Don’t go thinking it was only about the videos. Duran Duran certainly mastered the art of the MTV mini-movie to help their ascension to music stardom. But without the thrilling raw material provided by their 1983 sophomore album Rio, those clips would have rung hollow.
Looking back at that album more than 40 years after the British quintet first released it, it’s clear that these guys, who were still a bit green in the gills (none of the band was older than 24 when the album was released), delivered nothing short of a masterpiece. Here are the five best songs from the record.
5. “New Religion”
Duran Duran’s first album turned them into British pop stars, and they quickly developed some songs on the heels of that which would eventually make it onto Rio. “New Religion” was the best of this first batch of tracks, a perfect example of the band’s ability to dredge a rafter-raising chorus out of a moody main structure, which in this case is driven by the repetitive bass/drum pattern of John Taylor and Roger Taylor. Simon LeBon shows off his ability to transform relatable angst into a scenario full of danger and drama, which somehow makes it all more exciting in the process.
4. “Save a Prayer”
The big hits were naturally the uptempo songs, but where Rio really showed off a band that was going to be in it for the long haul came on the slower tracks. On these songs, Duran Duran displayed a preternatural ability to sustain a mood through the entirety without these things starting to drag. Nick Rhodes’ touch on keyboards is evident here, while Andy Taylor’s guitar fills right after the refrains give the song a bluesy edge. Lyrically, LeBon tells a story of romance on the run that’s built not from lust, but from the longing of two people alienated from a cruel world.
3. “Rio”
Duran Duran perfected the ability to bring exotic scenarios and locations into pop music, and the title track might just be their magnum opus in this department. LeBon manages to deliver a character sketch of an alluring woman, while also suggesting that you can only get to her by throwing caution to the wind and putting your heart in jeopardy. John Taylor’s bass playing is rubbery and relentless, an indefatigable pulse that keeps you, the listener, hustling right along with the narrator. And, again, the chorus brings it all back to sing-along territory just when you need it to do so.
2. “The Chauffeur”
Changing musical tastes caused some of it, but the fact Duran Duran didn’t live so high on the charts for quite as long as some of the other ’80s mega-superstars had a lot to do with their propensity for experimentation and willful, but fascinating, weirdness. “The Chauffeur” comes out of nowhere at the end of the album, an atmospheric mystery box of a track. Rhodes’ keyboards are eerily chirpy, to the point where this song feels like some sort of hybrid between classic ’70s Bowie and ’90s Radiohead. LeBon’s lyrics drip with surreal poetry, giving this car ride an air of dark, alluring wonder.
1. “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Well, come on now, what else could be at the top here? Even though we were three years into the decade when it was released, “Hungry Like the Wolf” is a song that felt like it helped to jump-start the music identity of the ’80s, and there was no turning back from the vibrancy and excitement it brought to the table. Right from the opening laughter, it has you. The transitions from section to section are uniformly invigorating, which is just the cherry on top considering the main structure driven by Andy Taylor’s tough guitar and Nick Rhodes’ pulsating synths is already a whirlwind.
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Photo by Pete Still/Redferns
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