![]() 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, becoming 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 John 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). Nevertheless, the group pulled off a surprising, if short-lived, comeback in the early '90s as a sophisticated soft rock trio. By the late '80s, the group's lineup had fragmented, and the remaining members had trouble landing hit singles. But their fall from grace was equally fast. Between 19, they rocketed from underground British post-punk sensations to teen idols. The clever videos helped make Duran Duran's rise to popularity remarkably swift. "Hungry Like the Wolf" uncannily recalled Raiders of the Lost Ark, while "Union of the Snake" and "The Wild Boys" brought to mind The Road Warrior. While early videos like "Girls on Film" and "The Chauffeur" sparked controversy in England over their sexual content, their best-known clips were often based on hit contemporary movies. Each video the group made was distinctive, incorporating a number of cinematic styles to showcase the band as either part of the jet-setting elite ("Rio") or as worldly adventurers ("Hungry Like the Wolf"). While Duran Duran did have sharper pop sensibilities than their new romantic contemporaries like Spandau Ballet and Ultravox, none of their peers exploited MTV and music video like the Birmingham-based quintet. Without music videos, it's likely that their pop-funk - described by the group as the Sex Pistols meets Chic - would never have made them international pop stars. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model looks and glamorous sense of style. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model looks and glamorous sense ofĭuran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience.
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