Duran Duran Biography

Drawing from the film Barbarella for their name, Duran Duran formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and went on to becoming one of the most iconic groups of the 1980’s. The group’s debut album, Duran Duran, released in 1981and sold more than 2.5 million copies, and gave audiences the hit singles “Planet Earth” and “Girls on Film.” Rio followed, and spawned “Hungry Like the World,” and “Is There Something I Should Know.”

But it was Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1984) that launched Duran Duran to superstardom, bringing them their first number one hit with “The Reflex.”  The following year, Duran Duran became the first group to write and record the theme to a James Bond movie, “A View to a Kill,” and have that single go to number one. The year 1985 brought Duran Duran’s final performance of the millennium, at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. They returned to the studio in 2001 and released their first album in sixteen years, Astronaut. Duran Duran followed up with a two-year tour, but found themselves without a guitarist when Andy Taylor left in 2006. Dom Brown, who had toured with the band previously, took his place.

In 2010, Duran Duran released All You Need Is Now via iTunes. The album which followed in 2011 to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of “Planet Earth,” included additional tracks and special features.  "Mediterranea," "Other People's Lives," "Too Bad, You're Too Beautiful," "Diamond In The Mind," and "Return To Now” were included on the album.  

Throughout their career, Duran Duran placed twenty-one singles on the United States charts and fourteen on the UK charts. They have sold more than 100 million records and earned the label “the prettiest boys in rock” for their dedication to fashion and image. They were also among the first bands of the 1980’s to embrace MTV and technology by shooting professional videos on genuine 35mm film, and utilizing large screen video technology at their live stadium shows.

Duran Duran continues to write, record, perform, and tour. The group’s most recent album, Paper Gods, arrived in 2015 and marked Duran Duran’s recent switch to Warner Bros. Records. The album’s first single, “Pressure Off,” was released a few months prior.