefit concert for War Child. "Ordinary World" remains one of Duran Duran's most popular songs and, in October 2021, was their second-most streamed song in the UK.[5]
The song was apparently leaked to a Florida radio station prior to its release. Their label had no choice but to move up the release date due to the positive reception it received.[6][7][8]
The keyboards in the song were arranged and performed by Nick Rhodes and John Jones. The drums were played by Steve Ferrone at Maison Rouge. The guitar solo that characterises this song was arranged and performed by Warren Cuccurullo, former player with Frank Zappa. His instrumental rock trio version became a staple of his solo shows and was included on one of his solo albums "Roadrage". Le Bon noted the song lyrics are about "trying to get over the death of a best friend. And putting it into words freed me, absolutely. It really worked for me emotionally and mentally. Everyone who heard it could apply it to something in their life, but for a different reason."[9]
Le Bon later performed the song with Luciano Pavarotti at a WarChild benefit.[10]
In July 2022, the band performed the song at the closing of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. [11]
On stage, during the 2023 tour, Le Bon introduced the song stating enigmatically that it had "saved the life of the band".[12]
The group wanted to have the time to be creative without spending hundreds of thousands of pounds in a studio. They asked me if I thought we could make a record in a living room. My response was that we certainly could.[13]
– John Jones, April 1993
In early 1991, Duran Duran began working on "Ordinary World" in guitarist Warren Cuccurullo's home studio "Privacy", a departure from their usual practice of recording in expensive commercial studios.[13] According to bassist John Taylor, this marked the first time the band entered the studio with most of the material already written and arranged, rather than composing during the recording process.[13] This shift allowed them to work without the pressure of studio time constraints.[13]
The writing process began with a simple acoustic guitar demo.[13] As Simon Le Bon recalls, the band quickly developed the song's chorus, and the rest of the composition came together within days.[13] The song's theme, inspired by the phrase "ordinary world," reflects the band's search for normalcy in a chaotic world.[13] The demo, featuring basic instruments like a drum machine, bass, keyboard pads, and vocals, was recorded in a couple of passes.[13] The band then began refining the demo, intentionally keeping some rough edges to shape the final version.[13]
Once the basic structure was established, the band entered the recording phase.[13] The process was highly collaborative, with all members contributing ideas and sounds in real time.[13] Cuccurullo added a prominent guitar part on his Steinberger guitar, while Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes contributed textures with synthesisers, including the Roland D50.[13]
The production team, led by engineer and producer John Jones, worked primarily in digital formats, using an Akai MG1214 console, along with the Atari ST and Notator sequencing software.[13] This setup allowed for efficient synchronisation of their ideas and helped the band experiment with different textures and arrangements.[13] The recording environment was fluid, with the band revisiting earlier ideas and adjusting the track as it evolved.[13]
As the song began to take shape, the band moved on to overdubbing.[13] The main additions included bass guitar and lead vocals.[13] The vocal recording process was organic, with Le Bon standing in the centre of the room while the band provided input and harmonies.[13] The lead vocals were recorded in multiple passes, with Le Bon emphasising the importance of timing over perfect tuning.[13] He explained that "flat singing" gave the track a laid-back and natural sound, which became a defining feature of the song.[13]
Session musicians also played a role in the recording process, particularly drummer Steve Ferrone.[13] The band initially created a drum machine rhythm at Privacy Studios but later decided to use live drums recorded by Ferrone at Maison Rouge Studios in London.[13] To integrate Ferrone's live drums with the pre-recorded tracks, the band mixed down the existing elements, transferred the mix to an Akai DD1000 digital disk recorder, and synchronised it to a timecode.[13] This ensured the live drums fit perfectly with the pre-recorded material.[13]
After the bulk of the recording was completed, the song entered the mixing stage.[13] Initially, the band attempted to mix the track themselves using a combination of home studio equipment and a newly installed DDA DMR12 desk.[13] However, after realizing they weren't capturing the desired sound, they sought professional help.[13] International efforts were made by Steve MacMillion in the U.S., Jones and Dee Long in the UK, and even Queen's producer David Richards in Switzerland, but none of the mixes satisfied the band.[13]
