How DURAN DURAN Ruled the 80s and Beyond | POP FIX | Professor of rock

a music junkies professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time if you love music you're going to want to subscribe below to this channel so you don't miss out on our daily content artists managers record producers and an hour label reps are always looking for artists that are talented beautiful to look at and dynamic on stage if you can find an artist or band that checks all those boxes you found that elusive full package now if the artist also writes her own music it's a major bonus Duran Duran was indeed the full package with their movie star looks charismatic showmanship and gifted musical ability they were the embodiment of a supergroup Duran Duran lived up to that billing becoming the premier band of the MTV driven second British Invasion of the 1980s in America of course her popularity was massive all around the world but particularly in their native UK where they had 14 top singles and in the US for 21 singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100 now I did a video some time ago where I said that to me Tears for Fears were like the Beatles of the 80s and immediately everybody jumped on me you know screaming as fast as their fingers could type that Duran Duran were the Beatles of the eighties and they were right in terms of popularity of course when I said that Tears for Fears are like the Beatles of the 80s I was speaking more sonically the Duran Duran Fever was the 80s version of Beatlemania I mean seriously Duran Duran were the five-star generals of the second British Invasion for a while they were the face of MTV which really is another thing Duran Duran were not only brilliant songwriters and musicians but they were also very astute marketers they took great advantage the video age and because of their attention to detail there they were catapulted into the mainstream when MTV was creating a revolution on cable at that time Duran Duran's music videos were shot in 35 millimeter film that gave him a more polished look and that quality lifted them above their other contemporaries no doubt they also collaborated with reputable film directors increasing their quality even that more starting in 1984 the ban were early innovators using video technology in their life Stadium shows John Taylor and Nick Rhodes put Duran Duran together in Birmingham England in 1978 and they more than paid their dues before becoming New Wave icons Nick performed as a DJ while John worked the door to nightclub and bringing him called rumrunner after a bunch of early lineup changes the foundation of Duran Duran was solidified with Nick Rhodes on keys his bandmates call him the controller because of his leadership as the driving force behind the band Nick constantly experimented with innovative use of synthesizers to incorporate it into the band's sound so the Duran Duran avoided sounding like a novelty band John Taylor of course on bass John was the band member that instilled the rhythm and dance groove to the prominent Duran Duran sound Roger Taylor on drums Roger was known as the quiet one who let it all hang out on the stage with his ferocious playing style Andy Taylor was on lead guitar and he was a revered musician who in tandem with John on bass really gave Duran Duran a rock edge that further separated him from other bands of the NuWave era and of course lead vocalist Simon Lebon who went on to receive three Ivor Novello awards from the British Academy of songwriters composers and authors including an award for outstanding contribution to British music the diehard Duran Duran fans who were referred to as Duran EES they all know this but the average music fan may not Simon Lebon was not the original lead singer for Duran Duran the first lead singer was actually Stephen Duffy who went by the stage names Stephen tintin Duffy simply Tim 10 Duffy was the original lead singer and drummer for Duran Duran in 1979 and left the band before they were signed in 1980 to pursue a solo career Duffy had a few new wave dance hits remember kiss me and hold it before forming the lilac time I digress Duran Duran were undeniable pinup idols teenage girls plastered their walls with pictures of every member of the band for sure but the music of Duran Duran was not Tiger Beat bubblegum fare Duran Duran actually wrote amazing songs with petty lyrics that gave their music substance and artistic credibility hey teenage girls lost their minds for the Beatles and that didn't hurt their credibility one iota and as of today Duran Duran is the only act to have a number-one James Bond theme you do a kill pulled that off which it's quite a feat looking at the other acts of recorded themes I mean everybody from Paul McCartney to Adele Madonna recently Billy Eilish Duran Duran were massive I remember that my older sister also had posters of him all over her wall and one time I amp in one I snuck it with me when my mom took me to the local barber for my summer haircut which was usually a flattop I mean the barbers neat thing was hatchet Jack for good reason anyway I can still remember the look on this old guy's face when I showed him this picture of Duran Duran and I you know asked him can you style my hair to look like this and he looked at me like I had lobster crawling out of my ears stared at me for like ten seconds and he said something like son what in the Hale the style your hair me I mean why would you want to look like a girl this was after all small-town Idaho in 1985 so yeah but Duran Duran does not get the credit that they deserve songwriters particularly Simon Lebon he was the primary lyricist and each Duran Duran creation there's always some clever turn of phrase ER and grossing subtext that I believe really set them apart from other bands and not just from other bands of that era they could write catchy hooks and melodies with the best in the history of the rock era it still make you really ponder what the song is about Simon Lebon also had an instantly recognizable voice and Duran Duran had a very distinct sound singled them out from the hordes of bands and the new romantic new wave movement of the early to mid eighties also the quality of their music was consistently great into the decade or so that would follow they along with a few other bands survived the changes of the musical landscape were other artists from that time faded away and robbed above forgotten Duran Duran remained at the top of their game I mean in the middle of the grunge era in 1993 ordinary world hit number three on the US charts and come on Donna went to number