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
One Of Those Days
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gone and wrecked it like I always do
Don't you know it?
Life is out to kill 'ya
But you still go getting on with it
Seen better times than right now
But I'm not running away
It's just been one of those days
I'm not the only one
They can drag me to the gates of hell now
There's nothing left but I'm still hanging in
Not for me, ain't no final showdown
I'm too shattered to do anything
Seen better times than right now
But I'm not running away
'Cause nothing's going to bring me down
It's just been one of those days
I'm not the only one feeling this way
And I'm not sorry
I'm not the only one feeling this way
And I'm not sorry
Not running away
The lyrics to Duran Duran's One Of Those Days speaks to the universal experience of feeling like everything is going wrong and the world is against us. The first verse establishes this feeling with the line "Life is out to kill 'ya" and the admission that the singer has wrecked things before. However, despite the struggles, the singer is still pushing forward and not giving up. The chorus "It's just been one of those days" acknowledges that everyone has days like this and the singer is not alone.
The second verse continues with the message of endurance in the face of difficulties. The description of being "dragged to the gates of hell" and feeling "too shattered to do anything" speaks to a sense of being completely overwhelmed. But again, the singer asserts their determination to keep going, despite feeling like they have nothing left. The repetition of the line "nothing's going to bring me down" emphasizes this point.
Overall, One Of Those Days is a song about resilience and the ability to keep going even when everything feels like it's falling apart. It acknowledges that life can be tough and we all have days where it feels like the world is against us. But the message is that we can endure and push through even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly, it all looks so familiar
The singer is experiencing a recurring pattern of negative events, which seems to be familiar to them.
Gone and wrecked it like I always do
The singer has ruined something again, and this is a common occurrence for them.
Don't you know it? Life is out to kill 'ya
The singer believes that life is full of challenges and hardships, which can be overwhelming at times.
But you still go getting on with it
Despite the difficulties, the artist insists on continuing to persevere and not giving up.
Seen better times than right now
The artist has experienced happier moments in the past.
But I'm not running away
Despite the difficulties, the singer is not giving up or avoiding the situation.
No nothing's gonna bring me down
The singer is resilient and determined not to let negative situations defeat them.
It's just been one of those days
The artist recognizes that this is a difficult day, but it is not an unusual experience.
I'm not the only one
The artist acknowledges that others may be going through similar experiences.
They can drag me to the gates of hell now
The artist is prepared to face any difficult situation, even if it is as extreme as going to hell.
There's nothing left but I'm still hanging in
Despite feeling depleted, the singer is still persevering and fighting through the struggles.
Not for me, ain't no final showdown
The artist is not waiting for a moment of triumph or resolution, but instead is facing the ongoing challenges.
I'm too shattered to do anything
The singer is exhausted and feels defeated by the struggles they are facing.
And I'm not sorry
The singer is not apologizing for how they are feeling, as it is a normal human experience to have difficult days.
I'm not the only one feeling this way
The singer acknowledges that others may be relating to their experience of having a difficult day.
And I'm not sorry
The artist is standing by their earlier statement that they are not apologizing for feeling overwhelmed by the challenges they are facing.
Not running away
The artist is not giving up or avoiding their problems, but instead is choosing to face them head on.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIMON JOHN CHARLES LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN NIGEL TAYLOR, ROGER ANDREW TAYLOR, CID EDUARDO MEIRELES, ANDREW TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind