Tag Archives: Duran Duran

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Song of the Day #6,322: ‘Notorious’ – Duran Duran

Continuing my look at the albums of 1986…

In the early 80s, Duran Duran released Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger, their two most successful albums. A world tour followed, after which the band members started getting pulled in different directions, taking on solo work and side projects.

By the time 1986 rolled around, the quintet had become a trio, following the departures of drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor. (Incidentally, none of the three Taylors in Duran Duran — Roger, Andy, and bassist John — are related).

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Song of the Day #6,209: ‘A View to a Kill’ – Duran Duran

During the week of July 5, 1985, Phil Collins’ ‘Sussodio’ held on to the top spot of the Hot 100.

At #2 that week, on its way to a two-week stint atop the chart, was Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill,’ theme song to the James Bond movie of the same name. The band got the gig after bassist John Taylor approached the movie’s producer at a party and drunkenly asked for the job. It probably helped that the band was coming off of a three-year span that included a handful of songs in the top five.

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Song of the Day #6,014: ‘The Wild Boys’ – Duran Duran

My apologies to daily commenter Dana, who thought he dodged a bullet when this song’s Throwback Weekend feature was passed up for a special 6,000th Song of the Day post a couple of weeks ago.

But no, Duran Duran’s ‘The Wild Boys’ was still at #2 on the Hot 100 the week of December 22, 1984. It sat behind Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin,’ which has already been covered on the blog.

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Song of the Day #5,839: ‘The Reflex’ – Duran Duran

The week of June 30, 1984, belonged to New Wave band Duran Duran, whose ‘The Reflex’ gave them their first #1 hit in the U.S. I would have guessed that honor belonged to ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ but that song peaked at #3 a couple of years earlier.

Fans have speculated about the meaning of ‘The Reflex’ since it was released, with popular theories suggesting it is about gambling, addiction, or ejaculation. Simon Le Bon has never clarified one way or the other.

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Song of the Day #5,492: ‘Ordinary World’ – Duran Duran

Seven performers were inducted into the 2022 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Alphabetically, the first of them was 80s New Wave sensation Duran Duran.

The English quintet was the best-selling band from the “Second British Invasion,” which found synth-driven pop acts delivering songs that would come to define the sound of 80s music. That sound was derided by many critics at the time, but has come to be much appreciated (and copied) in recent decades. They have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2007 but went un-nominated until last year.

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