Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Classically Martin: Tin Tin/Stephen Duffy



There are a lot of things I can say about Mr. Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy. The first thing to note, which isn't obvious from these examples, is his 'lyrical genius.' I don't use the phrase lightly. One of my favorite example phrases comes from "She Makes Me Quiver": "Well, if I can't be debonair, I'll just be gaunt and gothic." Still a lot of cheese on the first album but it was the early 80's. Songs like "World At Large Alone" and "I Love You" are personal favorites (probably to be played at some point on the podcast.) Maybe it is some of the some of the pining and heartbreak found in songs like "Darkest Blues": "A marriage made in heaven, we don't suppose. But, who on Earth informed you, heaven knows. I am the one that you ignore. You are the one that I adore. Won't you come back again..." Or in "But Is It Art": "Can I ever be the one you want? Can I ever be the one you love? What if the tide against us proves too strong? We'll have to wait until it gives enough."



Anyhow, here are the videos for his biggest hit "Kiss Me" and another single, "Icing On The Cake," that came off his 1985 debut album, The Ups And Downs. He also found success with his other band the Lilac Time but will always be known as the original vocalist for... Duran Duran. (Don't hurt your brain trying to place him in their biggest hit videos though. Just doesn't seem right and he left before recording anything.) I think I'm happy things went the way they did, though, as what he recorded may never have seen the light of day. He even recently reunited with Nick Rhodes to record an album under the name, The Devils.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

No offense to this guy but while I like his music and will definitely check him out on Rhapsody I am glad his time with Duran Duran so brief.

LoraLoo said...

"Kiss Me" is one of my favorites... and I like the lyrics you posted from some of his other songs, I will have to check more of his stuff out!

He certainly had the right look to be in early DD but he just isn't Simon...

BeckEye said...

I never listened to any of his music, but I used to read about him all the time in the British mag, Star Hits.

I can't even imagine DD without Simon!