Duran Duran were the 1980s. They gave birth to the music video. They were the the Founding Fathers of originality in the music television medium. They not only made great, and memorable, videos, they made great music. Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor. The Fab 5. This list is one of the more difficult lists I’ve written (of the many Top 10 Songs’ lists). I had to exclude some more popular songs in favor of those which I think are…better. On with the list.
10) Falling Down. This lesser-known gem, of 2007’s Red Carpet Massacre, is one of the best songs they’ve done in the post-80s era. Simon’s vocals are front and center; as usual, however, it is the hauntingly beautiful guitar work that afforded its inclusion on this list. If you haven’t heard it you most certainly should. It is a melodic memory trip back to the time of parachute pants, Rubik’s Cubes, and all things Michael J. Fox; made 20 years later.
9) New Moon On Monday. Simon’s soft-spoken voice on the opening lines of each verse always reminds me of a sound that should’ve been in a John Hughes movie – Sixteen Candles or Pretty In Pink. It enters the soul through the conscious mind but lingers into the subconscious long enough to have you humming it all day once you hear it. The harmonies on this song are also top notch. This is one of two Duran Duran songs, on this list, that need to be heard in total darkness to appreciate them on a higher level (the other is coming up later).
8) New Religion. The opening keyboards sound like humpback whales communicating with aliens. Perhaps the ‘least MTV’ of all their 80s hits. This song, off the classic Rio album, is slick and mesmerizing in one. The high level of production is evident throughout (especially on the vocal layering). Not as famous as it’s big brother title track but nonetheless great. This is an undervalued notch of rad.
7) Planet Earth. Um…make that Planet Duran Duran.
6) The Wild Boys. This song may some of you cringe. It’s not known as a fan favorite but I beg to differ. Sure the video is one part Lord of the Flies and one part Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome but listen to it without the video. This song builds to a crescendo multiple times. It drags you along as if being pulled into an abyss of uncertainty. The payoff always delivers, though. For me, the best part is the guitar riff that can be heard throughout. Just love it.
5) Ordinary World. This was the comeback of all comebacks in the 1990s. Duran Duran had been irrelevant for quite a few years when this song came out of nowhere. Their isn’t one part of this song that isn’t perfection. Plus, it is adds a new element to their music – sadness. Known for being one of the happiest bands of the 80s they give us a song here that is stylistically and thematically opposite from their norm and it worked. A lesser band couldn’t have achieved such a thing. And, that mid-song guitar solo still gives me chills every time I hear it. It is the sound that only longing and loving can produce.
4) Come Undone. This is the other song you need to listen to in the dark. This song will invade you. It will take control of your logic and thought-making process. It will make you want to have sex. It will be the soundtrack of the night. It is dirty. It is passion. It is power magnified. This song begs you to do something illicit while listening to it. Choose wisely. She awaits.
3) Hungry Like The Wolf. Perhaps the single greatest video by the single greatest video band. This song has become a national treasure, for America, and Duran Duran are British. That opening laugh is the greatest one-half second intro in the history of rock and roll. I challenge you to find anybody who has anything bad to say about this song. Impossible. This song should have placed them in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2) Save A Prayer. Here we go. Time to get all nostalgic again. This song was 1984 for me. It ruled the airwaves, the television waves, and the ear waves (?). It is as close to perfection as music can get. The keyboards add a layer of murky darkness that needs a few suns in order to see through. Couldn’t you just see David Bowie singing this song?
1) A View To A Kill. My list, my favorite. This is not only my favorite Duran Duran song but it is one of my favorite songs of all-time. You may not agree but this song is something that comes along but once in a generation. It takes me back to my youth. When I first heard it, back when I was 12, I knew that I was experiencing something that would stick with me for quite some time. Forget the fact that the movie was quite awful, the song is the best. I try not to love inanimate things too often but I love this song. There it is. If you think that Rio should have made the list, well you are right. It is one of their best songs but I wanted to include a few lesser-known hits for the novice Duran fans.
What a band. What a great time to have grown up.