seven as the record they came from sold over a million copies really the only bands from that time and John were that had that greatest success in the 90s work you to the cure REM Depeche Mode I'm gonna point out what I mean in my Duran Duran fiver my picks for Duran Duran's best recorded performances number five save a prayer the album version from Rio this ballad written by Simon Lebon about an intense one-night stand really resonated with the early Duran Duran adopters it was a number two single in the UK and top ten in many parts of Europe but it was unreleased in his first run in the u.s. even though it wasn't a radio single in America the video became very popular on MTV and that put more fuel on the fire for Duran Duran's breakout in the u.s. and 82 riding the band's popularity EMI Capitol Records released Sabre prayer in the US and 85 and the song went to number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 simon's words here earnest and poetic particularly in this lyric Phil the breeze deep on the inside look you down a deer well if you can you'll see the world and Allah's fire [Music] number four Rio this didn't get much attention outside of airplane in Australia but after Duran Duran had their breakout hit in the US radio programmers discovered some older Duran Duran material and there was renewed interest in Rio the reissue of the single in 1983 propelled it to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Rio is another sexy composition from Duran Duran telling us about a girl named Rio that is a bird of paradise with a cherry ice cream smile and dance is just like a river twisting through a dusty land the songwriting brilliantly creates vivid imagery in the theater of the mind Rio is simply a very alluring experience set the hook centric music number three hungry like the wolf the primal New Wave classic inspired by the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale this was the breakout radio smash for Duran Duran and the video for the song Winx is one of the most played ever on MTV the video also won the first Grammy Award for best short form music in 1984 it was a certified gold single rising to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 number one in Canada number five in the UK and number one on the US Rock chart hungry like the wolf is full of cool thought-provoking lyrics but my favorites are these I smell like a sound mouth is alive with juices like wine straddle the lion and discord in rhyme [Music] smell like a sound and don't think about that brain twister too long head might explode brilliant and number two from the album seven in the Ragged tiger the reflex a massive success that topped the pop charts in the US the UK Ireland Netherlands Belgium in its original form the BAM thought that the reflex was only going to be an album cut but famed producer Nile Rodgers turned it into an infectious Jam with heavy percussion big dance groove all those amazing effects more superb songwriting from Duran Duran especially the chorus line the reflex is a lonely child he's waiting by the park the reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark and watching over Lucky Clover isn't that bizarre [Music] yeah wonderfully bizarre every 80s kid knew the lyrics to this song we sang it to the top of our lungs and number one ordinary world the music industry referred to ordinary world as a comeback for Duran Duran because several of their single releases in 89 to 90 didn't hit the top 40 and those critics wrote Duran Duran off as a trendy new wave band whose popularity faded with the decade boy were they wrong Duran Duran returned to glory with a vengeance releasing their apex composition ordinary world features one of the finest pop arrangements that these ears have ever heard a range of emotions pit you during the 5 minute 39 second album version of this masterpiece from their self-titled album 1993 sometimes referred to as the wedding album there's a part of the song that makes you want to cry another part that you become very introspective and the end of the song that just gives you triumph and joy the first time I heard ordinary world I knew it had to be inspired from something deeply personal and would come to find out the ordinary world was the last installment of a trilogy of songs that Simon wrote about the death of a close friend in 1986 Simon was reluctant to speak about the song to origin for a long time finally in an interview in 2004 he revealed his inspiration and the pain that he was going through that compelled him to write this spectacular song once again Simon Lebon and his Duran Duran band mates demonstrate their genius as lyricist and composer in this soaring ballad as in this verse structure pride will tear us both apart well now prides out the window across the rooftops run away left me in the vacuum of my heart [Music] and of course in the chorus but I won't cry for yesterday there's an ordinary world somehow I have to find and as I try to make my way to the ordinary world I will learn to survive [Applause] and as as a listener this song just ties you in knots emotionally there are no easy answers here Duran Duran created an absolute Paragon and a song but worked so flawlessly for any trial that we face whether as a globe or as individuals it's my go-to song in these times and just seems to put it all in perspective with the brilliant lyrics at the end papers in the roadside tell of suffering and greed fear today forgot tomorrow here besides the news of holy war and holy need ours is just a little sorrow talk this song is a perfect example of why genres media created labels and decades ultimately fail to define great music it's all in the final full throttle heart-wrenching yet joyful plea from Simon Lebon at the end of this masterwork proving what all of us do rantings have always known this band is not 80s new wave or new romantic Simon is a vocalist for the ages and Duran Duran our metamorphic and timeless artists to hear all the songs discussed here check out our curated playlist below also click on the amazon link to get Duran Duran's greatest songs on vinyl leave us a comment about Duran Duran what are your top 5 songs what's your fibre also if you can support us on patreon that helps us do more interviews create more videos if you like our content subscribe to our channel help us keep the music alive until next time 3 chords amateur [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Professor of Rock

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Id: DQXFVbj3guc

Length: 15min 37sec (937 seconds)

Published: Fri May 15 2020