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
The Promise
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's stretching arms match the hunger of mine
These lips will they never join
But always draw me closer and further entwined
With a promise dealer, understand all freedoms fade away
To a point of view where many different pathways meet
And we're standing on this precipice with nothing much to save
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
The shades of a thousand steel
Come flashing by my face in the fury of war
In desolation and abandoned fields
The hungry make their stand when they'll stand for no more
Hear the passion in their voices, see the heaven in their eyes
(Heaven in their eyes)
Their hopes and schemes are waiting dreams of less than paradise
(Less than paradise)
And sometimes we make promises we never mean to keep
(Never mean to keep)
And blackmail is the only deal a promise dealer sees
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
Heaven hide your eyes
(Heaven hide your eyes)
Heaven's eyes will never dry
(They will never dry)
The lyrics to Duran Duran's song The Promise are packed with vivid imagery and emotional depth. The song itself is about promises, freedom and sacrifice. The opening lines of “Those tears on a gaping voice, who's stretching arms match the hunger of mine” conjure up vivid images of two individuals who are yearning for each other yet are unable to come together. The tears on the "gaping voice" perhaps indicate a deep desire that cannot be fulfilled, while the "stretching arms" suggest that the person is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
The lyrics then shift to a more political and societal context, with the reference to "shades of a thousand steel" and "the fury of war". The lines "the hungry make their stand when they'll stand for no more" suggest that people will rise up and fight against oppression when pushed to their limits. This then leads to the powerful chorus, with the repetition of "Heaven hide your eyes, Heaven's eyes will never dry". This can be interpreted as a plea for divine intervention in a world that is filled with suffering and strife.
The song then ends with the line "And blackmail is the only deal a promise dealer sees", a damning indictment of those who make empty promises in order to gain power and control over others. Overall, Duran Duran's The Promise serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of keeping one's promises, fighting for freedom and never losing hope in even the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Those tears on a gaping voice
The sound of inconsolable crying
Who's stretching arms match the hunger of mine
Wanting and longing for something or someone that can't be reached
These lips will they never join
Physical separation from a desired person
But always draw me closer and further entwined
The emotional pull of desire that keeps one bound and yet, unfulfilled
With a promise dealer, understand all freedoms fade away
The realization that making a deal or a promise means sacrificing some level of freedom or control
To a point of view where many different pathways meet
The moment when choices and courses of action converge, offering multiple options leading to different outcomes
And we're standing on this precipice with nothing much to save
Being at a critical moment in life, where decisions have to be made, and there is little to no room for error
But the deep blue screams of falling dreams with our next move
The fear of the unknown future, and the consequences that come with a choice
Heaven hide your eyes
A plea for divine intervention and guidance
Heaven's eyes will never dry
Seeing that suffering and pain are eternal and never-ending
The shades of a thousand steel
The representation of war and its destructive power
Come flashing by my face in the fury of war
The violence and chaos of war, an up-close and personal experience
In desolation and abandoned fields
The aftermath of a battle, where everything and everyone is left behind, destroyed and discarded
The hungry make their stand when they'll stand for no more
The desperate struggle for survival and justice, where people fight back against oppression
Hear the passion in their voices, see the heaven in their eyes
The hope and determination that come with fighting for a just cause
Their hopes and schemes are waiting dreams of less than paradise
The harsh reality that the future may not be what was hoped for or dreamed of
And sometimes we make promises we never mean to keep
Acknowledging the possibility of dishonesty and deception in making deals or promises
And blackmail is the only deal a promise dealer sees
The idea that manipulation and coercion are often part of promising or bargaining
Contributed by Aaliyah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@zoso73
Sting on backing vocals; Dave Gilmour on lead guitar; Mark Egan on fretless bass; Carlos Alomar on rhythm guitar. Insane line-up. One of Duran Duran's best songs (top 10 for me) from their massive catalog.
@weets69
Wow, after 37 plus years of listening to this song I had no idea of the talent on this song. I so hear Sting and Gilmour now. 😎
@BingoBet-It-AllBeaver
Don't forget Masami Tsuchiya and Andy Mackay also on the album
@heatherjones2701
Arcadia's So Red The Rose was a MASTERPIECE! So UNDERRATED!
@JohnFoley7727gmail
Hello Heather where are you from?
@monicamusso1659
You're right
@Star_Fury
I've been listening to this album since it came out, and i couldn't agree with you more. A true masterpiece.
@astronaut2005drummer
So Red The Rose album is a masterpiece!!!!
@davidxrod
You know music. People nowadays don't possess the same high level of taste in music like you and I do
@crucifiedthief
could easily be “Duran’s” best album.