"Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" is Duran Duran's 21st single and the first from their 1990 album, Liberty.

Contents 1 Background 2 Music video 3 Lyrics 4 Chart positions 5 Song versions 6 Track listing 6.1 7": Parlophone DD 14 (UK) 6.2 12": Parlophone 12 DD 14 (UK) 6.3 12": Parlophone 12 DDX 14 (UK) 6.4 CD: Parlophone CD DD 14 (UK) 6.5 CD: Part of "Singles Box Set 1986-1995" boxset 7 Personnel 8 Comments

BackgroundEdit

"Violence of Summer" is a bright, cheerful chunk of pop, with ringing piano-like chords over a slick bass underpinning. Lyrically, the song plays with familiar Duran Duran themes: fleeting romance in the face of sexual politics, and mars-meets-venus peculiarities between the genders. Le Bon continues to set these preoccupations into more realist scenarios, challenging himself to leave behind the opaque mysticism of the band's first three albums.

Also worth noting lyrically, is this track's return to the blatant Americana of Notorious: "going South where her mother writes", and "breaking heads in the sugar shack", which references the cover art of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You".

During Liberty recording sessions, the song was originally known as "Live-in Lover" and featured the same music but completely different lyrics. A demo of this early version was bootlegged on the unofficial Didn't Anybody Tell You? compilation.

Music videoEdit

The end of the 1980s marked a profound change in Duran Duran's video fortunes. MTV's interest had shifted to younger bands, and their format was changing in any case. VH1 was friendlier, but was more interested in the band's classic videos than in their current products. Duran Duran found it harder and harder to get a new video played where the public could see it.

The video for "Violence of Summer" was filmed in Paris by the young directing duo Big TV! (more conventionally known as Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom). The band, with paler skin and shorter hair than before, plays energetically on a set constructed to look like a bumper-car rig (mirroring the amusement park theme of the album sleeve), while models (including Tess Daly) in platinum blonde wigs hang about outside looking seductive. Newly muscular guitarist Warren Cuccurullo is almost unrecognizable to fans who were accustomed to his formerly waif-like appearance.

LyricsEdit

Hey!
Pick it up!
This'll get you out
Of your head!

China's hanging out by the railings on the motor shed
She goes with a real hip biker, he's a metalhead
She looks me up and down, talking dirty as
Sweet saying boy, baby I could lick you anytime

Keep it up
Hahaha!
That's right
Here we go again!

Bit later I'm gonna run into her 'round the back
While other guys break heads in the sugar shack
Don't give me a drink, I don't wanna get too stoned
Then we're gonna see who's gonna take who home

The violence of summer
A love's taking over
It starts with desire
Ends up under cover

These lips will make me rise
You may look down but don't think twice
Slow death is on the way
So what man, I still want to play!

One-two!
This'll get you out of your mind
This'll pick you up
Let's go

Maybe take a ride going south where her mother writes
Before bad news catches up, we still got a little time
We leave it all so far away
One thing is sure, we shouldn't stay
I'll take it all, china gonna get the runaround
A run, a runaround

The violence of summer
A love's taking over
It starts with desire
Ends up under covers
China-na, China-na-na-na
China-na, China-na-na-na
China-na, China-na-na-na
China-na, China-na-na-na

The violence of summer
A love's taking over
It starts with desire
Ends up under cover

Love's taking over...

Chart positionsEdit

Despite the myriad of mixes and release formats, the single did not do well in the charts.

#20 UK Singles Chart
#64 Billboard Hot 100
#36 Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play
#13 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
#3 Federation of the Italian Music Industry

"Violence of Summer" was not included on the Greatest compilation, partly due to its mediocre chart performance and possibly also due to the band's dislike of the track, as "Serious", the worse-performing single of the two, was chosen instead. However, the song's music video is indirectly included on the Greatest DVD, through the bonus Liberty electronic EPK.

Song versionsEdit

• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" – 4:20
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (7" Mix)" – 3:30
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Story Mix)" – 3:18
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Mix)" – 4:56
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Rock Mix)" – 4:23
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Dub Sounds of a Powerful Mix)" – 4:45
• "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Cutdown)" – 4:01
• "Live-in Lover" [demo] (bootleg, Didn't Anybody Tell You?)

Track listingEdit

7": Parlophone DD 14 (UK)Edit

1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (7" Mix)" – 3:30
2. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Story Mix)" – 3:18

12": Parlophone 12 DD 14 (UK)Edit

1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Mix)" – 4:56
2. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" – 4:20
3. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Story Mix)" – 3:18

• Released with a poster.

12": Parlophone 12 DDX 14 (UK)Edit

1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Rock Mix)" – 4:23
2. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Dub Sounds of a Powerful Mix)" – 4:45
3. "Throb" – 4:25

CD: Parlophone CD DD 14 (UK)Edit

1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" – 4:20
2. "Throb" – 4:25
3. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Cutdown)" – 4:01
4. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Story Mix)" – 3:18

CD: Part of "Singles Box Set 1986-1995" boxsetEdit

1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (7" Mix)" – 3:30
2. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Story Mix)" – 3:18
3. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Mix)" – 4:56
4. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" – 4:20
5. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Rock Mix)" – 4:23
6. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (The Dub Sounds Of A Powerful Mix)" – 4:45
7. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Power Cutdown)" – 4:01
8. "Throb" – 4:25

PersonnelEdit

Duran Duran were:

• Simon Le Bon - vocals
• Nick Rhodes - keyboards
• John Taylor - bass guitar
• Warren Cuccurullo - guitar
• Sterling Campbell - drums

DURAN DURAN

Simon Le Bon • Nick Rhodes • John Taylor • Roger Taylor Andy Taylor • Warren Cuccurullo • Sterling Campbell

DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS

Duran Duran • Rio • Seven and the Ragged Tiger • Arena • Notorious • Big Thing • Liberty • Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) • Thank You • Medazzaland • Pop Trash • Astronaut • Red Carpet Massacre

COMPILATIONS and EP's

Carnival • Decade: Greatest Hits • Greatest • Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran • Strange Behaviour • Singles Box Set 1981-1985 • Singles Box Set 1986-1995

SINGLES

"Planet Earth" • "Careless Memories" • "Girls on Film" • "My Own Way" • "Hungry Like the Wolf" • "Save a Prayer" • "Rio"• "Is There Something I Should Know?" • "Union of the Snake" • "New Moon on Monday" • "The Reflex" • "The Wild Boys" • "A View to a Kill" • "Notorious" • "Skin Trade" • "Meet El Presidente" • "I Don't Want Your Love" • "All She Wants Is" • "Do You Believe in Shame?" • "Burning the Ground" • "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" • "Serious" • "Ordinary World" • "Come Undone" • "Too Much Information" • "Perfect Day" • "White Lines" • "Out of My Mind" • "Electric Barbarella" • "Someone Else Not Me" • "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" • "What Happens Tomorrow" • "Nice" • "Falling Down"

RELATED BANDS

Arcadia • Power Station • Neurotic Outsiders • The Devils

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