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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Shadows On Your Side
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They want you to speak but the music is louder than all of their roar
With the heat off the planet's core
But the shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
Promises made with a distant friend
Hey you'll never hear that voice again
Scandal in white on a tangled vine
With everybody to say that your having the time of your life
When your life is on the slide
But the shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
Shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
Ah, ah
Ah, ah
Spinning a compass to choose your way
You can run you can dive you can stand and you can soar
Whichever way you can be sure
That the shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
Shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
Shadows on your side
The shadows are on your side
Shadows on your side
The shadows are on your side
Shadows on your side
The shadows are on your side
Shadows on your side
The lyrics to Duran Duran's "Shadows On Your Side" imply a sense of confinement and subjugation. The first line, "Shackled and raised for a shining crowd," creates an image of being on display, perhaps against one's will, with the rest of the verse describing an environment where individual expression is stifled by the overwhelming "roar" of the crowd and pulsating "music" that drowns out everything else. However, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope - "the shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down" indicates a sense of release from these confines. This is reinforced in the lines "in the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night," implying a sense of belonging in a place of darkness, of anonymity where one's true self can be revealed without judgment or criticism. The second verse goes on to describe the pressure and facade that can come with fame and attention. The phrase "Scandal in white on a tangled vine" suggests that the more visible and celebrated one is, the more likely they are to be pulled down or drawn into drama. But the final verse offers a message of empowerment and freedom. "Whichever way you can be sure, that the shadows are on your side" - regardless of one's chosen path or direction, they can always find a sense of release and belonging in the shadows.
Overall, the song seems to express a sense of being trapped or constrained by societal expectations, performance pressure, or fame, and the relief that comes with being able to escape into anonymity and the darkness. The repeated phrase "the shadows are on your side" reinforces this idea of the shadows being a place of comfort and liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
Shackled and raised for a shining crowd
You are on display for others to see, but you feel trapped and exposed.
They want you to speak but the music is louder than all of their roar
Others expect you to share your thoughts, but you feel like the music overpowers anything you could say.
With the heat off the planet's core
Things are changing and shifting, and it feels like the planet is unstable.
But the shadows are on your side as soon as the lights go down
You feel more comfortable and confident in the darkness.
In the darkest place you can find you belong to the hands of the night
You feel like you fit in and are in control in the shadows.
Promises made with a distant friend
You made commitments with someone who is no longer close to you.
Truth should be known it can only bend to a tune of it's own
The truth is a fluid concept that changes depending on the situation and context.
Hey you'll never hear that voice again
You won't hear from that person who made promises to you again.
Scandal in white on a tangled vine
There is trouble and drama in unexpected places.
With everybody to say that your having the time of your life
Others assume you are happy and enjoying yourself.
When your life is on the slide
In reality, things are not going as well for you as others think they are.
Ah, ah
Vocalizations that add emphasis or melody without specific meaning.
Spinning a compass to choose your way
Trying to make a decision or change direction in life.
You can run you can dive you can stand and you can soar
There are many options and possibilities available to you.
Whichever way you can be sure
No matter what choice you make, you can trust yourself to succeed.
Shadows on your side
Repeating the main idea of the song: feeling most comfortable in the darkness.
The shadows are on your side
Repeating the main idea of the song: feeling most comfortable in the darkness.
Shadows on your side
Repeating the main idea of the song: feeling most comfortable in the darkness.
The shadows are on your side
Repeating the main idea of the song: feeling most comfortable in the darkness.
Shadows on your side
Repeating the main idea of the song: feeling most comfortable in the darkness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY TAYLOR, JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, ROGER ANDREW TAYLOR, SIMON LE BON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind