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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I Wanna Take You Higher Again
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beat is gettin' stronger
Beat is gettin' longer too-oo-oo
Music's soundin' good to me
But I want to, said I want to
I want to take you higher
Baby, baby, let me light your fire
Ooo yeah, little bit higher
Boom-shaka-laka-laka
Boom-shaka-la-boonka-boo
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
Beat is nitty-gritty
Music's in your city too-oo-oo
Music's gettin' good to me
But now don't ya, I said don't ya
Don't ya want to get higher
Yeah, don't ya want to get higher
Baby, baby, let me light your fire
Ooo ha, little bit higher
Boom-shaka-laka-laka
Boom-shaka-la-boonka-boo
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
------ guitar ------
Come on baby (higher!)
Don't ya want to get high (higher!)
Ooo yeah! (higher!)
Light your fire (fire!)
Come on daddy (higher!)
A little bit higher (higher!)
I want to (higher!)
Said I want to light your fire (fire!)
Boom-shaka-laka-laka
Boom-shaka-la-boonka-boo
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
Beat is here to make you mo-ove
Music's here to help ya groo-oo-oove
Music's soundin' good to me
But take your places
I'm gonna take you higher (higher!)
Yeah, baby (higher!)
Gonna take ya higher (higher!)
Ooo yeah (higher!)
Little bit higher (higher!)
c'mon daddy (higher!)
A little bit (higher!)
(higher!)
(higher!)
(higher!)
(higher!)
(higher!)
{fade}
The lyrics of Duran Duran's song I Wanna Take You Higher Again are an invitation to join in the fun of the groovy sound and let oneself go higher, emotionally and mentally. The repetitive use of "beat" and "music" in the first stanza indicates the growing excitement of the music, and the singer wants to take the listeners along with him on his wild ride. The use of "fire" in the chorus is a metaphor for passion and energy, the same passion that the singer wants to ignite in his listeners. The chorus is a call to let go of one's inhibitions and let the music take them to a higher place.
The second stanza is similar to the first, with a slightly different variation of "beat" and "music." Here, the singer poses a rhetorical question, "don't ya want to get higher?" This question is a call to action, an invitation to let the music take you to a higher place. The use of "daddy" indicates a sense of playfulness and flirtation in the lyrics. In the guitar solo, the music takes over and the lyrics fade out, emphasizing the power of the music to transport listeners beyond the limits of language.
Overall, I Wanna Take You Higher Again is a call to let go of inhibitions and let the music take over, to get lost in the beat and get high, emotionally and mentally.
Line by Line Meaning
Beat is gettin' stronger
The rhythm of the music is becoming more intense
Beat is gettin' longer too-oo-oo
The rhythm of the music is becoming more persistent and prolonged
Music's soundin' good to me
The sound of the music is pleasant and enjoyable for the singer
But I want to, said I want to
The singer has a strong desire to do something
I want to take you higher
The singer wants to elevate the mood and energy level of the listener
Yeah, let me take you higher
The singer is requesting permission to elevate the mood and energy level of the listener
Baby, baby, let me light your fire
The singer is urging the listener to become more excited and passionate
Ooo yeah, little bit higher
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener a little more
Beat is nitty-gritty
The rhythm of the music is intense and forceful
Music's in your city too-oo-oo
The sound of the music is also present and enjoyable in the listener's location
But now don't ya, I said don't ya
The singer is warning the listener against a particular action
Don't ya want to get higher
The singer is encouraging the listener to increase their mood and energy level
Yeah, don't ya want to get higher
The singer is reiterating their encouragement to the listener
Ooo ha, little bit higher
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener a little more in a joyful manner
------ guitar ------
A guitar solo is played here
Come on baby (higher!)
The singer is urging the listener to become more excited and passionate
Don't ya want to get high (higher!)
The singer is encouraging the listener to increase their mood and energy level
Ooo yeah! (higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener in a joyful manner
Light your fire (fire!)
The singer is urging the listener to become more excited and passionate
Come on daddy (higher!)
The singer is urging the listener's father to become more excited and passionate
A little bit higher (higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener a little more
I want to (higher!)
The singer has a strong desire to do something, which is to increase the mood and energy level of the listener
Said I want to light your fire (fire!)
The singer is reiterating their desire to encourage the listener to become more excited and passionate
Beat is here to make you mo-ove
The rhythm of the music is intended to compel the listener to dance or move
Music's here to help ya groo-oo-oove
The sound of the music is intended to assist the listener in dancing or moving rhythmically
Take your places
The singer is urging the listener to prepare to dance or move
I'm gonna take you higher (higher!)
The singer is declaring their intention to increase the mood and energy level of the listener
Yeah, baby (higher!)
The singer is addressing the listener affectionately and urging them to become more excited and passionate
Gonna take ya higher (higher!)
The singer is reiterating their intention to increase the mood and energy level of the listener
Ooo yeah (higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener in a joyful manner
Little bit higher (higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener a little more
c'mon daddy (higher!)
The singer is urging the listener's father to become more excited and passionate
A little bit (higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener a little more
(higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener even more
(higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener even more
(higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener even more
(higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener even more
(higher!)
The singer wants to increase the mood and energy level of the listener even more
{fade}
The music gradually fades out
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SYLVESTER STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind