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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Nice
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better than being with you
And I'm feeling so nice
Feeling so nice
Take the beautiful sting of a Scorpio
A careless smile and it begins to snow
And it hurts me to think that you might never know
Case you don't understand
There's something else I meant to tell you
There is nothing
Better than being with you
And I'm feeling so nice
There is nowhere
Better than here with you
And it's feeling so nice
Stayin' up with the moon and walking home in the rain
Mixed with your perfume and never twice the same
I got a lot to lose, but everything to gain
When I really think about it
You haven't got a clue
It's all that I can do to hide it
There is nothing
Better than being with you
And I'm feeling so nice
There is nowhere
Better than here with you
And it's feeling so nice
Did I already say?
'Cause you make me forget
I might as well be brave and tell you
Now it hurts me to think you might never know
Will it hurt as much being true?
I might as well be brave and tell you
There is nothing
Better than being with you
And I'm feeling so nice
There is nowhere
Better than here with you
And it's feeling so nice
There is nothing
Better than being with you
And I'm feeling so nice
Yeah, I'm feeling
Yeah, it's feeling so nice
The lyrics to Duran Duran and Eric Prydz's song Nice seem to express the intense emotions of someone who is deeply in love with someone but is unable to express it. The lyrics suggest that there is nothing better than being with the person and that being with them feels incredible. The opening line suggests that being with that person is the ultimate experience for the singer. The Scorpio reference can be interpreted as a sign of intense passion and intensity, both being characteristics that a Scorpio is known for. The reference to the snow and the feeling of it hurting could suggest that the relationship is intense and that the singer is feeling vulnerable.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is struggling to express their emotions. There is a sense of frustration that the person they are in love with may never know how they feel. They express how much they have to lose, but at the same time, the potential gain is significant. The singer feels that they are hiding their feelings, but they want to express their emotions and let the person know how they feel.
In the final stanza, the singer resolves to tell the person how they feel, even though it may be difficult. The repetition of the line 'There is nothing better than being with you' adds to the intensifying emotion in the song. In the end, the singer proclaims how nice it feels to be with the person they love, and it is clear that they cannot contain their emotions any further.
Line by Line Meaning
There is nothing
Being with you is the best thing.
Better than being with you
Being with you is better than anything else.
And I'm feeling so nice
Being with you gives me a great feeling.
Take the beautiful sting of a Scorpio
Imagine the best of both beauty and pain, combined like an astrological Scorpio.
A careless smile and it begins to snow
The simple action of your smile can make magical things happen, like snowfall beginning.
And it hurts me to think that you might never know
It pains me to think that you may never realize how much you mean to me.
That I've got this thing about you
I am deeply in love with you and can't help but feel this way.
Case you don't understand
In case you are not fully aware.
There's something else I meant to tell you
I have another important message to convey.
There is nowhere
There is no place.
Better than here with you
Being with you is the best place to be.
Stayin' up with the moon and walking home in the rain
Staying up late until the moon is out and walking home in the rain together is romantic and special.
Mixed with your perfume and never twice the same
Your unique perfume mixed with the experience is never the same twice, it is always special
I got a lot to lose, but everything to gain
There is a lot at stake, but the reward is worth it if you feel the same way.
When I really think about it
Upon further consideration, I realize.
You haven't got a clue
You are unaware of my true feelings.
It's all that I can do to hide it
I am doing my best to conceal my emotions.
Did I already say?
In case I already conveyed this message earlier.
'Cause you make me forget
Because of how you make me feel, I forget things like repeating myself.
I might as well be brave and tell you
I should be courageous and tell you how I really feel.
Now it hurts me to think you might never know
It is painful to consider that you may never realize the depth of my affection.
Will it hurt as much being true?
Is it better to keep my love concealed or is being honest the best way to go?
Yeah, I'm feeling
Yes, I am experiencing this intense emotion.
Yeah, it's feeling so nice
This feeling is amazing and wonderful.
There is nothing
Again, being with you is the best thing.
Better than being with you
This sentiment is being reinforced.
And I'm feeling so nice
The feeling remains strong and positive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cid Eduardo Meireles, John Nigel Taylor, Simon John Charles Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Roger Andrew Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind