The Reflex

"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released in 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983). The single became the band's first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to top the UK Singles Chart.

Song history
"The Reflex" became the band's most successful single, topping the UK chart on 5 May 1984. It was their second UK No. 1, after 1983's "Is There Something I Should Know?", and would prove to be their last. The single entered the charts in America on 21 April 1984 at No. 46, became Duran Duran's first of two singles to hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (2 weeks) on 23 June 1984, and was a huge hit internationally. (Their only other single to hit No. 1 in the US was the title song to the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.) It was also the first of two songs that kept "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen out of the top spot (the other one being Prince's "When Doves Cry"). The band wanted it to be the lead single from Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), but their label did not like the warbling singing during the "why don't you use it" segments, thinking this would hinder its success as a stand-alone single track.

The remixes for both the 7" and 12" singles were created by Nile Rodgers, of Chic fame. It was his first work with the band, and he would go on to produce "The Wild Boys" single as well as the album Notorious (1986) and several tracks on Astronaut (2004).

Producer Ian Little recalled the sound Nick Rhodes came up with on his Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard: "...whenever I hear that steel-drum part it always brings a smile to my face because it's so out of tune. Steel drums always are, but it was exactly right in terms of rhythm and tone. So a wood-block sound was mixed in to make it even more percussive and, successfully, it did the job."

The song was interpreted as being about ejaculation, and when asked about it by WWDC's Elliot in the Morning in 2000, Le Bon confirmed it by joking about the scene in the music video showing a wave of water splashing in a woman's face.

Critical reception
Cash Box said, "Spotlighting the slick vocals of Simon Le Bon and the tight Euro-pop rhythms set to a funk beat, 'The Reflex' will certainly cause a stir for current fans and it will probably reach a new, more dance oriented crowd."

Music video
Main photography of the music video for "The Reflex" took place during the Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on 5 March 1984. Director Russell Mulcahy filmed some of the close-up footage in the indoor arena that afternoon, and the band's performance was filmed live during that evening's concert.

"The Reflex" is primarily a concert video, accurately portraying Duran Duran's performance style during the Sing Blue Silver tour. However, in keeping with the band's insistence that their music videos "never be ordinary", the video screen above the stage displayed bits of naked models wearing collars and chains illuminated with black light, occasionally interrupted by computerized video white noise. At one point, a computer graphics–generated waterfall appears to pour out of the video screen above the stage to soak the audience.

Keyboard enthusiasts have taken note of the Fairlight CMI (the first digital sampling synthesiser) that Rhodes operated with a light pen in this video, and throughout the tour.

Some symbolic scenes from the official video were taken and later mixed with the alternate version shown in the band's concert film Arena (An Absurd Notion) (1985), in the final segment when the band, the crowd and the fans undertake the final and crucial battle against the evil Dr. Durand Durand.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes
In addition to the 4:26 single remix, the 12" also included an extended remix of "The Reflex". The live B-side "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a cover version of a Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel song, recorded 16 November 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London, England, with lead Rebel Steve Harley joining the band onstage.

A second live B-side released on the US single, "New Religion", was recorded 7 February 1984 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. This is not the same live version that appears on the album Arena (1984).

Formats and track listings
7": EMI / Duran 2 United Kingdom 12": EMI / 12 Duran 2 United Kingdom 7": Capitol / B-5345 United States 12": Capitol / V-8587 United States CD: Part of Singles Box Set 1981–1985
 * 1) "The Reflex" – 4:20
 * 2) "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (live) – 4:54 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 16 November 1982)
 * 1) "The Reflex" (dance mix) – 6:35
 * 2) "The Reflex" [7" version] – 4:20
 * 3) "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (live) – 4:54 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 16 November 1982)
 * 1) "The Reflex" (the dance mix—edited) – 4:25
 * 2) "New Religion" (live in L.A.) – 4:52 (recorded live at the Forum, Los Angeles, 7 February 1984)
 * The "dance mix—edited" version is the same version as the regular 7".
 * 1) "The Reflex" (dance mix) – 6:35
 * 2) "The Reflex" (the dance mix—edited) – 4:25
 * 1) "The Reflex" – 4:20
 * 2) "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (live) – 4:54 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 16 November 1982)
 * 3) "The Reflex" (dance mix) – 6:35

Year-end charts
, "The Reflex" was the fourth-most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.

Cover versions
Cover versions have been recorded by Less Than Jake and the duo of Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee.

Media references
A chain of 1980s-themed nightclubs in the UK is named after the song. The Birmingham branch is located directly opposite the former site of the Rum Runner, Duran Duran's early home base. American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle sings an excerpt from the song during a "Stereotype Pixies" sketch from Chappelle's Show.

The song is featured in the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, "Axe and Grind". It is also on the soundtrack of the 2008 video game Saints Row 2, on the fictional radio station 107.77 The Mix FM.

The song is used in American Wedding as Stifler and Bear dance-off in a night club.