The Song With the Funny Sound

I think this has to be the weirdest way I have ever been introduced to the music of a popular artist or band. One day in 1997 my father had purchased a Duran Duran compilation CD that featured some of the best songs from their previous albums between 1981 when they first came out and somewhere in the early 90s. I remember him telling me before that they were best known for View to a Kill, the theme song for the James Bond movie with the same title. We listened to it and were enjoying how energetic it was, especially with the sampled horn parts during the first and second verses. On top of that, we pretty much were listening to the rest of the album for most of the day.

Then we came to a beautiful song called Save a Prayer, from their debut album Rio. The track came out as one of their singles that became an immediate hit in the 80s. The craziest thing about Save a Prayer is the fact that there is a synthesized lead flute that plays in the beginning and most of the music, and goes through a series of quick pitch bends every four counts within the measures. I still to this day do not know why, but I started laughing when I first heard the instrument and its pitch bends, and every time after that. It just sounded funny to me for some reason. My father would ask me, Why are you laughing? and all I could say was, I dont know; it just sounds funny!

It took quite a few listens before I got used to those parts of the song. However, its quite interesting how simple things such as that actually aid in the memory of things you enjoy for years to come. Every now and then my father and I laugh about that moment whenever we listen to Save a Prayer, the hit Duran Duran song with the funny sound.