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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God
Duran Duran Lyrics
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All the fools in town are ruling today
Today
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (oh, the paper gods)
Fools in town are ruling now (in the sky of grey)
Bleeding from paper cuts, money for headshots (all the fools in town are ruling today)
Fools leading (today)
Who needs it?
"Hey, you're gonna want it all" the talking man declares
Go running to be first in line for what, nobody cares
The next thing you must have
Find peace with matching bag
It's nothing to be glad about or sad when you forget about it
And while the race is on the rats will run the street
The slaver in a sweatshop putting trainers on your feet
And walking through the rain, oblivious to pain
To shelter from the blame without a reason to complain about it
(Oh, oh, oh) don't complain about it
(Oh, oh, oh) don't complain about it
(Oh, oh, oh) forget about it
(Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (all the paper gods)
Fools in town are ruling now (all the fools in town)
Bleeding from paper cuts, money for head shots (are ruling today)
Fools leading
Who needs it?
She's staring out in underwear from your computer screen
It's all on sale for dirty cash, we can wash it clean
So hang it out online, confess and you'll feel fine
And if you got the time to spare we want to know which name you're wearing
And when the final curtain finally comes down
We'll all be in the party room, no wiser as to how
The total human race became a basket case
It's nothing to lose face about, it's really not our place to doubt it
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (all the paper gods)
The fools in town are ruling now (all the fools in town)
Bleeding from paper cuts, money for head shots (are ruling today)
Fools leading
Who needs it?
(Paper walls falling down)
(Paper house, paper town)
(Paper gods falling down)
(Paper world just falling down)
(Paper walls falling down)
(Paper house, paper town)
(Paper gods falling down)
(Paper world just falling down)
(Falling down, falling down)
(Falling down, falling down)
(Falling down)
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (all the paper gods)
Fools in town are ruling now (in the sky of grey, all the fools in town)
Bleeding from paper cuts, they go for the money shots (are leading today)
The fools leading
Who needs them?
All the paper gods in the sky of grey
All the fools in town are ruling today
Today
The lyrics to Duran Duran's song "Paper Gods" talks about the obsession with money and material possessions and how it has led to a world that is shallow and paper-thin. The "paper gods" in the sky of gray refers to those who hold power due to wealth and the "fools in town" are those who blindly follow them. The song emphasizes the negative effects of consumerism and the lack of care for anything else but money. The line "bleeding from paper cuts, money for headshots" suggests that people are hurting themselves in pursuit of money and fame.
The talking man in the song represents the media or the marketing industry that always insists that we need the next new thing. He urges us to go out and buy the latest product even if we don't need it. The line "confess and you'll feel fine" suggests that society today is obsessed with social media and the desire to show off material possessions to gain social status. The song imagines a bleak future where humanity has lost its sense of purpose and direction, living only for the moment without a thought for the consequences.
Overall, "Paper Gods" is a commentary on the nature of modern society and our worship of money and material possessions. The song urges us to look beyond our possessions and recognize the importance of true connections with each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the paper gods in the sky of gray
The people in power who control our world are just like paper-thin gods in the sky, without substance or real power.
All the fools in town are ruling today Today
Even though we call them paper-thin, the fools in our town are the ones in charge today, which is a tragedy.
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (oh, the paper gods)
We must all bow to the paper gods in this paper-thin world, even though they are weak and powerless.
Fools in town are ruling now (in the sky of grey)
The foolish people in charge are ruling over us right now, which makes everything seem cloudy and grey.
Bleeding from paper cuts, money for headshots (all the fools in town are ruling today)
We are all suffering from small cuts caused by the paper-thin gods and the foolish people in charge, who only care about making money and gaining power.
Fools leading (today)
Today, the fools who are in charge are leading our society towards disaster.
Who needs it?
The world would be better off without these paper-thin gods and foolish leaders.
"Hey, you're gonna want it all" the talking man declares
A salesman or advertiser is promising us that we need everything, even though we don't.
Go running to be first in line for what, nobody cares
We rush to buy something that we don't really need, while nobody really cares or benefits from it.
The next thing you must have Find peace with matching bag
We are told that we need something new to be happy, even if it's just a matching bag that doesn't really bring us peace or happiness.
It's nothing to be glad about or sad when you forget about it
When we forget about these material possessions, we realize that they weren't really important or meaningful in the first place.
And while the race is on the rats will run the street
While everyone is busy competing for material possessions, the greedy people and corporations will take advantage of us and gain more control.
The slaver in a sweatshop putting trainers on your feet
While we enjoy our new shoes, someone is being exploited in a sweatshop and forced to work long hours without fair pay or rights.
And walking through the rain, oblivious to pain
We are so distracted by our material possessions that we don't even notice the pain and suffering of others around us.
To shelter from the blame without a reason to complain about it
We use our possessions as an excuse to avoid blame and complaints, even though they are the source of our problems.
(Oh, oh, oh) don't complain about it
We are urged not to complain or speak out against the system that we know is flawed and unjust.
(Oh, oh, oh) forget about it
Instead, we are told to forget about the problems caused by our materialistic society, even if it means ignoring those who suffer because of it.
She's staring out in underwear from your computer screen
A woman is being objectified and exploited online for the pleasure of others, without regard for her feelings or dignity.
It's all on sale for dirty cash, we can wash it clean
Everything is available for sale, even the exploitation and objectification of others, and we pretend that we can make it acceptable and ethical by buying it.
So hang it out online, confess and you'll feel fine
We are encouraged to share our exploits and material possessions online, and pretend that it will make us feel better or more accomplished.
And if you got the time to spare we want to know which name you're wearing
We are encouraged to share our status symbols and the brands we wear, to show off our wealth and success to others.
And when the final curtain finally comes down
When our lives come to an end, and all is said and done, what will really matter and what will we have achieved?
We'll all be in the party room, no wiser as to how
We will all die together, without ever understanding the true meaning of our materialistic and greedy lives.
The total human race became a basket case
Humanity has become a failure and a disaster, because of our obsession with material possessions and greed.
It's nothing to lose face about, it's really not our place to doubt it
We shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of the failure of our society, and we shouldn't question the status quo.
(Paper walls falling down)
The paper walls and structures of our society are starting to collapse and fail.
(Paper house, paper town)
Our world is just a paper-thin façade, built on greed and materialism, and it is starting to crumble.
(Paper gods falling down)
The paper gods are losing their power and control, and we are starting to see through their lies and manipulations.
(Paper world just falling down)
The paper-thin world that we have built is starting to fall apart, and we are powerless to stop it.
(Falling down, falling down)
Everything is falling apart, and we are losing control.
Bow to the paper gods in a world that is paper thin (all the paper gods)
Even though they are losing their power, we still bow to the paper gods and submit to their will, because we don't know any better.
Fools in town are ruling now (all the fools in town)
The foolish people in charge are still ruling over us, even though their grip on power is slipping.
Bleeding from paper cuts, they go for the money shots (are ruling today)
We are still suffering the consequences of the paper-thin world that we have created, where greed and materialism rule over all else.
The fools leading
The foolish people who are in charge are leading us towards our own destruction.
Who needs them?
We don't need the paper gods or the foolish leaders who are in charge, we need to find a better way forward for humanity.
All the paper gods in the sky of grey
The paper gods are still there, even if they are losing their power, and they are still causing the sky to seem grey and cloudy.
All the fools in town are ruling today
The foolish leaders are still in charge, even if their grip on power is slipping, and they are still causing chaos and destruction in our world.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEN HUDSON MCILDOWIE, JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, ROGER ANDREW TAYLOR, SIMON JOHN CHARLES LE BON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind