A track from the band's first album, this was Duran Duran's third single. It would be another year before they had any impact in America, but in England, they had a swift rise as leaders of the New Romantic movement, and answer to the rebellious and politically indignant punk and two-tone movements of the '70s.
England was still dealing with a harsh economic and social climate, but this is a country that loves its royals and is fascinated by its most glamorous citizens. Duran Duran filled that craving with upbeat pop music and relentless decadence. Most critics laughed them off or derided them as lightweights, but they quickly found an audience, with "Girls On Film" rising to #5 in the UK on August 22, 1981.
This song is best known for its video, which was the first extended video ever made and was quite racy. In an interview on the band's Greatest Hits DVD collection, Simon Le Bon says that the controversy over the song's notoriously raunchy music video eclipsed the song's message of fashion model exploitation. The video was directed by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, who were the leaders of the group 10cc and also recorded as Godley & Creme.
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
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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