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:
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http://www.youtube.com/DuranDuran
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Girls On Film
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heads turning as the lights flashing out are so bright
Then walk right out to the four line track
There's a camera rolling on her back
On her back
And I sense a rhythm humming in a frenzy
All the way down her spine
Girls on film, girls on film
Lipstick cherry all over the lens as she's falling
And miles of sharp blue water coming in where she lies
The diving man's coming up for air
'Cause the crowd all love pulling dolly by the hair
By the hair
And she wonders how she ever got here
As she goes under again
Girls on film (two minutes later)
Girls on film
Girls on film (got your picture)
Girls on film
Wider, baby, smile and you've just made a million
Fuses pumping live heat twisting out on a wire
Take one last glimpse into the night
I'm touching close, I'm holding bright
Holding tight
Give me shudders in a whisper
Take me up 'til I'm shooting a star
Girls on film (she's more than a lady)
Girls on film
Girls on film (two minutes later)
Girls on film
Girls on film (see you together)
Girls on film
Girls on film (see you later)
Girls on film
The lyrics to Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" tell a story of a voyeuristic encounter in a public space. The scene is set as two people walk hand in hand across a bridge at midnight, catching the attention of passersby who are drawn to the bright flashing lights. As the couple heads towards a train track, the singer notices a camera on the woman's back and senses a rhythmic frenzy building in her spine.
The scene quickly shifts to a beach where the woman is covered in lipstick and surrounded by sharp blue water. A male diver emerges from the water and the crowd cheers as they yank on the woman's hair. As the woman wonders how she got there, she goes under the water again.
The song builds to a climax as the singer instructs the woman to smile wider, promising that she has just made a million dollars. The heat is pumping as they twist on a wire, taking one last glimpse into the night. The singer holds the woman tightly as he whispers and she takes him up until they're shooting like stars. Overall, the lyrics to "Girls on Film" paint a picture of a sexual encounter that is both exciting and dangerous, playing on themes of power, fame, and pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
See them walking hand in hand across the bridge at midnight
Watching two people walk together at night, everyone notices how they stand out against the flashing lights
Heads turning as the lights flashing out are so bright
The bright lights are causing people to look towards the couple walking
Then walk right out to the four line track
They're walking towards the train tracks
There's a camera rolling on her back
Someone is recording her from behind
On her back
The camera is recording from her back
And I sense a rhythm humming in a frenzy
A sense of excitement and energy is felt
All the way down her spine
The excitement is felt all throughout her body
Girls on film, girls on film
Girls are being recorded on film
Lipstick cherry all over the lens as she's falling
As she falls, her lipstick gets all over the camera lens
And miles of sharp blue water coming in where she lies
There's a lot of blue water near where she is laying down
The diving man's coming up for air
A man who dove into the water for a performance is coming back up for air
'Cause the crowd all love pulling dolly by the hair
The audience enjoys seeing the woman being moved by others pulling her hair
By the hair
The woman is being moved by her hair
And she wonders how she ever got here
She's questioning how she ended up in this situation
As she goes under again
She ends up falling back down under water
Girls on film (two minutes later)
Girls are still being recorded on film
Girls on film
Girls are being recorded on film
Girls on film (got your picture)
The picture of the girls has been taken
Wider, baby, smile and you've just made a million
If the girl smiles wider, it'll make them more money
Fuses pumping live heat twisting out on a wire
There's a lot of energy and excitement coming through the wires
Take one last glimpse into the night
One last look into the night
I'm touching close, I'm holding bright
I'm getting close and holding on tight
Holding tight
Holding on tight
Give me shudders in a whisper
Whisper in my ear and give me chills
Take me up 'til I'm shooting a star
Take me to new heights until I'm as bright as a shooting star
Girls on film (she's more than a lady)
Girls are still being recorded on film, and this particular girl is more than just a lady
Girls on film
Girls are being recorded on film
Girls on film (two minutes later)
Girls are still being recorded on film two minutes later
Girls on film
Girls are being recorded on film
Girls on film (see you together)
Girls are being recorded on film, and it's seen that they're together
Girls on film
Girls are being recorded on film
Girls on film (see you later)
Girls are being recorded on film, and will see them later
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andy Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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