"Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran, the first single from their sixth studio album, ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' (1990). Having finished the 1980s with the ''

Decade A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "du ...

'' singles compilation, Duran Duran found the 1990s a new challenge, in which commercial success would initially elude them. The lukewarm public response to "Violence of Summer" would shadow the band for the next few years until 1993's " Ordinary World" returned them to chart success. The single reached number two in Italy but fared poorly in other countries, reaching number 20 in the United Kingdom and number 64 in the United States.

About the song

"Violence of Summer" lyrically contains 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 five studio albums. The song was released on 23 July 1990 in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single, a

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

, a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

, and a

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

. Two weeks later, on 6 August, another 12-inch single featuring "Throb" as a B-side was issued.

Music video

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 increasingly difficult 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 Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English model and television presenter who co-presented the BBC One celebrity dancing show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2004 to 2013; she has been the show's main presenter since 2014. ...

) in platinum blonde wigs hang about outside looking seductive. Newly muscular guitarist

Warren Cuccurullo Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, restaurant owner and former body builder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s ...

is almost unrecognisable to fans who were accustomed to his formerly waif-like appearance.

B-sides and remixes

Across various singles seven remixes of "Violence of Summer" were released. Initial copies of the UK 12-inch included a limited edition poster. The B-side, "Throb", is an ambient instrumental remix of ''Liberty'' album track "My Antarctica". The use of a remixed album track would be repeated with the inclusion of "Water Babies", a remix of "All Along the Water" on the "

Serious Serious may refer to: * Seriousness, an attitude of gravity, solemnity, persistence, or earnestness * ''Serious'' (TV series), a BBC children's television show Albums * ''Serious'' (Luther Allison album) or the title song, 1987 * ''Serious'' ( ...

" single.

Track listings

UK 7-inch and cassette single # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (7-inch mix) – 3:30 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Story mix) – 3:14 UK 12-inch single :A1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Power mix) – 5:02 :AA1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" – 4:19 :AA2. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Story mix) – 3:14 UK remix 12-inch single :A1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Rock mix) – 4:24 :B1. "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Dub (Sounds of a Powerful mix)) – 4:52 :B2. "Throb" – 4:27 UK CD single # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (LP version) – 4:20 # "Throb" – 4:27 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Power Cut Down) – 4:01 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Story mix) – 3:14 US and Canadian cassette single # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" # "Yo Bad Azizi" US 12-inch and CD single # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Power mix) – 4:56 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (dub mix) – 4:47 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (rock mix) – 4:23 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Story mix) – 3:14 # "Throb" (instrumental) – 4:25 Japanese mini-CD single # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (LP version) # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Power Cut Down) ''

The Singles 1986–1995 ''The Singles 1986–1995'' is a box set by English new wave band Duran Duran. Comprising 14 CDs, it was released on 13 September 2004 by EMI and features the singles covering the era from '' Notorious'' (1986) to ''Thank You'' (1995). Backg ...

'' box set # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (7-inch mix) – 3:30 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Story mix) – 3:18 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (The Power mix) – 4:56 # "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (album version) – 4:20 # "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 Cut Down) – 4:01 # "Throb" – 4:25

Personnel

Simon Le Bon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is a British singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the British ...

– vocals *

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates, 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member, keyboardist, and only continuous member of the band Duran Duran. He is also informally monikered as "The Controller ...

– keyboards * John Taylor – bass guitar *

– guitar * Sterling Campbell – drums

Charts

Other appearances

Due to its lack of chart success, "Violence of Summer" has failed to appear on the compilation ''Greatest''. However, the music video for this song was secretly included in the DVD edition of ''Greatest'' as an easter egg, although it is intercut with some interviews to the band about the Liberty album. Apart from the single, "Violence of Summer" has also appeared on: Albums: *''

'' (1990) *'' Singles Box Set 1986-1995'' (2005)

References

TM's Duran Duran discography

{{Authority control 1990 singles 1990 songs Capitol Records singles Duran Duran songs EMI Records singles Music videos directed by Big T.V. Song recordings produced by Chris Kimsey Songs written by John Taylor (bass guitarist) Songs written by Nick Rhodes Songs written by Simon Le Bon Songs written by Sterling Campbell Songs written by Warren Cuccurullo