"Ordinary World" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 19 December 1992 by Capitol as the first single from their second self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. It was later released in the UK by EMI and Parlophone on 18 January 1993. The ballad, both written by the band and co-produced with John Jones, topped the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number two in Iceland and Sweden, and number six on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Nick Egan and filmed in California. The song was nominated for Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in May 1994. Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon sang the song with Luciano Pavarotti at a benefit concert for War Child. "Ordinary World" remains one of Duran Duran's most popular songs and, in October 2021, was their second-most streamed song in the UK.

Background

The song was apparently leaked to a Florida radio station prior to its release. Their label had no choice but to move up the release date due to the positive reception it received. The keyboards in the song were arranged and performed by Nick Rhodes and John Jones. The drums were played by Steve Ferrone at Maison Rouge. The guitar solo that characterises this song was arranged and performed by Warren Cuccurullo, former player with Frank Zappa. His instrumental rock trio version became a staple of his solo shows and was included on one of his solo albums "Roadrage". Le Bon noted the song lyrics are about "trying to get over the death of a best friend. And putting it into words freed me, absolutely. It really worked for me emotionally and mentally. Everyone who heard it could apply it to something in their life, but for a different reason." Le Bon later performed the song with Luciano Pavarotti at a WarChild benefit. In July 2022, the band performed the song at the closing of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. On stage, during the 2023 tour, Le Bon introduced the song stating enigmatically that it had "saved the life of the band".

Development and recording

Pre-production and writing process

In early 1991, Duran Duran began working on "Ordinary World" in guitarist Warren Cuccurullo's home studio "Privacy", a departure from their usual practice of recording in expensive commercial studios. According to bassist John Taylor, this marked the first time the band entered the studio with most of the material already written and arranged, rather than composing during the recording process. This shift allowed them to work without the pressure of studio time constraints. The writing process began with a simple acoustic guitar demo. As Simon Le Bon recalls, the band quickly developed the song's chorus, and the rest of the composition came together within days. The song's theme, inspired by the phrase "ordinary world," reflects the band's search for normalcy in a chaotic world. The demo, featuring basic instruments like a drum machine, bass, keyboard pads, and vocals, was recorded in a couple of passes. The band then began refining the demo, intentionally keeping some rough edges to shape the final version.

Recording process

Once the basic structure was established, the band entered the recording phase. The process was highly collaborative, with all members contributing ideas and sounds in real time. Cuccurullo added a prominent guitar part on his Steinberger guitar, while keyboardist Nick Rhodes contributed textures with synthesisers, including the Roland D50. The production team, led by engineer and producer John Jones, worked primarily in digital formats, using an Akai MG1214 console, along with the Atari ST and Notator sequencing software. This setup allowed for efficient synchronisation of their ideas and helped the band experiment with different textures and arrangements. The recording environment was fluid, with the band revisiting earlier ideas and adjusting the track as it evolved.

Overdubs and vocal recording

As the song began to take shape, the band moved on to overdubbing. The main additions included bass guitar and lead vocals. The vocal recording process was organic, with Le Bon standing in the centre of the room while the band provided input and harmonies. The lead vocals were recorded in multiple passes, with Le Bon emphasising the importance of timing over perfect tuning. He explained that "flat singing" gave the track a laid-back and natural sound, which became a defining feature of the song. Session musicians also played a role in the recording process, particularly drummer Steve Ferrone. The band initially created a drum machine rhythm at Privacy Studios but later decided to use live drums recorded by Ferrone at Maison Rouge Studios in London. To integrate Ferrone's live drums with the pre-recorded tracks, the band mixed down the existing elements, transferred the mix to an Akai DD1000 digital disk recorder, and synchronised it to a timecode. This ensured the live drums fit perfectly with the pre-recorded material. After completing the live drum recordings, the band and Jones continued refining the track's remaining elements. Rhodes and Jones worked on perfecting the string and keyboard parts at Maison Rouge, making final adjustments to the arrangements. Additional tweaks to the drum and acoustic guitar parts were made using the Akai DD1000.

