it forever became the anthem of this screwed up time in my life in upstate new york. This song was just coming out at the time, and I saw the video.
MemoryThis song brings back a very sad time in my life.ģ days before I was supposed to get married, it all blew up. I turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio (which would be an enormous blessing!) is in fact possible, and within one’s grasp.Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue It’s about unequivocally choosing not to “cry” for a “yesterday” that was, now I’m realising, inexcusably brutal (though grieving it is obviously a necessary part of healing) and instead realising that something that resembles “ordinary”
I take it as being about moving on from one’s horrific and traumatising past and, humbly, aspiring for an “ordinary world” in which the terrors with which I live daily are manageable and don’t intrude quite so aggressively into my day to day life. And, accordingly, it’s actually a source of enormous hope and optimism for me. I wish you all the very best and hope you can find peace and solace despite your immeasurable heartache.įor what it’s worth, as a victim of childhood abuse myself, I get something slightly different from this song. Thank you all for sharing your inspiring thoughts and my sincere condolences to all those who are grieving. It’s absolutely overwhelming to read all the beautiful interpretations on this amazing song. Below is a live version of the song performed by Duran Duran. You can find the rest of the lyrics here. If you are dealing with the death of a loved one, “Ordinary World” will likely strike a chord with you. Sometimes music can aid in our healing, by sharing what others have experienced in similar situations. Despite this, it’s still difficult to wrap our heads around it. Every person deals with it differently.ĭeath is a part of life, as we all know. It’s difficult to continue the ordinary way of life after profound loss, to be sure. The song seeks to make sense of losing someone dear to you. “Ordinary World” intimately details the experience of loss. And sometimes the person who has always helped you through the rough times may be the person who has died. The wide range of emotions experienced after loss can feel like a wild roller coaster ride. Here he describes something that many grieving people know well: the belief that they must be going crazy. Le Bon continues mellifluously onto the next stanza: It’s a personal process, and “Ordinary World” points out that idea.
And although most people are well-intentioned, those who offer advice to someone grieving the death of someone they love rarely know how to help. There is no cut-and-dried, easily followed route to follow when it comes to handling the loss. There is no question that learning to accept your loved one’s death is a delicate and intricate process. The chorus continues:īut I won’t cry for yesterday, there’s an ordinary worldĪnd, as I try to make my way to the ordinary world He wants to make sense of the whirlwind that has engulfed him, and tries to face this world-changing event head-on. Le Bon continues to try and normalize his reactions. But the death of his loved one continues to plague him. The singer tries to make sense of what has happened. To sense the presence of someone who has died is often part of the normal grieving process. However, this is quite a normal occurrence. It may seem crazy to think that a loved one who has died is still around us.
He does a double-take around the room and checks the TV and the radio to make sure he is alone. He thinks he has heard the voice of his loved one who has died. The singer, Simon Le Bon, here is experiencing a common phenomenon. I turned on the lights, the TV and the radio A soothing guitar riff leads into the opening lines:Ĭame in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue The lyrics start after a mystifying, almost dream-like instrumental.