Week One Hundred and Three: Duran Duran - "Electric Barbarella" - Greatest

"Electric Barbarella" was one of Duran Duran's later hits from their 1997 album Medazzaland, which means that many of the members of the band had already quit by this point, including the beloved bass player, John Taylor. (I'll explain more about why I've specifically mentioned him in just a minute...)

There were many people who were vehemently opposed to the new dance-pop direction they took with this one. However, I loved it!!! In fact, if you recall from the George Gimarc Post Punk Diary scan that I included on Monday, the band took their name from the 1968 film, Barbarella, and this was a direct tribute to that.

Now, the reason that I mentioned John Taylor was because once he left Duran Duran, he launched an acting career and appeared in the 1999 film, Sugar Town - I've included a scan of my copy on VHS below:

It's actually a very entertaining film, and John Taylor does an amazing job in the role of Clive. If you ever get an opportunity to see it, I highly encourage you to do so!!! I'll also take you into the weekend with another favorite Duran Duran hit called "Is There Something I Should Know?"; however, they have so many additional songs worth checking out, so please take some time and find them on YouTube or whatever other musical source(s) you have!!!

But before I go, I need to make one final Duran Duran mention in the form of Rob Sheffield's book, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut. I have to offer you the stock photo that I snagged off Google Images because I borrowed this one from my local library last summer --- remember to go get your very own library card...all the cool kids are doing it!!! This was such a quick and fun read, and Rob Sheffield is such an amazing author. You might remember that I had an entire week dedicated to his other book, Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time...

I knew when I first saw you on the showroom floor

You were made for me

I took you home and dressed you up in polyester

Princess of my dreams

Emotionless and cold as ice

All of the things I like

The way you look 

The way you move

The sound you're makin'

In ultra-chrome, latex and steel

I plug you in 

Dim the lights

Electric Barbarella

Your perfect skin

Plastic kiss

Electric Barbarella

Try to resist

Then we touch

Hallucinate and tranquilize

(she's so fine)

(she's all mine)

Our private life is subject to investigation

No time to waste

People say they heard about our deviation

But you never looked so good

Wear the fake fur and fake pearls for me

And put on your mystery

The way I feel you know 

I'll never keep you waiting

In ultra-chrome, latex and steel

I plug you in 

Dim the lights

Electric Barbarella

Your perfect skin

Plastic kiss

Electric Barbarella

Try to resist

Then we touch

Hallucinate and tranquilize

Princess of my dreams

Princess of my dreams

Major domo plasticomo Barbarella

(She's so fine)

Pro-genetic you Electric Barbarella

(She's all mine)

My pretty pretty pretty pretty Barbarella