"
Femme Fatale" was covered by the English
pop rock band
Duran Duran for their seventh studio album,
Duran Duran (1993), commonly known as
The Wedding Album. Suggested by the guitarist
Warren Cuccurullo's friend
Frank Zappa, the recording has been described in varying terms, from "grand" and "atmospheric" to
stadium rock and "dreamy". Although
Capitol Records planned to release it as a single with an accompanying video directed by
Ellen von Unwerth, the idea was abandoned after the preceding single "
Too Much Information" underperformed, and was instead issued as a single in France in 1993. The cover was met with negative critical reception, with reviewers characterizing it as misjudged, unnecessary, and poorly executed.
Background and composition Duran Duran recorded a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" in 1992, which, according to the author Steve Malins, was suggested by the guitarist
Warren Cuccurullo's friend
Frank Zappa. Their version has been described in a number of ways: Malins referred to it as a "grand, echoey version" and an "intriguingly atmospheric treatment", noting that it relocated the song's mood "from the icy, street hassle of New York into LA's glimmering Californian sunshine". Stuart Maconie of
Q described the cover as a
stadium rock interpretation, while
Annie Zaleski of
Ultimate Classic Rock highlighted its "dreamy" qualities, writing that it added introspection to their seventh studio album
Duran Duran (1993).
Release and reception Following the release of "
Too Much Information" as a single, Capitol Records planned to issue "Femme Fatale" as the next single from
Duran Duran, accompanied by a video directed by the photographer
Ellen von Unwerth. According to Malins, this plan was abandoned after "Too Much Information" failed to gain significant radio momentum, which led to the single campaign being discontinued. The song was, however, released as a single in France in 1993. "Femme Fatale" received negative reviews from critics. Stuart Maconie of
Q described it as a "hideously misjudged stadium rock version" of the Velvet Underground song, contrasting it with what he considered stronger material on
Duran Duran. Paul Sinclair of
SuperDeluxeEdition wrote that while the track was "pleasant enough", its inclusion on the album "seem[ed] totally pointless" and that it "really adds nothing". Jim Farber of
Entertainment Weekly similarly criticised the cover, calling it a "breathtakingly clueless" interpretation.
Track listing All tracks are produced by Duran Duran and John Jones. All tracks are written by Duran Duran except where noted. ==References==