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.
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Dirty Great Monster
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this house
We pretend that it's not there
And there's no escape from it's it's grip
But nobody seems to care
Do you ever wonder?
About the days when we were straight
So much to hide
We learned to lie
So watch yourself in the hallway
You're not supposed to know
Cause we're all afraid of each other
We're the victims in this show
Well do you ever wonder
About the days
When we were straight?
When daddy got the hunger
Too much to hide, we learned to lie
Silently outnumbered
We made mistakes, when we were straight
Now we're all going under
So with a sigh
We say goodbye...
The lyrics of Duran Duran's Dirty Great Monster describe a dysfunctional, abusive family and the toxic secrets they keep hidden. The "Dirty Great Monster" is a metaphorical representation of their problems that they choose to ignore, yet they are held captive by its grip. Despite the obvious red flags, no one in the family seems to care or acknowledge the severity of the situation. The singer ponders how things might have been different if they had confronted their issues when they were "straight," meaning before things got so complicated and ugly. However, the dad's insatiable "hunger," which could mean anything from addiction to abuse, caused the family to learn how to lie and keep up appearances instead of facing their problems head-on. As a result, the family members are afraid of each other and are ultimately doomed to fail, silently outnumbered by their problems. The song ends with a sense of resignation as the family says goodbye to their former selves and accept their fate.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a Dirty Great Monster
The family has a terrible secret that they are hiding and is affecting them all negatively, just like a monster.
In this house
The monster is present in their family home, making it difficult for them to escape the issue.
We pretend that it's not there
The family tries to ignore the problem and deny its existence, pretending everything is fine.
And there's no escape from its grip
The family members feel trapped and unable to break free from the ripple effects of their issue.
But nobody seems to care
Despite the struggle they are facing, no one in the family is willing to address the problem with sincerity and concern.
Do you ever wonder?
The singer asks the listener if they ever question the impact of ignoring a problematic issue for too long.
About the days when we were straight
The singer references a time when things were easier and less complicated, before the family got caught up in their issue.
But daddy got the hunger
The father figure in the family has an insatiable desire that negatively affects them all. It could be addiction, need for power or something else.
So much to hide
The father has a lot of secrets, either regarding himself or his actions, that he has hidden away from the family.
We learned to lie
To protect the father's image and the family's reputations, they learned to lie and cover up things.
So watch yourself in the hallway
There are parts of the house that have become dangerous or risky because of their issue. The hallway is one of them.
You're not supposed to know
There are things happening or information known only by certain family members that others aren’t allowed to know.
Cause we're all afraid of each other
The family members are estranged and suspicious of one another, each assuming the other is hiding something.
We're the victims in this show
The family is struggling and suffering as a result of their issue, only it hasn't been made public yet.
Well do you ever wonder
The singer asks again if the listener ever thinks about the issues in one's life that have gone too far and the cost of ignoring them.
When daddy got the hunger
The father's obsession began the way the problem started and drove the family to where they are now.
Too much to hide, we learned to lie
The family, to keep problem under the wraps, buried it to the extent they had to construct false narratives and pretend everything was okay.
Silently outnumbered
The family was doomed to fail from the beginning as they kept the problem among themselves, leaving no room for any perspective except their own.
We made mistakes, when we were straight
There were faults committed by family members at start of the issue which helped it develop uncontrolled.
Now we're all going under
The situation is out of hand and they are spiraling downwards, losing control and hope of it ever getting better.
So with a sigh
The family has become exhausted of fighting against the problem without any resolution.
We say goodbye...
The family has given up and is saying goodbye to hope of fixing their issue as it is beyond fixing at this point.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIMON JOHN CHARLES LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN NIGEL TAYLOR, ROGER ANDREW TAYLOR, FLOYD NATHANIEL HILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind