Created by Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass) in Birmingham, England in 1978, it later add took in Roger Taylor (drums), Andy Taylor (guitar), and Simon Le Bon (lead vocals). The band has sold more than 100 million records over their more than 40 years of existence, making them one of the best-selling groups in history.
Their songs are often vivid, hook-laden pieces dance pop that have fared well on the radio, but what many remember best about Duran Duran is their iconic music videos. Though many of the videos were tongue-in-cheek, the band has never quite escaped the glamorous and decadent 'jet set' image that their early videos projected. Their flashy outfits and strident, art rock influenced music showed an immense debt to 70s English glam artists such as David Bowie and Roxy Music, yet the band grasped a sense of their own identity and became one of the keystones of the new romantic movement.
Their first singer and one of their original founding members was Stephen Duffy, and their original bassist was Simon Colley. Several drummers and guitarists were subsequently tried, as well as a handful of vocalists, after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979. The band felt that they had something special with vocalist Simon Le Bon, and the group smashed into the pop scene shortly afterwards when "Planet Earth", their debut single, was released on 2 February 1981.
"Planet Earth" became an immediate hit in the band's native U.K., reaching #12 on the U.K. Singles Chart on 21 February, and it did even better in Australia, hitting #8 there. Being Duran Duran's first Top 10 hit anywhere in the world, the song showed the group's interest in international stardom. The band's eponymous debut album came out promptly afterwards in June 1981. 'Duran Duran' hit #3 on the album charts and remained in the U.K. Top 100 for 117 weeks, achieving platinum status by December 1982. The initial United States release failed to generate much interest at first, but the group was a British sensation due to their strident mix of pop rock and electronic music.
Music videos for hit singles "Planet Earth" and "Careless Memories" were filmed in December 1980. As they also experienced considerable success with "Girls on Film", which hit #5 on the UK Singles Chart and #11 on the Australian Singles Chart, the group firmly grasped the opportunity to make a name for themselves in musical television. As their fame grew, some fans worried that Duran Duran could have peaked too early. They headed into AIR Studios in London in early 1982 anxious to somehow top themselves.
Band member John Taylor came up with the new album's title, 'Rio', as a product of his fascination with the flaunting sexuality and diverse atmosphere of Brazil. He later said, "Rio, to me, was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop." The band had their own plans and ambitions for promotion and reunited with director Russell Mulcahy (who was behind the video for "Planet Earth") to plan out the release of a full length 'video album'— eleven videos in total. Totally dedicated to on-site filming, guitarist Andy Taylor even contracted a tropical virus and ended up hospitalized, thankfully getting better relatively quickly.
'Rio' was, simply, a commercial juggernaut. The band's second studio album, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982, reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia. Massively popular in the U.S., it earned a gold disc on 1 March 1983 and went platinum on 26 April 1983, eventually reaching double-platinum status. As songs such as "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" received considerable airplay, critical acclaim also grew for the release. With MTV heavily playing the band's music videos, the album is still held as one of the best new wave albums ever. In April 2013, 'Rio' was even voted #3 in BBC Radio 2's 'Top 100 Favourite Albums of all time' list.
In 1985, Duran Duran performed "A View To A Kill" for the the James Bond film of the same name. The song appeared in the movie's title sequence and was also a best-selling single in its own right. In 1987, "Out Of My Mind" was featured at the end credits of the drama film 'The Saint' as well.
Like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran was among the earliest bands to work on their own remixes. From the very beginning, the band had a keen sense of style, and worked with stylist Perry Haines and fashion designers such as Kahn & Bell and Antony Price to build a sharp and elegant image, soon growing beyond the ruffles and sashes of the pirate-flavoured New Romantic look.
Although the group never disbanded, it went through several line-up changes over the years - American guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (formerly of Missing Persons) was also a member of the band from 1989 to 2001, and drummer Sterling Campbell was a member from 1989 to 1991. John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor all returned in 2001 and created a stir among music media and the band's fans. Duran Duran released the first album from the reunited line-up, Astronaut, in 2004, which was in turn followed up by many sold out shows in England, most notably Wembley Arena, where a live DVD of the tour was filmed in 2004/2005.
In October of 2006, it was announced on Duran Duran's website that Andy Taylor had left the band. The band's latest album, 'Red Carpet Massacre' was released in November 2007. They performed the album live in New York City on Broadway at the Barrymore Theater, for what was originally scheduled as an unprecedented 10-night run. A stage hand union strike shortened the run by a few nights, but Duran Duran were able to re-schedule the shows elsewhere. They went on to tour the world, ending their successful run in December of 2008.
2008 also saw the release of a new DVD that documents the making of their now-classic "Rio" album (called "Classic Albums: Rio (Collector's Edition)"), and a book called "Would Someone Please Explain?"- a compilation of questions from the "Ask Katy" area of their popular website.
Duran Duran returned at the end of 2010 with their 13th album, the digital and self-released album All You Need Is Now which debuted at number one on the iTunes charts in many countries (including the USA). The physical version of the album will be released with bonus tracks in February 2011. The album was produced by Mark Ronson.
