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
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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duran-Duran
http://www.youtube.com/DuranDuran
http://www.youtube.com/07duranduran
http://www.myspace.com/duranduran
Come Undone 2001
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been waiting for you
Signed with a home tattoo
Happy birthday to you was created for you
Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams
Can I believe you're taking my heart to pieces?
Might take a little crime to come undone
Now we'll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Words, playing me deja vu
Like a radio tune, I swear I've heard before
Chill, is it something real?
Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingers
Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams
Can I believe you're taking my heart to pieces?
Lost, in a snow filled sky
We'll make it alright to come undone
Now we'll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone (can't ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone (can't ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you need?
Who do you love? (Can't ever keep from falling apart)
Who do you love?
When you come undone
The lyrics to Duran Duran's song "Come Undone" is a reflection on the complexities of falling in love, the vulnerability that comes with opening your heart to someone and the fear of losing oneself in the process. The opening lines "Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin, I've been waiting for you" lays the foundation of the song's theme of longing for love. The use of "immaculate dream" suggests that the singer's love is an ideal or a perfect fantasy, unblemished and flawless.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's struggle with vulnerability, as he questions whether his love interest is taking his heart to pieces, leaving him to fall apart at the seams. The line "Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams" repeats throughout the song, representing the singer's emotional instability and struggle to keep his guard up.
The chorus repeats the question "Who do you need? Who do you love?", emphasizing the importance of these two questions in a relationship. The bridge, "Ah, it'll take a little time, Might take a little crime to come undone, Now we'll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside, Hey child stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry" implies that love can be unpredictable and messy, but in the end, it's worth taking risks.
Line by Line Meaning
Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin
My supreme and pure ideal made into a reality through body and soul
I've been waiting for you
I have longed for your presence
Signed with a home tattoo
Marked with an inked memory that resonates home
Happy birthday to you was created for you
The words of this song are meant for your pleasure
Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams
I am unable to hold myself together
Can I believe you're taking my heart to pieces?
Am I supposed to trust with my heart in your hands?
Ah, it'll take a little time
It will require some patience
Might take a little crime to come undone
It may require doing something wrong to feel free
Now we'll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside
We will attempt to ignore external influences of optimism and doubt
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry
Keep your spirit fiercer than the breeze and sweep me up in emotion
Who do you need?
Who do you require?
Who do you love?
Who do you have affection for?
When you come undone
When you fall apart and feel incomplete
Words, playing me deja vu
Phrases that sound familiar and remind me of the past
Like a radio tune, I swear I've heard before
Similar to a melody that I know by heart
Chill, is it something real?
Am I feeling cold from the truth?
Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingers
Or is it the enchantment I sense from your touch?
Lost, in a snow filled sky
Trapped, surrounded by a white and hazy atmosphere
We'll make it alright to come undone
We will find a way to make it okay to feel unfinished
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Nigel Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Simon Lebon, Warren Cuccurulo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
xys pej
I loved the sound of it. So atmospheric with melody being louder than vocals, beautiful.
Andie Papke
He still has it. Wow love his voice & moves. Saw them in disneyland, still great!!!!
el Completo
musicalmente este Duran Duran es mucho más superior que el actual.
Puede que no tengan a todos los integrantes que dieron origen a la banda, pero su calidad interpretstiva estaba a la altura de una grna banda.
Steven Allen
Saw night 4 of 5 this same year in Chicago at the HOB. BEST DD SOUND EVER!
OfficialJoeKingOne
If this is 2001, I saw them 3 times during this visit to HOB Anaheim. Any other songs?
Miss NovemberTuesday
I was also there for all 3 dates in March. I only missed the April date.
Steven Allen
Which HOB was this?
Audra Bonacki
Do you have Rio from the 3/27/01 show??
Dana Davis
Which city was this?
scorpion09
Anaheim CA