Mixing

After the bulk of the recording was completed, the song entered the mixing stage. Initially, the band attempted to mix the track themselves using a combination of home studio equipment and a newly installed DDA DMR12 desk. However, after realising they weren't capturing the desired sound, they sought professional help. International efforts were made by Steve MacMillion in the U.S., Jones and Dee Long in the UK, and even Queen's producer David Richards in Switzerland, but none of the mixes satisfied the band. Eventually, the band turned to David Leonard at Townhouse Studios in London, whose mix was initially chosen for release. However, Richards, who had worked on some of their earlier material, listened to Leonard's mix and decided to try another version. The band preferred this version, which became the final mix used for the single and included on the album.

Lyrics

The lyrics of "Ordinary World" address themes of grief, resilience, and the search for normalcy following personal loss. Written by Simon Le Bon, the song reflects his emotional response to the death of his close friend David Miles, who passed away from a drug overdose in 1986. It is the second of three Duran Duran songs Le Bon wrote about Miles, following "Do You Believe in Shame?" from Big Thing (1988) and preceding "Out of My Mind" from Medazzaland (1997). Le Bon stated that it's about "somebody who feels that he's suddenly woken up in a bit of a crazy world and wants to regain the ordinary world that he once knew—something that he can recognise and feel comfortable with". Kristi York Wooten of Paste described the lyrics as a "desire to find normalcy after the shock and grief of loss". According to Al Melchior of American Songwriter, the lyrics express the depth of Le Bon's sorrow while maintaining a sense of hope for eventual healing. Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic observed that the lyrics of "Ordinary World" portray a man coping with the pain of a breakup by reconnecting with the outside world. He also highlighted that it adopts a straightforward and mature tone, differing sharply from the vibrant and playful language found in earlier hits like "The Reflex". Structured with vivid imagery in the verses, an introspective pre-chorus, and a hopeful chorus, the song's lyrics progress through emotional stages of grief and resilience. The opening lines "Came in from a rainy Thursday / On the avenue / Thought I heard you talking softly" set the song with vivid imagery of disorientation and longing. Melchior says that Le Bon uses this scene to depict a moment of emotional upheaval, attempting to ground himself by turning on "the lights, the TV, and the radio", only to admit that he "can't escape the ghost of you". Melchior highlights this as an example of Le Bon's ability to immerse listeners in his internal conflict, capturing the tension between memory and reality. This disorientation deepens in the pre-chorus, where Le Bon reflects on the world as it was when Miles was alive: "What has happened to it all? / Crazy, some'd say / Where is the life that I recognise? / Gone away". Annie Zaleski of Ultimate Classic Rock interprets this as Le Bon recognising that "going back to how things used to be isn't possible" and focuses on a protagonist grappling with this irreversible change. The chorus reflects Le Bon's efforts to move forward, expressing a determination to rebuild his life despite the lingering pain: "But I won't cry for yesterday / There's an ordinary world / Somehow I have to find". Zaleski describes Le Bon's voice in the chorus as "soaring with hope and optimism" as he resolves to find a way forward, emphasising the line, "I will learn to survive". Melchior notes that the word "somehow" conveys the uncertainty inherent in this process, underscoring the challenges of finding stability after loss. This sentiment recurs throughout the song, reinforcing the central theme of resilience. In the second verse, Le Bon recalls a conversation with Miles, referencing past tensions between them:  "Pride's gone out the window / 'Cross the rooftops, gone away / Left me in the vacuum of my heart". Le Bon juxtaposes this personal reflection with a broader perspective in the third verse: "Here beside the news of holy war and holy need / Ours is just a little sorrowed talk". Le Bon interprets these lines as situating personal grief within the context of global struggles, emphasising the shared human experience of loss. Le Bon himself has noted that the lyrics were written during the Gulf War, adding that they reflect the tension between personal and societal crises.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review of "Ordinary World", AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song for having what he described as "a warm ballad feel, matching elegant verses full of entrancing repeating-note hooks with a rousing chorus built on soaring runs of ascending notes." Guarisco described Simon Le Bon's vocal as being "rich in emotion but tastefully restrained". Upon the release, J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun said the success of "Ordinary World" "is nothing short of miraculous — who'd have thought these pretty boys would still be producing memorable singles at this stage of the game?" The Independent praised it as "a classic of transcendent beauty". Cathi Unsworth from Melody Maker declared it as "as sober, melancholy and absurdly touching as you might expect". She added, "Duran Duran lurk in the shadow between the bright lights of now and then. Some of you might find the idea of the pampered, rich, porky Simon Le Bon detailing the world's injustices a mite unpalatable, but somehow the fat boy sounds neither pompous nor patronising, just down on his luck and depressed." Tony Fletcher for Newsday stated that the "excellently crafted" ballad shows the group "to be capable of delivering the goods. And as an added irony for a band that was introduced by MTV when radio wouldn't touch it, this particular song exploded across radio's many formats before a video was even made." Ann Powers from New York Times declared it as "a smooth yet pathos-ridden ballad". Sam Wood from Philadelphia Inquirer called it a "sober ballad". Andrea Odintz from Rolling Stone felt the "dreamy" song "achieves the almost spiritual effects" of Duran Duran's 1982 hit "Save a Prayer". Peter Howell from Toronto Star remarked that the "ethereal" debut single "has all the earmarks of an unstoppable radio hit". Mark Jenkins from The Washington Post found that such ballads as "Ordinary World" "achieve melodic sufficiency".

