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
Violence of Summer (love's Tak
Duran Duran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This'll get you out.. of your head
China's heading up, by the ratings on a motion
She goes with a real head biker, he's a metalhead
She looks me up and down talkin' dirty eyes
Sweet sayin' boy, baby I can lick you any time.
(keep it up)
Here we go again...
Bit later...
I'm gonna run into 'em round the back
While all them guys break heads in the sugar shack
Don't give me drink, I don't wanna get too stoned
Then we're gonna see who's gonna take who home
The violence of summer, and love's taking over
It starts with desire, ends up under cover
Those lips will make me right..
You may look down but don't think twice (ooh-oh)
So death is on the way,
So what man? I still want to play....
(oh-oh Yeah..)
One, two!
This'll get you out, of your money
This'll pick you up, let's go!
We'll take a ride, going south where her mother writes
For bad news catches up, we still got a little time
We made it all so far away,
One thing is sure, we shouldn't stay
I'll take it all - China gonna get the run around,
A run, a run around..
The violence of summer, and love's taking over
It starts with desire, ends up under cover
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na
The violence of summer, and love's taking over
It starts with desire, ends up under cover
Mmmmmm
Loves taking over..
Yes loves taking over..
Loves taking over..
The lyrics of Duran Duran's song "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" depict a hedonistic and exhilarating summer adventure. The opening lines advise the listener to "pick it up" in order to escape from their own head. The song then introduces the character of China, who is a wild and flirtatious woman that is with a head biker. She sizes up the singer of the song with "talking dirty eyes" and promises to "lick" him any time. The singer then describes a scenario where they plan to meet at the sugar shack and watch a group of men fight. The song then progresses to the chorus where the "violence of summer" is mentioned, with the suggestion that love is dominating the season. The song ultimately ends with the affirmation that love is taking over.
Overall, the lyrics of the song suggest a carefree and spontaneous lifestyle that is fueled by desire and impulse. The character of China represents a sort of unattainable and ultimately fleeting romantic interest. The singer of the song is swept up in the moment and the excitement of the summer, but the implication is that these moments cannot last forever. The idea of "love taking over" can be interpreted in a few ways, perhaps as a sort of reckless abandon or surrender to the passion of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey!, pick it up
Let's start moving on and getting things done.
This'll get you out.. of your head
This action or experience will distract you from your own thoughts and worries.
China's heading up, by the ratings on a motion
China is on the rise, according to popular opinion and trends.
She goes with a real head biker, he's a metalhead
She is in a relationship with a serious motorcyclist who is heavily into heavy metal music.
She looks me up and down talkin' dirty eyes
She scans my body in a suggestive way with sexual intentions evident in her eyes.
Sweet sayin' boy, baby I can lick you any time.
She is flirting boldly with me, saying that she is always available for sexual contact.
(keep it up)
(Ha ha, that's right)
Here we go again...
The situation is escalating and becoming more intense, leading to a feeling of repeated experience.
Bit later...
I'm gonna run into 'em round the back
While all them guys break heads in the sugar shack
At a future time, I plan on encountering them from behind while the other men cause violence in the sugar shack.
Don't give me drink, I don't wanna get too stoned
Then we're gonna see who's gonna take who home
I don't want to drink too much and get too high, because then we won't know who will leave with whom.
The violence of summer, and love's taking over
It starts with desire, ends up under cover
The passion of summer is becoming stronger and affecting our behavior, leading to sexual encounters that may be kept hidden from others.
Those lips will make me right..
You may look down but don't think twice (ooh-oh)
Her kiss will cure everything for me, and even though others may judge our relationship, we shouldn't hesitate to continue it.
So death is on the way,
So what man? I still want to play....
(oh-oh Yeah..)
One, two!
Even though our end may be approaching, we should still enjoy ourselves to the fullest before it's too late.
This'll get you out, of your money
This'll pick you up, let's go!
This new activity or experience may cost money, but it will be exhilarating and worth the expense.
We'll take a ride, going south where her mother writes
For bad news catches up, we still got a little time
We will travel to the southern part of the country where her mother is, but we must hurry as there may be some bad news that will catch up to us eventually.
We made it all so far away,
One thing is sure, we shouldn't stay
I'll take it all - China gonna get the run around,
A run, a run around..
We have come so far in our relationship and should continue to move forward, even if it means we have to deceive or confuse others who might stand in our way.
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na,na
China,na China,na,na
An infectious, repeating chant that embodies the spirit of taking risks and experiencing life to the fullest.
The violence of summer, and love's taking over
It starts with desire, ends up under cover
Mmmmmm
Loves taking over..
Yes loves taking over..
Loves taking over..
A refrain that emphasizes how the passion and intensity of summer love can consume us and change us in unexpected ways, leading to exciting but possibly dangerous experiences.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STERLING CAMPBELL, WARREN CUCCURULLO, SIMON LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richardirvine5496
‘Serious ‘ off this album ,is a great underrated song
@garycarr3857
Duran Duran
@drvm23
oh god yes Serious is in my top 5 Duran songs. People who want to bag on Liberty and Thank You can tell their story walking. I'll not hear a word against either one.
@tonybraines7172
Sure is
@johnnybambi
no idea why they dont do it live instead of white lines
@marysewall913
Duran Duran at their worst is better than any new artist at their best.
@rerrpr
Violence Of Summer, Do You Believe In Shame? and Electric Barbarella are the most underrated songs on their catalog... they should had been massive hits.
@chemiqu4rtz
No
@ColtraneTaylor
Two of my fave DD tunes: Violence Of Summer, Do You Believe In Shame?
@paulwilson9281
Serious