"Secret Oktober" by Duran Duran
Song details
	B-side from the single "Union of the Snake"
Length:	2:47
Writer(s):	Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor
Producer(s):	Duran Duran, Alex Sadkin

"Secret Oktober" is a Duran Duran song, written for and released as the B-side to "Union of the Snake" in 1983.

Ask Katy triviaEdit

"hi katy, i was just wondering what the song secret oktober was about? it is one of my all time fav’s…also, did simon choose the title because his birthday is in october?? thanks, lainie"

• "HI LAINIE. I WENT RIGHT TO THE SOURCE:"
• "It’s one of mine too. It’s about escaping on yer birthday. whoosh s"

"Hi Katy - I know there have been a number of Secret Oktober questions answered, but I have one more (which I don’t think was asked): I’ve heard that Simon and Nick wrote the song very quickly (perhaps in one night) because a deadline for a Union of the Snake B-side was fast approaching - is that true? Thanks, and keep up the great work on the site! Jason"

• "THANKS FOR THANKING ME JASON. YES, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SECRET OKTOBER QUESTIONS, BUT SIMON FELT THIS ONE DESERVED AN ANSWER AS WELL:"
• "Yes, it’s true; S.O. was written, recorded and mixed inside 24hours.s"

Song versionsEdit

• "Secret Oktober" – 2:47

An extended, drastically altered version of the song was debuted live on the 1998 Latest and Greatest Tour, taking a much softer and ambient sound. The song ran for over six minutes and featured a new verse not present on the original B-side version. This was the first time the song had ever been performed live.

LyricsEdit

Wise on a birthday party
In a world full of surprising fireworks
And sudden silence 
Lies on a stranger's bed
The new day breaks like a speeding train or an old friend
Ever expected, but never knocking
Holding your own in a battered car
All night parties, cocktail bars and smile
When the butterfly escapes the killing jar

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over
Wise or naked in secret Oktober

Freefall on a windy morning shore
Nothing but a fading track of footsteps
To prove that you'd ever been there
Spoken on a cotton cloud
Like the sound of gunshot taken by the wind
And lost in distant thunder
Racing on a shining plain 
Tomorrow you'll be content to watch
As the lightning plays along the wires and you'll wonder

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over
Wise or naked in secret Oktober
Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over
Wise or naked in secret Oktober...