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 Reflex
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
You've gone too far this time
But I'm dancing on the Valentine
I tell you somebody's fooling around
With my chances on the danger line
I'll cross that bridge when I find it
Another day to make my stand, oh woah
High time is no time for deciding
If I should find a helping hand, oh woah
Why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time, don't lose it
Oh, why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time, don't lose it
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting by the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
I'm on a ride and I want to get off
But they won't slow down the roundabout
I sold the Renoir and TV set
Don't wanna be around when this gets out
So, why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time, don't lose it
Why don't you use it?
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting in the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And every little thing the reflex does
Leaves an answer with a question mark, play
So, why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time, don't lose it
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting by the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And every little thing the reflex does
Leaves me answered with a question mark
Oh, the reflex, what a game, he's hiding all the cards
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
At first glance, Duran Duran's "The Reflex" might seem like a simple pop song with a catchy hook. However, taking a closer look at the lyrics reveals a deeper message. The singer is feeling as though they are out of control, but still enjoying the ride. They are aware that something is wrong, and they are worried about their future. As they navigate the world, they realize that there are forces at work beyond their understanding, represented by the "lonely child" that is the titular reflex. The reflex is a sort of guiding force, but it leaves them with more questions than answers.
Line by Line Meaning
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
The reflex
You've gone too far this time
You've exceeded the limits this time
But I'm dancing on the Valentine
But I am enjoying myself despite everything
I tell you somebody's fooling around
I am sure somebody is playing a trick
With my chances on the danger line
With my opportunities on the brink of risk
I'll cross that bridge when I find it
I will deal with that problem when I come to it
Another day to make my stand, oh woah
Another day to take a firm position
High time is no time for deciding
The time to act is now, not later
If I should find a helping hand, oh woah
If I get help to solve my problem
Why don't you use it?
Why don't you utilize what you have?
Try not to bruise it
Try to use it gently
Buy time, don't lose it
Take more time, but don't waste the opportunity
Oh, why don't you use it?
Oh, why don't you utilize what you have?
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting by the park
The reflex is like a lonely child waiting for someone at the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
The reflex is responsible for discovering hidden treasures in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And guarding the lucky clover, isn't that strange?
And every little thing the reflex does
And every single action of the reflex
Leaves you answered with a question mark
Leaves you puzzled
I'm on a ride and I want to get off
I am on a journey I want to end
But they won't slow down the roundabout
But they won't let me exit the ride
I sold the Renoir and TV set
I have sold expensive possessions
Don't wanna be around when this gets out
I don't want to be here when this news spreads
So, why don't you use it?
So, why don't you utilize what you have?
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting in the park
The reflex is like a lonely child waiting in the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
The reflex is responsible for discovering hidden treasures in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And guarding the lucky clover, isn't that strange?
And every little thing the reflex does
And every single action of the reflex
Leaves an answer with a question mark, play
Creates more doubts than answers
So, why don't you use it?
So, why don't you utilize what you have?
Try not to bruise it
Try to use it gently
Buy time, don't lose it
Take more time, but don't waste the opportunity
The reflex is a lonely child, who's waiting by the park
The reflex is like a lonely child waiting for someone at the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
The reflex is responsible for discovering hidden treasures in the dark
And watching over lucky clover, isn't that bizarre?
And guarding the lucky clover, isn't that strange?
And every little thing the reflex does
And every single action of the reflex
Leaves me answered with a question mark
Leaves me with more doubts than answers
Oh, the reflex, what a game, he's hiding all the cards
Oh, the reflex, it's an interesting game, always hiding something
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
The reflex is responsible for discovering hidden treasures in the dark
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
@philgillies7918
The mad dancer at around 1 min 30 secs - that's me!
@steinful
woah!
@losbrooklyn8861
Awesome!!👏👏
@marciahelenasilvamarciahea7437
OMG Man! Awesome! Fantastic ❤❤❤👏👏👏
@Gailwinand
Thats Great, man...CooL, nice, weLL Done !!!
@SanFranDentist94301
Salute! You are the King of "The White Boy Dance"! Really, it's commonly called that in the Black community and I remember your dancing being one of my favorite parts of the video.
@roslynmarie9624
I was in the crowd!!! Toronto, 1984... I was 13 yrs old...my first concert!!!
@theoldschooldiva374
Awesome!! I bet there was so much great energy!!
@roslynmarie9624
@@theoldschooldiva374 It was absolutely surreal! Imagine the screams when they announced that they were shooting the video that night!!!
@theoldschooldiva374
@@roslynmarie9624 OMG Roslyn, you helped me to morph back in time 🙌🏿🙌🏿, YES GIRL 😌🎶