Did you know this?

Found this little pearl of wisdom on a BBC website.


Duran Duran's "Save A Prayer" was released in August 1982 and became the highest charting song from their immensely successful second album Rio. It was held to the number 2 slot in the UK charts by Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". In March 1983, the band bagged their first #1 with "Is There Something I Should Know" and their success continued into the early 90s.

The quintessentially 80s sound of this ballad was courtesy of keyboard player Nick Rhodes who'd spent the afternoon playing about on some new synths in a small room of the Rumrunner club in Birmingham where the band had regularly played in the early days of their career.

By the time singer Simon Le Bon got to the rehearsal room, the music for the verse had written itself. Simon immediately set to work on the melody and the chorus which was a variation on a melody of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind".

I didn't know this. Thanks.
(Message #400)

[brink]

I don't think I have ever heard this song, does it sound a lot like IYCRMM?

[Borderstone]

"Save A Prayer" is on Duran Duran's "Rio" LP,which I have a copy of. It was overlooked as a single in '83 but was later released as a "keep the fans interested" single in 1985. It reached the upper top 30 on the pop carts. I've heard it for 18 years now and I don't hear any similarities whatsoever between the two. Their song,while interestingly dramatic,is so slow that it would be very hard to tell. I guess I'll check it out further when I go home. Then I can say for sure. 'Til then,it's been me,later!

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Borderstone - AZ's answer to GL! (but what was the question?)

[johnfowles]

OK Guess what Walter
I just found the same statement about Duran Duran on the BBC site
plus a link to a very short clip of the offending song:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonso...p_duran_ra.ram



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My Gordon Lightfoot webring
starts at
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfoot

[Borderstone]

I can't believe I forgot to get back to thisa question! Ooops! I did go home and listen that day and I have to tell you,I don't hear any similarity what-so-ever. Must just be me!!

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Borderstone,gonna post some lines tonight!

P.S.-John,I listened to the real player bit. That's not even Duran Duran! Must be a cover version or else it's playing funny. Still,I don't hear it being similar at all.

[This message has been edited by Borderstone (edited February 10, 2004).]

[Mair]

Strangely enough, I was listening to both these songs - both rather obsessively at the time - in the early eighties, often in close succession, and it never occurred to me once that there was any connection at all. If there is any smilarity I'd like to think, under those circumstances, that I would have noticed!

This link should clear up any doubts on this subject.

Fingers crossed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonso...h/ram/sap1.ram

[Borderstone]

Hi Rick. Well,no doubt about it,now that i heard (I believe) Simon Lebon (second person talking) say for himself that,"It was a song in the early Seventies by Gordon Lightfoot (he thinks a moment)"If You Could Read My Mind".

LeBon then does Gordon's melody and then shows the changed up difference in their song. If I hadn't seen that,I'd have never guessed it. Once again,I've heard "Save A Prayer" for "now" 19 years (when it was released in '85 as an interm single) and I knew I liked it more than other D.D. hits for some reason! Now I know why. I also like it because it wasn't annoying like,"The Reflex"!

I don't think it was an all out attempt to steal the melody or song because,for what they were from '82 to '85,I think they're more talented than that. I wouldn't put it up there with "The Greatest Love Of All" where there's no doubt it was "stolen".

Hey John F. I never did give this topic another look until today,so I had no idea you had already found the same site as Rick.
Congrats. to you both!

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." - Borderstone

[This message has been edited by Borderstone (edited August 20, 2004).]