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
Falling Angel
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From this cloud where I hang, dangled in the blue
I spy you all tiny creatures on the ground below
For my being reckless got me strung up in the sky
Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry
Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die
I'm your angel, and I wish that I could be like you
It's my time, all I have for my crime is such
Knowing that the thing I love is that which I can't touch
So I watch your fragile beauty changing in the sun
Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry
Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die
But here am I, your falling angel, dangled in the blue
I'm your angel, how I wish that I could be with
Falling angel, dangled in the blue
I'm your angel, and I wish that I could be like you
I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you
The song Falling Angel by Duran Duran is a beautiful yet melancholic expression of unrequited love. The lyrics describe the perspective of someone who's suspended in mid-air, watching the world from a bird's eye view. The singer appears to be in a dangerous position, strung up in the sky for their reckless behavior. They lament their inability to touch the object of their love, stating that despite knowing that it's futile, they continue to watch the fragile beauty of their love changing in the sun. The repetition of the lines "Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry, Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die" suggest that the singer is hopeless and in despair. They are trapped in a situation where their love is unattainable, and they're gradually coming to terms with it. The title, Falling Angel, implies that they are metaphorically 'falling' from grace as they recognize that they cannot possess the object of their love.
The end of the song is an expression of faith in the person that the singer loves. "I believe in you, I don't believe it all, But I believe in you" is a statement that even though their love cannot be fulfilled, they still believe in the goodness of the person they love. The final line of the song is a powerful expression of longing - "I wish that I could be like you." The singer yearns for the simplicity of the life of the person they love, unencumbered by the complexities of their own emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
From this cloud where I hang, dangled in the blue
I am dangling recklessly in the sky, observing the tiny creatures on the ground below.
For my being reckless got me strung up in the sky
My recklessness led me to my current situation of hanging in the sky.
Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry
Love has become imperfect, and it's causing people to behave recklessly and break the law.
Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die
I would rather be cut loose and die than be stuck in this situation.
Here am I, your falling angel, dangled in the blue
I am your falling angel, dangling recklessly in the sky.
I'm your angel, and I wish that I could be like you
I wish I could experience life on the ground like you do.
It's my time, all I have for my crime is such
It's my time to face the consequences of my reckless behavior.
Knowing that the thing I love is that which I can't touch
I love something that is unattainable or out of my reach.
So I watch your fragile beauty changing in the sun
I observe your beauty from afar as it changes with the sunlight.
But here am I, your falling angel, dangled in the blue
I am still your falling angel, hanging recklessly in the sky.
I'm your angel, how I wish that I could be with
I am your angel, and I wish I could be with you on the ground.
I believe in you, I don't believe it all
I have faith in you, but I am skeptical about everything else.
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
My trust is in you, although I am not entirely trusting of the situation.
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
My belief is in you, even though I don't have faith in everything else.
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
My confidence is in you, although I am still uncertain about other things.
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
My conviction lies in you, even though I have doubts about the rest.
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
I trust in you, despite the fact that I am not entirely trusting of everything else.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edgar Filho
Lyric/Letra:
From this cloud where I hang, dangled in the blue
I spy you all tiny creatures on the ground below
For my being reckless got me strung up in the sky
Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry
Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die
Here am I, your falling angel, dangled in the blue
I'm your angel, and I wish that I could be like you
It's my time, all I have for my crime is such
Knowing that the thing I love is that which I can't touch
So I watch your fragile beauty changing in the sun
Love is flawed now, see the lawless cry
Cut my cord now, better then, better off to die
But here am I, your falling angel, dangled in the blue
I'm your angel, how I wish that I could be with
Falling angel, dangled in the blue
I'm your angel, and I wish that I could be like you
I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you, I don't believe it all
But I believe in you
SettingSon79
This track is pure class. I agree with the other comments that it was a crime to leave it off the Wedding Album.
Glamnesia Nouveaux
UMF should have been scrapped and replaces with the masterpiece of Falling Angel. I totally am with you!
Kyach Distent
No, that album's got enough stuff on it, it don't need this, it's THIS song that NEEDS attention all by itself and THEY should have made it a single all by itself AFTER their album run of singles had stopped. Their bad! Plus, they non-album/B-side stuff doesn't have the same regular quality their albums do, so this song, 'A Matter Of Fact' (an even MORE lost gem), 'Stop Dead' and 'Time For Temptation' are badly needed to bulk up a fluctuating in quality mass of non-album stuff.
Kyach Distent
@Frankie Lucero Wrong. Nothing wrong with that cover, and actual, this beautiful song NEEDS to be part of their unalbumed stuff as they didn't do much of it that we know of, so far. They've a canny knack for making albums correct, but unlike a few other of my fave artists, they don't always have killer instincts for B-sides or demos! What you SHOULD be saying is this fine song SHOULD have been a non-album single released AFTER the "Wedding Album's" single run had finished. I've now heard a number of B-sides/unreleased demos by them, and enough to know that IS one of THE best of the lot.
Frankie Lucero
I Agreed With The Other Comments Too, SettingSon79. They Should Have Removed Femme Fatale Out Of Their 1993 Self-Titled Album & Replace It With This Song. Another Words, This Song Should Have Came After U.M.F. & Before None Of The Above On Their 1993 Wedding Album.
Robbie Williams
I love this song, the lyrics, Simon's beautiful voice. The music everything is just beautiful. I close my eyes and just get into this song along with all the rest of Duran Duran's music. This song should have reached #1 on the charts.
Frankie Lucero
I Agreed.
John Rappaport
I agree and I get soooo frustrated sometime because of the singles they release. We fans shud be in charge!!!!
Anthony Nichols
I think this track is a hidden gem of a song....
Awesome.
Dawn Butcher
my favourite duran track by a mile everything that everyone has already said - its just.....incredible...luv u duran for making this track x