Duran Duran

This article is about the band. For other uses, see Duran Duran (disambiguation).

Duran Duran
Duran Duran in 1983. Left to right: Roger Taylor (drums), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), Simon Le Bon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar) and John Taylor (bass)
Duran Duran in 1983. Left to right: Roger Taylor (drums), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), Simon Le Bon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar) and John Taylor (bass)
Background information
OriginBirmingham, England
Genres
Years active1978–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
Websiteduranduran.com

Duran Duran (/djʊˌræn djʊˈræn/) are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.[nb 1]

Emerging as members of the New Romantic scene,[8][10] Duran Duran were innovators of the music video and a leading band in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US in the 1980s.[11][12] By 1984, the band had achieved levels of fame similar to Beatlemania.[13] The band's first major hit was "Girls on Film" (1981), from their self-titled debut album, the popularity of which was enhanced by a controversial music video. The band's breakthrough second album was Rio (1982), a worldwide hit. The songs "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" featured cinematic music videos directed by Australian film maker Russell Mulcahy and became two of their biggest hits. Their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, became their only UK number one album and featured the US and UK number one single "The Reflex". In 1985, the band topped the US charts with the single "A View to a Kill" from the soundtrack of the James Bond film of the same title.

Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor both left the band before the recording of their fourth album, Notorious (1986), which yielded the top ten title track. Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor initially continued as a core trio, before adding drummer Sterling Campbell and former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo as full-time members in 1989, though Campbell departed in 1991. The band spent the late 1980s and early 1990s releasing albums and singles to only moderate success. Their comeback album, 1993's Duran Duran (commonly called The Wedding Album), featured two top ten worldwide hits "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone". John Taylor left the band in 1997, though four years later, in 2001, a full reunion of the classic 1980–1985 line-up of Le Bon, Rhodes and all three Taylors took place, which led to a number of highly successful concert tours and the 2004 album Astronaut, which reached number three in the UK and top 40 in numerous other countries. The album's lead single "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" was an international dance hit, and reached number five in the UK. Andy Taylor left again in 2006, and the band have released five additional albums, with the most recent being Danse Macabre in 2023.

According to Billboard, Duran Duran have sold over 100 million records.[14] They achieved 30 top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart (14 of them top 10) and 21 top 40 singles in the US Billboard Hot 100. The band have won numerous awards throughout their career: two Brit Awards including the 2004 award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, two Grammy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Video Visionary Award from the MTV Europe Music Awards. They were also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.[15][16]

  1. ^ Brandle, Lars (3 August 2021). "Michael Jackson Once Pitched a Collaboration With Duran Duran, But They Blew It Off". Billboard. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  2. ^ Bryan Reesman (23 August 2023). "Living Legends: Duran Duran Are Still Hungry After All These Years". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Stephen. "Duran Duran – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  4. ^ Cairns, Dan (1 February 2009) "Synth pop: Encyclopedia of Modern Music". Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2012.. The Times.
  5. ^ Dolan, John. "Duran Duran Paper Gods Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  6. ^ Chiu, David. "A look back at 1983: The year of the second British Invasion". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc.
  7. ^ "Album: Duran Duran: Decade". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b Carpenter, Susan (7 April 2005). "Fans are still hungry for Duran Duran". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  9. ^ Holden, Stephen (14 October 1986). "POP: A-HA AT RADIO CITY". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Nickson, Chris (25 September 2012). "New Romantics". ministryofrock.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ^ Denisoff 1986, p. 365.
  12. ^ "Anglomania: The Second British Invasion". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  13. ^ Simpson, Dave (16 November 2022). "Freddie Mercury in his definitive pose – Denis O'Regan's best photograph". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Duran Duran to Get ASCAP Golden Note Award at London's ASCAP Awards". Billboard. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Duran Duran: Timeline". Rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  16. ^ "2004 – Outstanding Contribution – Duran Duran". Brits.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.


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