Come Undone


 * For other uses of this title see Come Undone

"Come Undone" is the second single from the album Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) by British band Duran Duran, and is their twenty-fourth single overall. With their commercial and critical success reestablished by the previous single "Ordinary World", the second release from the album continued to showcase more of the band's entry into the Adult Contemporary genre. "Come Undone" proved to be the group's second consecutive US top ten hit single from The Wedding Album. It was also popular in the UK and other international markets.

About the song
The group's guitarist at the time, Warren Cuccurullo, is credited with developing the instrumentation for "Come Undone", most importantly its guitar hook, which he developed while trying to do a re-interpretation of "First Impression" from their 1990 album Liberty. The lyrics were written by vocalist Simon Le Bon as a birthday gift for his wife, former supermodel Yasmin le Bon).

The group's bassist, John Taylor, did not actually play bass on this track. He was at his home in Los Angeles, and was considering leaving the band at the time of the song's recording.

Music video
The "Come Undone" video was directed by Julien Temple. Shots of the band were filmed in the aquarium at the London Zoo; these were interspersed with short vignettes of people "coming undone" in various ways. These vignettes include a little girl seeing her parents together, an older couple who have survived a flood, an alcoholic and a man who is revealed to be a cross-dresser. Also seen in the video is a woman struggling underwater to break free of the chains that bind her. LeBon and Taylor's wardrobe were likely a nod to the band's early New Romantic era.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes
The single was released in the United Kingdom on March 29, 1993, with the b-side "Ordinary World (Acoustic)". This was the single's official b-side in the UK.

The US were luckier. Across a myriad of formats Capitol put out no less than three new b-sides - "Time For Temptation", "Stop Dead" and an alternate mix of "Fallen Angel".

For collectors, the US releases also contained an alternate mix of "To The Shore" and the first appearance on CD of "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)" (called "acoustic demo" here, due to the dreadful sound quality).

Meanwhile, to whet UK collectors' appetites, EMI released three album tracks on the second CD, along with the album version of "Come Undone". CD One faired slightly better with the beautiful acoustic rendition of "Ordinary World" propping up three mixes of the title track.

Remixes

 * 1) Album Version
 * 2) Edit
 * 3) 7" edit alternate
 * 4) Mix 1 Master (aka 12" Mix - Comin' Together)
 * 5) Mix 2 Master
 * 6) Churban Mix (aka US Remix)
 * 7) La fin de siècle
 * 8) FGI Phumpin' 12"
 * 9) Come Undub
 * 10) TV Synth Strings

Covers, samples, & media references
The song has been covered by the bands Mad at Gravity, Chica Y Los Gatos, Wise Crack and Bachelor Girl, and Fragile Hollow.

Chart positions
"Come Undone" reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart on April 10, #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 17, and #2 in Canada on June 17.

7": Parlophone DD 17 (UK)

 * 1) "Come Undone [Edit]" (4:15)
 * 2) "Ordinary World [acoustic version]" (5:05)

MC: Capitol 4KM 44918 4 (US)

 * 1) "Come Undone [album version]" (4:31)
 * 2) "Come Undone [Mix 2 Master]" (5:26)
 * 3) "Time for Temptation" (4:07)

CD: Parlophone CD DDS 17 (UK)

 * 1) "Come Undone [Edit]" (4:15)
 * 2) "Ordinary World [acoustic version]" (5:05)
 * 3) "Come Undone [FGI Phumpin' 12"]" (8:14)
 * 4) "Come Undone [La fin de siècle]" (5:25)


 * This CD came in a 2-CD case that also housed CD DDP 17.

CD: Parlophone CD DDP 17 (UK)

 * 1) "Come Undone [album version]" (4:31)
 * 2) "Rio" (5:33)
 * 3) "Is There Something I Should Know?" (4:05)
 * 4) "A View to a Kill" (3:33)


 * This CD was released a picture disc.

CD: Capitol C2 0777 7 15969 2 6 (US)

 * 1) "Come Undone [album version]" (4:41)
 * 2) "Come Undone [Mix 1 Master]" (7:23)
 * 3) "Skin Trade [Parisian mix]" (8:10)
 * 4) "Stop Dead" (4:32)


 * "Mix 1 Master" actually "12" Mix - Comin' Together"

CD: Capitol C2 0777 7 15981 2 8 (US)

 * 1) "Come Undone [US remix]" (4:20)
 * 2) "Fallen Angel [alternate version]" (3:54)
 * 3) "To The Shore [alternate album version] (4:03)
 * 4) "The Chauffeur [acoustic demo]" (3:50)


 * Called "Come Undone 2"
 * "US Remix" actually "Churban Mix"
 * "Acoustic Demo" actually "Blue Silver" version (b-side to "Rio" single)

CD: Capitol DPRO-79660 (US - Promo)

 * 1) "Come Undone (Edit)" (4:15)
 * 2) "Come Undone (Mix 2 Master)" (5:26)
 * 3) "Come Undone (La Fin De Siecle)" (5:25)
 * 4) "Come Undone (Album Version)" (4:41)

CD: Capitol DPRO-79749 (US - Promo)

 * 1) "Come Undone [Churban remix]" (4:17)
 * 2) " Come Undone [12" dub mix]" (5:57)
 * 3) "Come Undone [Dub mix]" (5:04)


 * labelled "The Churban Mixes"

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

 * 1) "Come Undone [Edit]" (4:15)
 * 2) "Ordinary World [acoustic version]" (5:05)
 * 3) "Come Undone [FGI Phumpin' 12"]" (8:14)
 * 4) "Come Undone [La fin de siècle]" (5:25)
 * 5) "Come Undone [album version]" (4:31)
 * 6) "Rio" (5:33)
 * 7) "Is There Something I Should Know?" (4:05)
 * 8) "A View to a Kill" (3:33)

Other Appearances
Albums:


 * Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) (1993)
 * Greatest (1998)
 * Strange Behaviour (1999)

Singles:
 * Too Much Information (1993)

Personnel
Duran Duran are:
 * Simon Le Bon - vocals
 * Nick Rhodes - keyboards
 * John Taylor - bass guitar
 * Warren Cuccurullo - guitar

Other:
 * Tessa Niles - backing vocals