“Come Undone” by Duran Duran

To say that someone has ‘become undone’ points to the idea of that person losing his or her composure. And basically, what the singer is relaying in this Duran Duran track is that he is head-over-heels for a particular lady (i.e. the addressee). Or in other words, he is becoming undone. That is to say that in this romantic situation, emotions are now overtaking logic. And in relation to such he and his partner perceive the “fear outside” but “will try to stay blind” to this reality. And this reads like a metaphorical way of saying they acknowledge the potential for heartbreak yet choose to ignore it.

As such, what all of the poetic language featured throughout “Come Undone” ultimately seems to lead back to is the singer implying that he and the addressee need to remain emotionally strong to make their romance work.  That is to say that being “undone” has left them in vulnerable-emotional states. And it is up to each other to ensure that at the end of the day they don’t come out of the ordeal looking foolish for giving themselves freely to love. 

Autobiographical Lyrics

Moreover Simon Le Bon (the band’s lead singer), who wrote the lyrics to this track, did so specifically within the context of the relationship featured therein being a first love. Thus the fear, if you will, that is expressed by the singer is partially due to him never having felt this way before.

Facts about “Come Undone”

• The foundation of this track actually came from Duran Duran trying to craft an updated version of “First Impression”, a song they dropped in 1990.
• “Come Undone” came out on 23 February 1993. Being published by EMI and Capitol Records, it served as the second single from Duran Duran’s self-titled seventh album. In fact it was a late addition to that project.
• The song was also included in the band’s “Greatest” compilation album which came out in 1998. Their signature song “Save a Prayer” also appears on that project.
• The music video to this song, which was filmed partially at the London Aquarium, was directed by Julien Temple.
• “Come Undone” peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.
• Where the song fared the best was actually in Israel, as it managed to top the music chart in that country.

Who wrote “Come Undone”?

The following members of Duran Duran are credited as writers of this classic:

• Warren Cuccurullo
• Simon Le Bon
• Nick Rhodes
• John Taylor

And the entire band produced the song alongside John Jones.