2015 saw the band return with the album Paper Gods, which was led by the single "Pressure Off" featuring Janelle Monae and Nile Rodgers. The album was the band's first top 10 chart success in the U.S. in over 20 years, and also reached number 5 in the U.K.
Official Websites:
http://www.duranduran.com
http://twitter.com/duranduran
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duran-Duran
http://www.youtube.com/DuranDuran
http://www.youtube.com/07duranduran
http://www.myspace.com/duranduran
08. Union Of The Snake
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I knew this was a big mistake
There's a fine line drawing
My senses together
And I think it's about to break
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
Nightshades on a warning
Give me strength at least give me a light
Give me anything even sympathy
There's a chance you could be right
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
It's gonna race, it's gonna break, it's gonna move up
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
It's gonna race, it's gonna break, it's gonna move up
To the borderline
"Union of the Snake" by Duran Duran is a song about the struggle between good and evil, with the "union of the snake" representing a force of darkness that is moving up and about to break through the "borderline" into the world. The singer is aware of this threat, and can hear the voices of those who are warning about it, emanating from both the radio and the "body."
The first verse sets the scene with "telegram force and ready," suggesting a sense of urgency and foreboding. The singer senses that something is about to break and they are becoming overwhelmed. The second verse introduces "nightshades on a warning," which could refer to a warning system for impending danger. The singer pleads for someone to give them strength, light, or even sympathy, in the face of the impending danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Telegram force and ready
I am preparing myself for something, but deep down I know it might turn out to be a mistake.
There's a fine line drawing
I'm sensing that I'm on the edge of something, about to tip over to one side or the other.
My senses together
All of my instincts are telling me the same thing.
And I think it's about to break
I'm at the breaking point, things are about to fall apart.
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
I'm tuning in to the voices around me, trying to understand what they're saying and where they're leading me.
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
You're receiving messages from within yourself, like radio signals from your subconscious.
The union of the snake is on the climb
Something powerful and dangerous is gaining momentum, like a snake coiled and ready to strike.
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
This force is speeding up, gathering momentum and pushing towards a breaking point.
Through the borderline
There's a boundary ahead that this force is pushing against, trying to break through.
Nightshades on a warning
Dangerous situations are looming on the horizon, making me cautious and fearful.
Give me strength at least give me a light
I'm asking for guidance and support, anything that can help me face the challenges ahead.
Give me anything even sympathy
I'm feeling desperate and alone, willing to accept anything that will make me feel understood and cared for.
There's a chance you could be right
I'm open to the possibility that someone else might know a better way forward than I do.
It's gonna race, it's gonna break, it's gonna move up
The force driving towards the boundary is gaining speed, power and momentum, until it finally breaks through.
To the borderline
This is the crucial moment when the boundary will be crossed, and everything will change.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY TAYLOR, JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, ROGER ANDREW TAYLOR, SIMON LE BON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thepanel2935
A couple of comments about Duran Duran at Live Aid '85...
The band hadn't played a live gig together for many months. The together-ness of the group was gone. They arrived and left the stadium separately.
Nick, Simon and Roger had black hair as they were still in their gothic 'Arcadia' mode.
John and Andy were big cocaine users at the time, but they held it together enough to do a second Live Aid performance after Duran Duran as 'The Power Station'. The split into two separate camps (Arcadia and Power Station) indicates the level of fracturing that had taken place between them.
Andy was angry at the band throughout this whole time, and Roger was over the whole fame thing... but at least Simon's clothes were beautiful in this show... who made those jackets for them? (Nick had a similar one in mist-grey which he wore in an advertisement for Roland synthesizers.)
@oncavegana24
Telegram force and ready
I knew this was a big mistake
There's a fine line drawing
My senses together
And I think it's about to break
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
Nightshades on a warning
Give me strength at least give me a light
Give me anything even sympathy
There's a chance you could be right
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
If I listen close I can hear them singers, oh
Voices in your body coming through on the radio
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
It's gonna race, it's gonna break, it's gonna move up
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
Moving up it's gonna race it's gonna break
Through the borderline
The union of the snake is on the climb
It's gonna race, it's gonna break, it's gonna move up
To the borderline
@BadBoyBoogie-ko6rj
I'm a lifelong drummer and Hard Rocker. I've always appreciated these guys. Very talented with guts to be different. They ran up their Flag and it paid off.
@sl4983
Very well said
@sl4983
Just saw them in concert 3 weeks ago
@Dan.Chaytor
These boys can play for sure
@Jesuscger
The sound in this concert wasn't good and the bass was off, this one is much better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28yUGMb1pv4
@venanciahopkins5035
John Taylor on bass! He was always one of my favorite bassists! Duran Duran will always be a great band!
@phillymichelle8370
John Taylor is a beautiful man!
I was SO in love with him, I think I was 12 years old...lol
John was my first crush and I had his pic all on my bedroom walls.
He was a great bassist too.
God, I think Simon was wacked out on something that day. I remember when he hit that major clunker in "View to a Kill" and thinking...what the F Was THAT????
@alvarolozano711
All right
@TheDoug625
Love how Andy's guitar is a little louder in the mix in this live performance.
@starman2089
I love it too! Shine on Andy!