You start a conversation you can’t even finish it
You’re talkin’ a lot, but you’re not sayin’ anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?

Psycho killer, qu’est-ce que c’est?

What’s that supposed to be, you ask in French? Looks like it’s little more than Simon Le Bon doing David Byrne cosplay at a midnight séance. And it works, brother.

You don’t need my dopey ass to tell you Psycho Killer doesn’t need fixing. The Talking Heads version is already like the gold standard for twitchy neurotic menace, the twitchy anthem of every unblinking weirdo who’s tussles often with the voices in his head. But this time, they’re dancing, see? That groove, brother…

But there’s Duran Duran, bless their elegantly aging 80s-synth-pop souls, exhuming it for their 2023 Halloween album Danse Macabre, and transmogrifying it into an undead disco banger.

The bass hits with that classic John Taylor-styled funk-snap while Le Bon prowls about the mic like some impeccably dressed vampire who traded blood for eyeliner. The rhythm section is all menace, with Victoria De Angelis from Måneskin gnawing on that groove (appearing on both bass and vocals, trading grooves with John Taylor) in thigh-highs, thong, and fishnets, like she found it in a graveyard, and suddenly you realize you’re not dancing anymore. You’re prowling. Or perhaps prancing. Whatever works for you.

Still, while Duran Duran certainly puts their own stamp on the Heads classic track, their version is still undeniably Psycho Killer. They weren’t looking to put a bumper sticker on this Cadillac, just give a spooky season redress. Everything else is recognizable: the stop-start phrasing, the staccato French, the gleeful psychosis. Duran Duran takes it to some anachronistic 1984 Goth Club full of White Claws, Four Lokos, and Ring Lights. Or something.

But it’s spooky-fun, man. Dangerous-fun. Halloween-fun. Duran Duran didn’t just dig up a classic tune. They resurrected the sucker. Turning existential dread into something you can dance to.

Play Psycho Killer loud, play it late, and maybe don’t stare too long into the mirror while it’s on. You got that thing on your lip.

Qu’est-ce que c’est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-better
Better run run run run run run run away…