Duran Duran (named after a character in Roger Vadim's sci-fi classic, Barba… Read Full Bio ↴Duran Duran (named after a character in Roger Vadim's sci-fi classic, Barbarella) is an electronic pop rock band that was part of the New Wave movement of the 80s and 90s. Duran Duran have sold over 100 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They achieved 30 top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart (14 of them top 10) and 21 top 40 singles in the US Billboard Hot 100. The band have won numerous awards throughout their career: two Brit Awards including the 2004 award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, two Grammy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a Video Visionary Award from the MTV Europe Music Awards. They were also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022.

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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None of the Above
Duran Duran Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here she comes
You better watch your step
She's going to break your heart in two
It's true

It's not hard to realize
Just look into her false coloured eyes
She'll build you up just to put you down

What a clown

Cause everybody knows
(She's a femme fatale)
The things she does to please
(She's a femme fatale)
She's just a little tease
(She's a femme fatale)
See the way she walks
Hear the way she talks

You're written in her book
You're number 37, take a look
She's going to smile to make you frown
What a clown

Little boy she's from the streets
Before you start you're already beat
She's going to play you for a fool
Yes it's true

Cause everybody knows
(She's a femme fatale)
The things she does to please
(She's a femme fatale)
She's just a little tease
(She's a femme fatale)
See the way she walks
Hear the way she talks

She will try to bring you down
The hardest girl around

Cause everybody knows
The things she does to please
She's just a little tease
And everybody knows
She's a femme fatale
She's a femme fatale
She's a femme fatale

She's a femme fatale
(Repeat)

Overall Meaning

The Duran Duran song "None of the Above" is an upbeat rock song that warns the listener about a woman who is a "femme fatale." The song's narrator tells the story of a woman who will use her physical appearance and charisma to manipulate and deceive men. The chorus repeatedly refers to her as a "femme fatale," a French term that means "fatal woman" or "disastrous woman." The lyrics warn the listener not to fall for her charms, as she is a heartbreaker who will build you up just to tear you down. The song's verses describe her physical attributes, her streetwise nature, and her ability to play others for fools.

The song's title, "None of the Above," is a reference to multiple-choice exams in which students are asked to choose the correct answer from a list of options. Choosing "none of the above" indicates that the student does not agree with any of the given options, and instead believes that the correct answer is not listed. This title suggests that the woman in the song is not a viable option for a romantic partner, and that the singer is warning the listener to avoid her.

Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling for someone who is not what they seem. It encourages listeners to be wary of people who use their charm and charisma to manipulate others.

Line by Line Meaning

Here she comes
A woman is approaching

You better watch your step
Be careful because she is dangerous

She's going to break your heart in two
She will hurt you emotionally

It's true
This statement is a fact

It's not hard to realize
This fact is easy to understand

Just look into her false coloured eyes
Observe her eyes that are not genuine

She'll build you up just to put you down
She will raise your expectations and then disappoint you

What a clown
She is foolish and ridiculous

Cause everybody knows
Because it is widely understood

(She's a femme fatale)
She is a dangerous and attractive woman

The things she does to please
Her actions to satisfy others