Eventually, the band turned to David Leonard at Townhouse Studios in London, whose mix was initially chosen for release.[13] However, Richards, who had worked on some of their earlier material, listened to Leonard's mix and decided to try another version.[13] The band preferred this version, which became the final mix used for the single and included on the album.[13]
In a retrospective review of "Ordinary World", AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song for having what he described as "a warm ballad feel, matching elegant verses full of entrancing repeating-note hooks with a rousing chorus built on soaring runs of ascending notes." Guarisco described Simon Le Bon's vocal as being "rich in emotion but tastefully restrained".[14] Upon the release, J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun said the success of "Ordinary World" "is nothing short of miraculous — who'd have thought these pretty boys would still be producing memorable singles at this stage of the game?"[15] The Independent praised it as "a classic of transcendent beauty".[16] Cathi Unsworth from Melody Maker declared it as "as sober, melancholy and absurdly touching as you might expect". She added, "Duran Duran lurk in the shadow between the bright lights of now and then. Some of you might find the idea of the pampered, rich, porky Simon Le Bon detailing the world's injustices a mite unpalatable, but somehow the fat boy sounds neither pompous nor patronising, just down on his luck and depressed."[17]
Tony Fletcher for Newsday stated that the "excellently crafted" ballad shows the group "to be capable of delivering the goods. And as an added irony for a band that was introduced by MTV when radio wouldn't touch it, this particular song exploded across radio's many formats before a video was even made."[18] Ann Powers from New York Times declared it as "a smooth yet pathos-ridden ballad".[19] Sam Wood from Philadelphia Inquirer called it a "sober ballad".[20] Andrea Odintz from Rolling Stone felt the "dreamy" song "achieves the almost spiritual effects" of Duran Duran's 1982 hit "Save a Prayer".[21] Peter Howell from Toronto Star remarked that the "ethereal" debut single "has all the earmarks of an unstoppable radio hit".[22] Mark Jenkins from The Washington Post found that such ballads as "Ordinary World" "achieve melodic sufficiency".[23]
The accompanying music video for "Ordinary World" was directed by British director Nick Egan at Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California, and the song later featured in the soundtrack to the film Layer Cake in 2004. The music video was nominated for MTV’s Best Cinematography in a Video in 1993.[24]
The music video for "Ordinary World" centers around a woman in a white dress; she is seen attending a photoshoot and exploring the surreal, dreamlike landscape of Huntington Gardens while switching to Simon Le Bon and the band's other members performing the song in a studio. Wedding photos of the members' parents, also featured on the album cover, are shown in the video.
"Ordinary World" is one of two Cuccurullo-era songs ("Come Undone" being the other) during Duran Duran's reunion tour with Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor. Cuccurullo was brought in to teach Andy Taylor how to play it.[citation needed]
"My Antarctica", a song from the band's previous album Liberty, featured as the main B-side of the "Ordinary World" single.
Many other older singles were also used as B-sides. To capitalise on the success of "Ordinary World" and the new Duran Duran fans it was finding, EMI used the single's release to lure these new fans to the band's back catalogue. This mini-Decade was spread over the two CD singles released during the campaign.
There were several other versions of "Ordinary World" released:[25]
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Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[71] sales since 2009 |
Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[72] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[73] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[74] | Gold | 500,000[75] |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Ordinary World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Aurora featuring Naimee Coleman | ||||
| from the album Dreaming | ||||
| B-side | "Hear You Calling" (remix) | |||
| Released | 11 September 2000[78] | |||
| Genre | Trance[79] | |||
| Length | 4:26 | |||
| Label | Positiva | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Aurora singles chronology | ||||
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British electronic music group Aurora released a trance version of "Ordinary World" featuring Irish singer-songwriter Naimee Coleman in 2000. This version, released on 11 September that year, charted at No. 5 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in Ireland, and No. 47 in Germany. In the United States, it appeared on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at No. 37 in June 2001.
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