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
Sin of the City
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has a violent row with a Cuban man
Julio leaves in a drunken rage -
Comes back with the gasoline
The club has no fire exit
The club only had one door
Only five people came out alive
The sin is that 89 died
The sin is that a year and a half before
The fire chief's out and he's raising cain
Brands Happyland hazzard close down but no.
No-one ever paid him no mind..
No-one ever paid him no mind..
No-one ever paid him no mind..
No-one ever paid him no mind..
No-one ever paid him no mind..
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but
anger's not enough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
City living heavy trouble city living rough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
Daily News reviews of the landlords life
Found six thousand code ciolations light.
The city has more a hundred thousand wars
All for one of Forbes' four hundred whores.
Just one fire cracker on a big bondfire
Of self serving penny pinching wiseguy style.
Never allowing for the human condition. (hayyyeah)
Never allowing for the human condition. (hayyyeah)
Never allowing for the numen condition.
The sin is that these guys survive.
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but
anger's not enough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
City living heavy trouble city living rough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but
anger's not enough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
City living heavy trouble city living rough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
The sin of the city yehh
Stop killing your people now.
Stop wasting your people now.
Your jacking your people off
Sin of the City, yehh
Stop killing you're people how.
You're wasting you're people yeahh.
The lyrics of “Sin of the City” explores the darker side of city living, specifically the occurrence of the Happy Land fire - one of the deadliest fires in New York City’s history. The song tells the story of the tragic night, when a drunken Cuban man, Julio Gonzalez, got into a violent altercation with a coat check girl at the Happy Land social club, before leaving and returning with gasoline, which he used to set the club on fire. The club, which had no fire exit, had only one door, and therefore only five people were able to escape the burning building alive. The song highlights the sin of such disaster, where 89 people lost their lives in what could have been prevented if city officials had paid heed to prior warnings raised by the fire chief. Moreover, the song draws attention to the human condition, questioning the worth of human life in the face of construction and monetary gain.
Through the use of metaphors and vivid imagery, the song brings to attention the desperate conditions and social injustice that plague many cities. The landlords' life is described and the consequences of his recklessness. The lyrics remind us that cities are filled with many who suffer, with those responsible often regarding people as expendable commodities. The song is a caution to cities to value human lives, ensure safe practices in the structures built, and protect their people from senseless tragedies like the Happy Land fire.
Line by Line Meaning
Coat check girl up in Happyland
In the club called Happyland, there was a girl who was responsible for the coat check
Has a violent row with a Cuban man
This girl had an argument with a Cuban man which was filled with aggression and possibly physical violence
Julio leaves in a drunken rage -
The Cuban man, known as Julio, left the club in a state of severe intoxication and anger
Comes back with the gasoline
Julio returned to the club with gasoline, which suggests that he was planning something dangerous
The club has no fire exit
The club did not have a proper exit in case of a fire emergency
The club only had one door
The club had no other outlet apart from the main door
Only five people came out alive
Out of everyone who was inside the club, only five could make it out safely
The sin is that 89 died
It is a terrible sin that 89 people lost their lives in the fire that took place
The sin is that a year and a half before
The deadly event could have been avoided since there were warning signs which were ignored
The fire chief's out and he's raising cain
The fire chief was warning people about the dangers and trying to raise alarm
Brands Happyland hazzard close down but no.
The club Happyland was recognized to be a hazard, which should have prompted its closure, but nothing was done
No-one ever paid him no mind..
However, the concerns raised by the fire chief were ignored, and no one paid attention to them
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
Living in the city is complicated, and it tends to bring out strong emotions such as anger, yet these feelings alone can't bring the necessary change
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
The true sin is the wrongful neglect of people's well-being by those in power
Daily News reviews of the landlords life
There were complaints about the landlord's conduct and how he managed his property
Found six thousand code ciolations light.
Upon review of the landlord's practices, six thousand code violations were found to be minor issues
The city has more a hundred thousand wars
The city suffers from many problems, with a countless number of people fighting their own battles
All for one of Forbes' four hundred whores.
Most of the problems arise due to power, money and greed, with people willing to compromise the well-being of others for their own gain
Just one fire cracker on a big bondfire
All it takes is one small mistake or incident to trigger a much larger, uncontrolled disaster
Of self serving penny pinching wiseguy style.
Many of the people who hold the power are focused on their own interests, at the cost of everyone else's well-being
Never allowing for the human condition. (hayyyeah)
The authorities never consider the vulnerabilities and needs of the people those in power are responsible for
The sin is that these guys survive.
The unjust people and corrupt authorities continue to thrive, while the working class suffers, which is the true sin
Stop killing your people now.
The authorities should stop their apathy towards the people and start protecting them effectively
Stop wasting your people now.
The misuse of resources and the corrupt lifestyle of people in power is an insult and waste of the common people's hard work and effort
Your jacking your people off
The authorities are unnecessarily exploiting the people and treating them unfairly for their own gain
Sin of the City, yehh
The song talks about how the real sin is ignoring social problems and perpetrating harmful activities, leading to suffering and loss of life
You're wasting you're people yeahh.
The people who are in power are wasting the opportunities and resources of people who are the backbone of the society and city, and not helping them to their fullest potential
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, SIMON LE BON, WARREN CUCCURULLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Eden-Maughan
Found this again after a long lay off this morning. Just an extraordinary tune - from a band you might not expect it from.
Its brutal, indignant, furious and vengeful - a fitting tribute to the dreadful tragedy it draws inspiration from.
'The sin is that these guys survive...'
Thomas SHARONIARD
This track is incredible ! they probably surprised themselves during the making of the album
Carolynn Tubman
Thomas Edouard I agree with you totally
Carolynn Tubman
Still never get tired of this song - classic
Mike Landry
I think this is their best album. And this song is FIRE!!!
El profe
Así es. Tienes mucha razón. Tiene tanta fuerza, es tan dinámica que debería tener un registro en vivo.
Es un soul muy especial.
El profe
@Carolynn Tubman Estoy en diciembre del 2021 y aun me parece muy actual.
Jonathan carter
Along with Skin Trade, this has got to be their best song and it's without doubt on their best, most creative and mature album. I would even go so far as to say that this album was in the top 3 best albums of the decade. Great stuff!. Thankyou!.
paulkazjack
Wow 25 years old.......still sounds fantastic.
Törp Mörp
paulkazjack too bad it’s more current now