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
UMF
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Oh, oh oh)
(Oh, oh oh)
(Oh, oh ah)
Here we stand in the shadow of the maste rplan
Makin touble wherever we can, (stir it up, stir it up, stir it up)
Cant you see this boy is going cheap - knockdown to a basement deal
But I really won't stop til I get to the top
And I love the way you tease me ooh such a wonderful person
Dont play rough - its easy when you know your stuff
Say please and sure enough, so kind,
I'm makin' love to the ultimate mind
Come on, take a look, put it to me, baby,
You could feel a love come tumbling down.
I just want to wrap myself in you baby,
We could tell the world were fooling around.
Ultimately, I'd say she's toying with me
Its a case of wait and see,
But right now I'm gonna keep my pants on
A to Z, shes doin it to my head
We dont need to go to bed, you'll find,
To make love to the ultimate mind.
(Oh-oh, oh oh oh) (repeat)
Put it to me, baby (you could feel a love, love..)
Wanna wrap myself in you, baby (well tell the world, world..)
Talk me round, lets do it right here and now
I don't want you cooling down,
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
We could fit, realitys two-way split, personality
Lifes a bitch, but I'm fine,
Making love to the ultimate mind
Heavens bent, were completely innocent
We all got to pay the rent, and in time we learn to compromise
Talkin' tall, but I feel invisible
Can you see me after all, that I said, theres only one thing for it...
Take a look, put it to me, baby
You could feel a love come tumbling down
I just want to wrap myself in you baby
We can tell the world were fooling around
Come on, take a look, put it to me, baby (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
You could be a love come tumbling down (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
I just want to wrap myself in you baby (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
We could tell the world were fooling around (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
Come on, take a look, put it to me, baby (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
You could feel a love come tumbling down (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
I just want to wrap myself in you baby (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
We could tell the world were fooling around (Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
Come on, take a look (put it to me baby)
(Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
(Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
(Oh-ah, oh oh oh)
I'm making love to the ultimate mind, mind...
Ultimate mind, mind...
Ultimate mind, mind, mind, mind ...
Ooooohhh ooooaahh
Ahhhaahh oohhoooo
Ohhhhh
The lyrics to Duran Duran's UMF (short for ultimate mind f***, though the song is also known as "The Up") are somewhat cryptic, but seem to be about a tumultuous relationship, perhaps one that is based more on physical attraction and mind games than anything deeper. The singer (presumably Simon Le Bon) is clearly infatuated with the object of his affection - "Here we stand in the shadow of the masterplan/Making trouble wherever we can" - and is willing to degrade himself to get her attention - "Can't you see this boy is going cheap - knockdown to a basement deal/But I really won't stop til I get to the top." Despite her manipulative ways ("Ultimately, I'd say she's toying with me/It's a case of wait and see"), he continues to chase her, even if they don't need to have sex to feel connected ("We don't need to go to bed, you'll find/To make love to the ultimate mind").
The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, is both seductive and surreal: "Put it to me, baby/You could feel a love come tumbling down/I just want to wrap myself in you, baby/We could tell the world we're fooling around." The singer seems to be inviting the object of his affection to open up to him, while also acknowledging that their relationship might not be based on anything real. The song ends with him declaring, "I'm making love to the ultimate mind," suggesting that, even if his relationship doesn't work out, he's content to have experienced such a powerful connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we stand in the shadow of the masterplan
We are here, destabilizing situations as we follow the master plan.
Makin trouble wherever we can, (stir it up, stir it up, stir it up)
We cause trouble whenever we can and agitate to start something.
Cant you see this boy is going cheap - knockdown to a basement deal
The boy's value is decreasing to a lesser quality deal.
But I really won't stop til I get to the top
I will not stop until I reach my goal.
Take it from me, Im waiting here on my knees
I am begging and waiting patiently for the opportunity.
And I love the way you tease me ooh such a wonderful person
I appreciate how you playfully taunt me, you're amazing.
Dont play rough - its easy when you know your stuff
Don't be too aggressive; it's easy when you have knowledge.
Say please and sure enough, so kind,
Be polite, and you will get what you want with kindness.
I'm makin' love to the ultimate mind
I am engaging in a deep connection with a superior intellect or persona.
Come on, take a look, put it to me, baby,
Come and look, tell me, let's engage.
You could feel a love come tumbling down.
You can experience a waterfall of emotion towards one another.
I just want to wrap myself in you baby,
I want to be close and feel safe with you.
We could tell the world were fooling around.
We could deceive the world into thinking we're intimate.
Ultimately, I'd say she's toying with me
The woman is playing around with me, leading me on.
Its a case of wait and see,
It's a matter of waiting and observing the situation.
But right now I'm gonna keep my pants on
For now, I am going to refrain from sexual activities.
A to Z, shes doin it to my head
From start to finish, she has captivated my attention.
We dont need to go to bed, you'll find,
We don't need to be intimate to connect emotionally.
To make love to the ultimate mind.
We can still engage in deep connections without having sexual relations.
We could fit, realitys two-way split, personality
We would blend and mesh comfortably, we both see reality differently.
Lifes a bitch, but I'm fine,
Life is difficult, but I am okay.
Making love to the ultimate mind
I am having profound connections with someone of superior intelligence or persona.
Heavens bent, were completely innocent
We may not have actual innocence, but there's no harm in harmless fun.
We all got to pay the rent, and in time we learn to compromise
We all have to survive and make concessions in time.
Talkin' tall, but I feel invisible
I may sound confident, but in reality, I feel insignificant.
Can you see me after all, that I said, theres only one thing for it...
Despite what I said, can you tell that I am vulnerable? There's only one choice.
Come on, take a look, put it to me, baby
Come and show me what you got, and let's do this.
Ultimate mind, mind...
A superior intellect or persona that creates deep connections.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN TAYLOR, NICK RHODES, SIMON LE BON, WARREN CUCCURULLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SugahShy
This song is a good example of why Duran Duran is one of my favorite groups.
@reneepoivre316
0⁰06
@horrorpowerfilms9481
Another funky Prince inspired track, love it!
@josephlyons8134
This isn't even a B track, this is a C track for DD and better than 99% of the shit produced today..
@elisabenalcazar1841
Great Song!!! Duran Duran siempre me sorprende!!!
@marcelorolandomartinez8528
QUE BUEN TEMA DE MI BANDA FAVORITA LO TOCARON EN VELEZ CUANDO VINIERON EL 30-04-1993 DIA MUY LLUVIOSO. TENGO 52 AÑOS Y LOS SIGO DESDE EL 81.
@julianramon6719
Legendario recital.
@josemanzur6851
Yo los vi la semana siguiente en Córdoba. Años de facultad de medicina y recitales.fue una fiesta esa noche el Chateau Carreras!!
@smileylpsgirl
there we have it folks, the best song off the wedding album
@Breezygrlrb
This is one of my ultimate favorite songs by them :)