# What's Duran Duran's "Union of the Snake" All About? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242 "2015-12-12T13:52:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/1 "2015-12-12T13:52:09Z")
One of my favorite groups-but they had a lot of strange lyrics-what was this song supposedly about? ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/2 "2015-12-12T14:02:00Z")
More to the point what was chubby le Bon all about. Biggest bellend in pop. Sorry for the interjection. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/3 "2015-12-12T14:13:47Z")
According to Simon Le Bon: “The union of the snake is the union of the snake and the man. The snake symbolizes a kind of subconscious power force or strength, and the song is really about the fears of the subconscious mind breaking through to the conscious mind.” Obviously. What else could that song be about? ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/4 "2015-12-12T14:58:33Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > One of my favorite groups-but they had a lot of strange lyrics-what was this song supposedly about? I think it’s about a statutory body which represents the legal profession in matters such as fair pay, and hours. And Le Bon is not the biggest bell-end in pop history. The Proclaimers, for instance, out-do him, and there are two of them. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/5 "2015-12-12T15:14:54Z")
That song could only have been written under the influence of heavy pharmaceuticals or a lot of gin. It’s [clanging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clanging). LeBon has never liked to answer, “so…what’s that song _about_?” questions. He likes to play it off as poetic mystery, but I’m pretty sure it’s because many of their songs aren’t about anything, they’re just words that sound good together. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/6 "2015-12-12T15:49:31Z")
It was about him making more money so he could buy blow and biscuits and get laid. Whats a bellend? ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/7 "2015-12-12T15:53:26Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Whats a bellend? Crude British insult, referring to the ‘glans’ portion of a penis. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/8 "2015-12-12T16:04:22Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > And Le Bon is not the biggest bell-end in pop history. The Proclaimers, for instance, out-do him, and there are two of them. Yeah but they’re Scottish; in music, the default is bellend. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/9 "2015-12-12T18:29:15Z")
At least we have the historical record of the music video to tell us what the song is about. Underground lairs in the desert with some sort of captives, and tattered clothing, and something … okay, I have no idea either. New Moon On Monday might be even more impenetrable. But what would you expect from an album called 7 And The Ragged Tiger? (I was in college in the early-mid 80s, and did some college radio gigs. I remember this stuff way too well.) ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/10 "2015-12-12T19:02:50Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > Crude British insult, referring to the ‘glans’ portion of a penis. Apparently British statistics and American statistics have some differences I was not aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/11 "2015-12-14T15:42:43Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > LeBon has never liked to answer, “so…what’s that song _about_?” questions. He likes to play it off as poetic mystery, but I’m pretty sure it’s because many of their songs aren’t about anything, they’re just words that sound good together. When they reunited in 2003 and made “Astronaut” I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t like that album. Then I realized it was because the lyrics made sense. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/12 "2015-12-14T16:15:44Z")
I though it was about the empire of Thulsa Doom. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/13 "2015-12-14T17:08:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > According to Simon Le Bon: “The union of the snake is the union of the snake and the man. The snake symbolizes a kind of subconscious power force or strength, and the song is really about the fears of the subconscious mind breaking through to the conscious mind.” > > Obviously. What else could that song be about? Okay, I was going to take umbrage at **up\_the\_junction’s** bellend comment (I lovvvved me some Duran Duran back in the day) but these are the words of a real twat. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/14 "2015-12-14T19:17:52Z")
I love Duran Duran because they no one makes random word salads sound more touching and profound than they do. Beautifully crazy is the best descriptor for their style. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/15 "2015-12-14T19:18:58Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Okay, I was going to take umbrage at **up\_the\_junction’s** bellend comment (I lovvvved me some Duran Duran back in the day) but these are the words of a real twat. But what if we imagine him saying it with a wink? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/16 "2015-12-14T19:21:48Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > But what if we imagine him saying it with a wink? Thank you; now I can still maintain my crush. Ya hear that, **up\_the-junction**? He was being ironical 😉 ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/17 "2015-12-14T19:33:12Z")
He hasn’t even got enough about himself to be convincingly pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/18 "2015-12-14T19:38:33Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > I love Duran Duran because they no one makes random word salads sound more touching and profound than they do. Beautifully crazy is the best descriptor for their style. “Random word salads.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/19 "2015-12-14T22:21:15Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > “Random word salads.” 🙂 Hey, I’m still trying to figure out “Come Undone,” whether it actually is a love song or not, and it’s still my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242/20 "2015-12-14T22:26:18Z")
> [@Daddypants](#): > > I though it was about the empire of Thulsa Doom. No, it was about the **Um** pire of Thulsa Doom. Little known fact–Thulsa Doom _loved_ Baseball. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-duran-durans-union-of-the-snake-all-about/740242.md?page=2)