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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Too Late Marlene
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I let you in
Til my imagination went for a spin
I seen you every night
Been making out since then
And still I wonder why everybody's saying
That ice is thin
Just a little bit by now
(Just a little bit by now)
And I think I can show you
You see baby, I don't want to fight about it
Send down your rain
Then who's to blame
And you'll understand
Because it's much too late to change
Awaken to this hunger
And then watch my heat
Grow paler than the moonlight
That you made me eat
And if we run our lives
Along a one way street
We'll always wonder why everytime
It still tastes just as sweet
And I think I know you
Just a little bit by now
(Just a little bit by now)
And I think I can show you
You see baby, I don't want to fight about it
Send down your rain
Then who's to blame
You'll understand
Because it's much too late to change
I will explain (too late)
We're to much the same (too late)
No I won't leave
Because it's just too late Marlene
You see baby
I don't want to fight about it
Send down your rain
Then who's to blame
You'll understand
Because it's much too late to change
I will explain (too late)
We're to much the same (too late)
No I won't leave
Because it's just too late Marlene
(Too late, too late, too late Marlene)
In "Too Late Marlene," Duran Duran sings about the complexities of a relationship that has reached a point where it's too late to change course. The song describes the singer's hesitancy to fight with their partner, despite the tension and potential for conflict between them. The lyrics also suggest that this relationship has been going on for a while, with the singer often seeing their partner and still finding them as sweet as when they first began their romance.
The first verse talks about how the singer met their partner by chance or out of nowhere. They let them in, and soon their imagination went for a spin. The singer started seeing their partner every night, and they've been together ever since, but people around them are warning that the relationship is like walking on thin ice. The singer thinks they know their partner pretty well by now, and they can show them that they don't want to fight over things or end the relationship.
In the second verse, the singer wakes up feeling desperate for their partner while watching their love grow paler than the moonlight that their partner made them eat. If they keep living their lives together the same way without any change, they will always wonder why it still tastes sweet. The singer, however, doesn't want to fight or leave at this stage, even though they know that they are too much the same. By the end of the song, they ask Marlene not to fight anymore, and it's too late to change.
Line by Line Meaning
Waking out of nowhere
I was surprised to suddenly become aware of your presence
And I let you in
I allowed you to enter my life
Til my imagination went for a spin
Until your presence started to occupy my thoughts excessively
I seen you every night
I have seen you every night since we met
Been making out since then
We have been romantically involved since then
And still I wonder why everybody's saying That ice is thin
I am still puzzled why people warn that the situation is dangerous and risky
And I think I know you Just a little bit by now
I believe I have some understanding of your character and personality
(Just a little bit by now)
But I am also aware that I don't know you completely
And I think I can show you You see baby, I don't want to fight about it
I am confident that I can demonstrate my feelings and intentions to you without any arguments
Send down your rain Then who's to blame
If our relationship fails, we can't hold anyone responsible since it was beyond our control
And you'll understand Because it's much too late to change
You will eventually realize that trying to alter our feelings or commitments now is futile
Awaken to this hunger And then watch my heat
I experienced a sudden need and desire for your affection and attention
Grow paler than the moonlight That you made me eat
But that passion and thrill ultimately faded away until it became cold and artificial
And if we run our lives Along a one way street
If we continue our relationship in the same direction, we will end up trapped and unfulfilled
We'll always wonder why everytime It still tastes just as sweet
We will be perplexed why the attraction and chemistry between us persist despite our issues and flaws
I will explain (too late) We're too much the same (too late) No I won't leave Because it's just too late Marlene
I will confess that we share the same problems, but it's too late to break up with you since we have gone too far
You see baby I don't want to fight about it
I want to avoid any conflicts or misunderstandings with you
(Too late, too late, too late Marlene)
Unfortunately, we both realized our predicament and regrets too late
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIMON JOHN CHARLES LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN NIGEL TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind