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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Last Chance On The Stairway
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasn't long ago
Just get a picture of sun in your eyes
The waves in your hair
Maybe it's something said in a movie or
You could've said last night
Just took me out on a limb
And I don't really know what I'm doing here
And sometimes I'm caught in a landslide
My beat's so in time, can you look at me
I'm out of reach, I'll talk if it feels right
I've had my last chance on the stairway
Funny it's just like a scene out of Voltaire
Twisting out of sight
'Cause when all the curtains are pulled back
We'll turn and see the circles we've traced
Ain't no game (ooh)
When you're playing with fire
It doesn't seem right that we fight
So the party runs on all night
And sometimes I'm caught in a landslide
My beat's so in time, can you look at me
I'm out of reach I'll talk if it feels right
So nervous to say, tell me can't you see
And if you want I'll fall out forever
I can't say no more, baby dance with me
And please don't say leave it 'til later
I've had my last chance on the stairway
Wonder why, (wonder why ooh)
What makes me rise so high
Maybe it's something they put in your perfume
Or the look in your eyes
It could be the atmosphere sinking
Ooh, I don't know what you're thinking
I don't even know what you're drinking
But it keeps this heaven alive
And sometimes I'm caught in a landslide
My beat's so in time, can you look at me
I'm out of reach I'll talk if it feels right
So nervous to say, tell me can't you see
And if you want I'll fall out forever
I can't say no more, baby dance with me
And please don't say leave till later
I've had my last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
Last chance on the stairway
The lyrics of Duran Duran's song "Last Chance on the Stairway" describe the singer's confusion and uncertainty about a recent romantic encounter. The opening lines suggest that the meeting was recent, and the singer seems to be trying to piece together how it happened. The imagery of "sun in your eyes" and "waves in your hair" suggests that the encounter was pleasant and memorable. However, the singer admits that he is "out on a limb" and doesn't know what he's doing there.
The chorus of the song describes the singer's feeling of being "caught in a landslide". He seems to be swept up in the moment and doesn't know how to express himself, but his "beat's so in time" that he hopes the other person can see it. He says that he's "out of reach" but he'll talk if it feels right. The line "I've had my last chance on the stairway" suggests that he feels like this is his last opportunity to express himself.
The second verse features more surrealistic imagery, with references to Voltaire and "circles we've traced". The singer seems to be reflecting on the fleeting nature of relationships and how they can seem like a game, but it's not worth fighting over. The final lines of the song, "I've had my last chance on the stairway", are repeated, emphasizing the singer's urgency to express himself before it's too late.
Overall, "Last Chance on the Stairway" is a melancholic, introspective song about the fleeting nature of romantic encounters and the fear of missing out on an opportunity to connect with someone.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't remember quite how I met you
I don't recall the details of how we first met
Wasn't long ago
It wasn't too far back in time
Just get a picture of sun in your eyes
I have an image of the sun shining in your eyes
The waves in your hair
I remember the waves in your hair
Maybe it's something said in a movie or
Perhaps it was a line spoken in a film or
You could've said last night
It's possible that you said it just last night
Just took me out on a limb
You took a chance, and so did I
And I don't really know what I'm doing here
I'm not certain what I'm doing in this situation
And sometimes I'm caught in a landslide
Occasionally, I feel overwhelmed and out of control
My beat's so in time, can you look at me
I'm so in sync with the music, can you see it?
I'm out of reach, I'll talk if it feels right
I'm emotionally distant, but I'll communicate if it feels appropriate
I've had my last chance on the stairway
This is my final opportunity to do something significant
Funny it's just like a scene out of Voltaire
It's amusing how similar this feels to a Voltaire play
Twisting out of sight
Things are becoming unclear and hard to understand
Cause when all the curtains are pulled back
Once everything is revealed and transparent
We'll turn and see the circles we've traced
We'll see the patterns we've created and continue to repeat
Ain't no game (ooh)
This is not a trivial matter
When you're playing with fire
When you're taking risks and tempting fate
It doesn't seem right that we fight
It doesn't feel appropriate to argue
So the party runs on all night
So we continue to enjoy ourselves throughout the night
Wonder why, (wonder why ooh)
I'm curious as to why
What makes me rise so high
What causes my emotions to run so intensely
Maybe it's something they put in your perfume
Perhaps it's something in the scent you're wearing
Or the look in your eyes
Or perhaps it's something in your gaze
It could be the atmosphere sinking
The mood in the room might be affecting me
Ooh, I don't know what you're thinking
I have no idea what's going through your mind
I don't even know what you're drinking
I don't know what you're drinking
But it keeps this heaven alive
Whatever it is, it's keeping this heavenly feeling alive
And if you want I'll fall out forever
If you desire, I'll leave your life forever
I can't say no more, baby dance with me
I have nothing else to say, let's just dance together
And please don't say leave till later
Don't postpone our decision to part ways
I've had my last chance on the stairway
This is the final opportunity I have to leave
Last chance on the stairway
This is the last chance I have to walk away
Last chance on the stairway
This really is my final opportunity to leave
Last chance on the stairway
Time is running out for me to depart
Last chance on the stairway
I need to make a decision before it's too late
Last chance on the stairway
This truly is my last chance to leave
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY TAYLOR, JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, ROGER TAYLOR, SIMON LE BON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind