hit and their second British chart-topper. and number eight in the U.S., spawning the hit singles "Union of the Snake" and "The Reflex," their first number one U.S. Duran Duran capitalized on their popularity by releasing Seven and the Ragged Tiger in time for 1983's holiday season. Rio followed that single into the Top Ten, eventually selling over two million copies.ĭuran Duran mania was in full swing across America, with "Is There Something I Should Know" reaching the Top Ten - it became the group's first English number one that summer - and the group's first album climbing its way to number ten. MTV's constant playing of the videos paid off, and "Hungry Like the Wolf" became a Top Ten hit early in 1983. was helped greatly by the emergence of MTV, which put the group's stylish videos into heavy rotation. By the November release of the remix EP Carnival, the bandmembers were superstars in Europe, but only just beginning to make headway in America. Rio entered the charts at number two, and its singles - "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer" - became Top Ten hits. The band quickly followed the album with Rio in the spring of 1982. Duran Duran reached number three upon its release and stayed in the charts for 118 weeks. The group's popularity increased through its cutting-edge music videos, especially the bizarre, racy clip for "Girls on Film." Although the BBC banned the Godley & Creme-directed video, the single became the group's first Top Ten hit, setting the stage for the fall release of its eponymous debut album. Immediately, Duran Duran became the leaders of the new romantic movement, and media sensations in the British music and mainstream press. "Planet Earth," the band's first single, quickly rose to number 12 upon its spring 1981 release. Following Wickett's departure in 1979, a pair of singers passed through the group before Simon LeBon, a former member of the punk band Dog Days and a drama student at Birmingham University, joined in early 1980.īy the end of 1980, Duran Duran had become popular within the burgeoning new romantic circuit in England and had secured a record contract with EMI. However, Duran Duran were still having trouble finding a vocalist. The group placed an ad in Melody Maker, which drew the attention of Andy Taylor, who became their guitarist. After recording a demo, John Taylor switched to bass and guitarist Alan Curtis joined the band, only to leave within a matter of months. Within a year, Duffy and Colley both left the group - Duffy would later form the Lilac Time - and were replaced by former TV Eye vocalist Andy Wickett and drummer Roger Taylor. Taking their name from a character in Roger Vadim's psychedelic sci-fi film Barbarella, the group began playing gigs in the Birmingham club Barbarella, supported by a drum machine. Inspired by David Bowie and Roxy Music, as well as post-punk and disco, schoolmates Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (guitar) formed Duran Duran in 1978 with their friends Simon Colley (bass, clarinet) and Stephen Duffy (vocals). Over the next decade, they collaborated with a number of prominent modern hitmakers, including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Mark Ronson, and Blur's Graham Coxon, who featured on their 2021 album Future Past. The group forged an alliance with Chic's Nile Rodgers for 1986's funky Notorious, then refashioned themselves as mature balladeers in 1993 and landed one of their biggest hits with "Ordinary World." The original lineup from the New Romantic era reunited for 2004's Astronaut, a move that helped revive the band's profile. Unlike many of their new wave peers, Duran Duran managed to sustain a career that lasted for decades, withstanding a shifting lineup - the duo of keyboardist Nick Rhodes and vocalist Simon Le Bon were the only two members to stay with the group throughout the years - and changes in musical fashion. Between 19, they were fixtures on the British and American charts, with "Is There Something I Should Know?," "Union of the Snake," "The Wild Boys" and the James Bond theme "A View to a Kill" reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. The group had the good fortune to deliver their debut album in 1981, the same year MTV began broadcasting, and their success was intertwined: Duran Duran gave the network clever, cinematic clips for "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," which MTV played ceaselessly, helping to turn the Birmingham, England-based band into global superstars. Duran Duran epitomized the sleek, fashionable side of new wave, specializing in danceable, synthesized pop delivered with visual flair - a talent crystallized in a series of groundbreaking music videos from the early 1980s.
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