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:
http://www.duranduran.com
http://twitter.com/duranduran
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duran-Duran
http://www.youtube.com/DuranDuran
http://www.youtube.com/07duranduran
http://www.myspace.com/duranduran
Make Me Smile
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And pulled the Rebel to the floor
You spoilt the game, no matter what you say
For only metal-what a bore!
Blue eyes, blue eyes, how can you tell so many lies?
Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild
There's nothing left, all gone and run away
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
It's just a test, a game for us to play
Win or lose, it's hard to smile
Resist, resist, it's from yourself you have to hide.
Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild
There ain't no more, you've taken everything
From my belief in Mother Earth
How can you ignore my faith in everything
When I know what faith is and what it's worth
Away, away, and don't say maybe you'll try.
The song Make Me Smile by Duran Duran is a plea from a person to their lover who has manipulated and betrayed them in many ways. The lyrics speak about how the lover has done everything they could to break every code, and even brought the rebel down to their knees. They have cheated and played games, ignoring the singer's belief in the world and faith in everything. The singer knows that their lover frequently lies, but it's tough to resist their charms and not give in. It's like a game for the couple, whoever wins or loses, it's still hard to smile. The more the lover lies and cheats, the harder it becomes to conceal those emotions, yet the singer cannot resist them.
The chorus of the song, "Come up and see me, make me smile or do what you want, running wild" shows that the singer is yearning for their lover's attention and affection. Even though they know that their lover has hurt them, they can't help but hope that their lover comes back to them and makes them smile or do whatever they want, running wild. They are unsure if their lover will try and win back their trust again or if they will leave the relationship for good.
Overall, the song showcases the vulnerability and pain that comes with loving someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The singer feels like they have lost everything and that their lover has taken everything away from them. Yet, they still can't resist the temptation and allure of their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
You've done it all, you've broken every code
You have achieved everything and overcome every challenge.
And pulled the Rebel to the floor
You have dominated everything around you.
You spoilt the game, no matter what you say
You have ruined everything despite your explanations.
For only metal-what a bore!
You only value things which are worthless and unexciting.
Blue eyes, blue eyes, how can you tell so many lies?
Your deception is truly astounding.
Come up and see me, make me smile
I need you to come and bring joy to my life.
Or do what you want, running wild
You can choose to do whatever you please, without constraint.
There's nothing left, all gone and run away
Everything I had is now gone and missing.
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
Perhaps you will stay around for some time.
It's just a test, a game for us to play
Life is simply a challenge that we can overcome through play.
Win or lose, it's hard to smile
Success or defeat, it's tough to stay content.
Resist, resist, it's from yourself you have to hide.
You must resist temptation to run from your problems.
There ain't no more, you've taken everything
There is nothing left, you have taken it all.
From my belief in Mother Earth
My love for nature is all that remains.
How can you ignore my faith in everything
Why do you disregard my beliefs and values?
When I know what faith is and what it's worth
I have a clear understanding of the value of faith.
Away, away, and don't say maybe you'll try.
Leave my life completely, and don't pretend you will make an effort to fix things.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Steve Harley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
T A
You've done it all
You've broken every code
And pulled the rebel to the floor
You spoiled the game
No matter what you say
For only metal, what a bore
Blue eyes, blue eyes
How come you tell so many lies?
Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild
There's nothing left
All gone and run away
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
It's just a test
A game for us to play
Win or lose, it's hard to smile
Resist, resist
It's from yourself you have to hide, oh
Come up and see me to make me smile
Oh, or do what you want, running wild
There ain't no more
You've taken everything
From my belief in Mother Earth
Can you ignore
My faith in everything?
'Cause I know what faith is and what it's worth
Away, away
And don't say maybe you'll try
Oh, to come up and see me, to make me smile
Or do what you want, just running wild
Ooh, la la la
Ooh, la la la
Ooh
Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, running wild
Ooh, la la la
Ooh, la la la
Ooh
Come up and see me to make me smile
Resa Walters
@J C
That's true.
That's why he got those three huge sacks of love letters his parents stowed in the garage, back in the day.
He mentions those letters in his book.
Most of my duranie friends liked him the best out of the five.
I liked Simon, John, and Nick always, but for realities sake, especially these days, I wish John could truly be my boyfriend!
Or better yet, my husband!
I'm truly in love with this man, as I've been watching again all day, lately.
Dang John, why did you have to go and get married, again?
You heartbreaker! Lucky, Gela! 😭
DROGE
John Taylor's bass absolutely defines this version. Listen when the music kicks in after the 1st verse. Solid as a rock!
Alexander Spear
Utterly underrated
Michelle Romani
This will go down as one of Andy’s finest performances!
Girl squad
One of many fine performances
Melissa Demidov
Andy Taylor is and always has been amazing.
Scott Stapleton
When other bands cover a Duran Duran song its still a Duran Duran song, when Duran Duran covers another artist it becomes a Duran Duran song. #DuranDuran4ever
Sabrina Parrella
How Is It true!!
VeganRebelLove
Been a Duranie since I was 12 yrs. old. I'll be 49 yrs. old in August. I remember hearing this song for the first time in my bedroom on the radio. I had my blanke cassette tape ready to record at all times. I look back and realize how magical these times were for me. God I LOVE Duran Duran and will ALWAYS be am original duranie❤🤗🌻
Musa Abel
I know I am kinda off topic but does anyone know a good site to stream newly released series online?
Damian Johnny
@Musa Abel flixportal xD