The Rio Grande River separates the US from Mexico. The lyrics clearly state, however, “from mountains in the North down to the Rio Grande,” which is the span of America. Rio is continually sung as if it’s a girl’s name, and the word conjures images of the popular and glamorous Brazilian city, which goes with the exotic image the band was cultivating. The song contains some interesting wordplay in the lyrics. The song was the fourth and final single lifted from the band’s album of the same name, and becoming a Top 10 hit in both the UK, Ireland, Canada, and – eventually – the US. It was first released as a single in Australia in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982. Rio was the band’s seventh single overall, and the fourth from the Rio album. Simon Le Bon explained on social media, “I was in a restaurant in the middle of town and I saw this waitress literally swanning across the floor, and that was how the lyric was born.” These lines were however inspired by a moment in Birmingham, England rather than somewhere like the Brazilian beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Moving on the floor now babe you’re a bird of paradiseĬherry ice cream smile I suppose it’s very nice The song’s opening lines waste no time in bringing those very elements to the forefront of our minds with its references to suave ladies and exotic locations. Those shows were later turned into the band's first live album, Arena, and live performance film, Arena (An Absurd Notion).Rio is the quintessential Duran Duran song, launching the 1980s as a glamorous decade filled with high fashion, models, and luxurious surroundings. Singer Simon Le Bon would dedicate the band's performances of "Save a Prayer" to the late star during the concerts. Earlier that month, singer Marvin Gaye had tragically been shot and killed by his own father. Duran Duran dedicated the song to Marvin Gaye the day after the Motown legend was killedĭuran Duran set up shot for three big shows in Oakland, CA, in mid-April 1984.
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"If you smoke dope and drink Jack Daniel's in the tropical heat, don't fall into a lagoon full of elephant's urine."ĥ. He contracted a tropical virus, and had to be hospitalized: "I suppose there's a lesson there somewhere," the guitarist joked in his book, Wild Boy. Guitarist Andy Taylor got a little too wasted, and fell into the water. Thankfully, the drummer was not thrown or trampled by the animals. The sound was enough for the elephant Taylor was riding to make a tear towards the nearest female elephant.
Drummer Roger Taylor was sitting on an elephant when someone in the crew played a recording of a female elephant's mating call.
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With Russell Mulcahey serving as director, the band survived a series of comical but potentially dangerous hazards. The exotic music video was the result of a harrowing shootĭuran Duran famously decamped to the island of Sri Lanka to shoot the splashy music videos for the Rio album. Simon Le Bon was inspired by Gordon Lightfoot when he wrote "Save a Prayer"Īccording to the singer himself, the chorus to "Save a Prayer" was inspired by Lightfoot's 1970 hit, "If You Could Read My Mind."Ĥ. The #1 song in America that week: REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling."ģ. Not a moment too soon, as it crashed the top 20 to peak at #16 on the Hot 100 for the week of March 15, 1985.
It wasn't until January 1985 when "Save a Prayer" was officially issued as a single in the U.S. As the network helped the boost the band's profile in America, record label EMI was doing everything they could to meet the growing demand. The band didn't really click in America until the advent of MTV, which luckily for Simon Le Bon and company, lined up nicely with the Rio album campaign. The States were constantly playing catch-up in terms of Duran Duran mania. "Save a Prayer" wasn't released as a single in America until January 1985 The song remained stuck at #2, however, thanks to the band Survivor and the very American "Eye of the Tiger," from the Rambo III soundtrack.Ģ. "Save a Prayer" almost became Duran Duran's first #1 hit in the UKįollowing the success of "Hungry Like the Wolf" on the UK charts, "Save a Prayer" made a beeline for the top when it was the follow-up release. Let's look back at this classic track with five fun facts.ġ. When it came time for single number three, the group delivered a change-up in the form of sultry one-night-stand anthem, "Save a Prayer." Released on August 9, 1982, it's among the most beloved songs in Duran Duran's discography, and is played at virtually every one of the band's live performances. The band's fifth single, "Hungry Like the Wolf," was a hit on the UK charts, peaking at #5.
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