Music video

Directed by Nick Egan, the music video for "Ordinary World" was filmed at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California, just before Christmas. The production took place in two parts. The band's performance scenes were shot on a white stage, followed by a week-long break during which projections of the footage were prepared. The second shoot returned to the Huntington Gardens, utilising its themed landscapes, including the Cactus Gardens, as a backdrop. Egan described his vision for the video as "showing that the world is anything but ordinary". To achieve this, he gave the band an omnipresent, dreamlike role in the story of a couple's wedding day by projecting their performance footage onto the garden scenes. Egan said, "I purposefully wanted to create a surreal environment, very much like Federico Fellini", citing Juliet of the Spirits as inspiration for the video's surreal aesthetic. This influence is evident in elements like the bride's lampshade-style hat, which Egan described as "directly inspired by Fellini". Other elements include the bride's reimagined tuxedo dress inspired by a Giorgio Armani fashion show, which Egan altered from black to white. An early concept of the video included Duran Duran appearing as an older wedding band, symbolising their future selves. However, the idea was ultimately cut, as Egan recalled, "I don't think the idea of the band members ending up playing at weddings was considered a successful end for Duran Duran." The shoot concluded in a rainstorm, with crew members wrangling equipment through nearly a foot of water.

Live versions

"Ordinary World" is one of two Cuccurullo-era songs ("Come Undone" being the other) during Duran Duran's reunion tour with Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor. Cuccurullo was brought in to teach Andy Taylor how to play it.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

"My Antarctica", a song from the band's previous album Liberty, featured as the main B-side of the "Ordinary World" single. Many other older singles were also used as B-sides. To capitalise on the success of "Ordinary World" and the new Duran Duran fans it was finding, EMI used the single's release to lure these new fans to the band's back catalogue. This mini-Decade was spread over the two CD singles released during the campaign.

Other mixes

There were several other versions of "Ordinary World" released:

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Aurora version

British electronic music group Aurora released a trance version of "Ordinary World" featuring Irish singer-songwriter Naimee Coleman in 2000. This version, released on 11 September that year, charted at No. 5 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in Ireland, and No. 47 in Germany. In the United States, it appeared on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at No. 37 in June 2001.

Track listings

Charts