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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Point Of No Return
Duran Duran Lyrics
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Come together once in a while
So blinding and decidedly
Naivete falls from our eyes
And we'll not regain
As we watch the tower falling down
Maybe things can change
Maybe things can change
Only if you want
You know, you know there's no avoiding
The lesson to be learned
The lesson to be learned
The point of no return
You say "What if?"
But can you live it?
It's all that we deserve
It's all that we deserve
The point of no return
Don't blame yourself
Don't blame me
But we're the ones
Who can feed the ground
So this poison tree, don't let it grow again
And from this glass and broken earth
There is a way that can be built
A better life for everyone
Maybe things can change
Only if you want
Maybe things can change
Only if you want
The lyrics of Duran Duran's "Point of No Return" talk about the randomness of life, and how sometimes things come together unexpectedly and blind us with their beauty. However, the song also talks about the fragility of life, as symbolized by the falling tower, and how we should not take things for granted because we may never regain them. The song urges us to take responsibility for our actions, to not blame ourselves or others, and to focus on building a better life for everyone.
The lyric "You know, you know there's no avoiding the lesson to be learned, the point of no return" is particularly powerful as it points out that there are some things in life that we cannot turn back from, and we must face the consequences of our actions. The song encourages us to think about what we want for ourselves and for the world, and to work towards making positive changes.
Overall, "Point of No Return" is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking song. It speaks to the uncertainties of life and how we can navigate them, but also the power we have to make things better if we choose to.
Line by Line Meaning
The random aspects of our lives
The unpredictable events that occur in our lives
Come together once in a while
Occur simultaneously in a rare instance
So blinding and decidedly
Intensely overwhelming and apparent
Naivete falls from our eyes
Innocence and ignorance disappear as we see the truth
And we'll not regain
Unable to recover what has been lost
As we watch the tower falling down
Observing the destruction of what was once a solid foundation
Maybe things can change
There is a possibility for change
Only if you want
Dependent on your willingness and desire for change
You know, you know there's no avoiding
The inevitability of something that must be learned
The lesson to be learned
What needs to be understood
The point of no return
The critical moment where change must occur or consequences will be irreversible
You say "What if?"
Consider the possibility of an alternative outcome
But can you live it?
Are you able to make it a reality?
It's all that we deserve
We have brought this upon ourselves
Don't blame yourself
Do not hold yourself accountable for everything
Don't blame me
Do not hold others accountable for everything
But we're the ones
We are the responsible parties
Who can feed the ground
We have the power to determine what flourishes
So this poison tree, don't let it grow again
Do not allow toxic elements to resurface
And from this glass and broken earth
From this shattered and damaged environment
There is a way that can be built
There is a possibility for improvement
A better life for everyone
The opportunity for a more positive existence
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