dark horse

I have always had a fascination with pop music from the UK. I don’t know why, but I have always found the American version to be a pale imitation. I used to follow the British singles chart like a sport fan tracking his football scores. Back in the day, I used to make the pilgrimage to my local library to read the Hits Of The World in Billboard Magazine. Not long ago, I used to have the top secret midweek charts forwarded to my personal in-box. Now, I can monitor the overseas situation with a click of the button. But I lost faith in the general public of England and their musical taste years ago. I am aware that the marketing of an pop act is the primary factor in scoring a big hit. I know that the fickle finger of fate can end an artists career without mercy or reason. And the majority of my favorite tracks have been cruelly ignored by modern consumers. But I love the horse race aspect of following Top of The Pops in all its tacky glory. I have a reputation for listening to bright shiny artifacts. God knows, I have been known to indulge in plenty of guilty pleasures in my CD collection. But I actually prefer dark, electronic music. I am a fan of the more experimental period in a pop stars body of work. There comes a point in a musician’s career where they no longer attempt to crash the top ten. Chalk it up to new-found maturity or financial independence, but the group decides to take the musical road less traveled. The bargain bins are littered with this type of risk-taking, but it often produces a minor masterpiece. The recording industry has a habit of whipping these mavericks back into submission. This usually results in the band backtracking and making an desperate plea for attention with their next release. Like, recording an entire album with Justin Timber-lake! Regardless, Duran Duran were going through an experimental phase with the release of this haunting ballad. This song marks the final chapter in a trilogy of tracks about Simon’s dead friend David Miles. And the video is suitably Gothic, as it was filmed in a famous castle in the Czech Republic. If you didn’t know better, this could pass for Smashing Pumpkins!