Decades Ahead of Their Time

Of all the bands whose careers were made at the beginning of 1980s as part of the music video revolution on MTV, who did you think would have the most staying power? Of all the synth-pop, manufactured, bubblegum pop behind the slick videos and jump cuts, would you have guessed Duran Duran? Believe it or not, not only are they still relevant, but their original hits from the eighties and nineties sound fresher, edgier, and far more innovative than what passes for popular music today.

They certainly weren't well-received in the early days of their MTV-fueled success. Music critics dismissed them as pretty boys who made disposable pop music that was overshadowed by the production value of their videos.

Duran Duran—ironically enough, named after a character in the '60s sci-fi schlock-fest "Barbarella"—didn't shy away from their critics. Lead singer Simon LeBon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes made just as much impact in the fashion world with their clothes, hair, and—again, way ahead of their time—makeup.

But they were also marvelously skilled musicians, especially the three Taylors—John on bass, Andy on guitar, Roger on drums—and collaborated as songwriters on all their major hits. Here's their biggest U.S. hits; I bet you can hum the tune and sing the lyrics to almost all of these (U.S. pop chart peak in parentheses):

• The Reflex (1)
• A View to a Kill (1)
• Notorious (2)
• The Wild Boys (2)
• Hungry Like the Wolf (3)
• Ordinary World (3)
• Union of the Snake (3)
• Is There Something I Should Know? (4)
• Come Undone (7)
• New Moon on Monday (10)
• Rio (14)
• Save a Prayer (16)
• All She Wants Is (22)
• Girls on Film (5 in UK)

In addition to the success of Duran Duran, once the group split up in the nineties, Simon and Nick formed "Arcadia," which had a big hit with "Election Day," (a really great song), while Roger and Andy teamed up with Robert Palmer earlier as a side project in the eighties as "The Power Station," which spawned two iconic eighties hits, "Some Like it Hot" and "Bang a Gong."

The band is still together, although not with their original lineup, although the core of the group, including Simon, Nick, and Roger, are still making music. But their legacy was established 30 years ago. As a matter of fact, I've been listening to their album "Rio" while writing this little homage of praise. It's the original vinyl I bought in 1982, and it still sounds great in 2013.

I'll leave you with one of my favorites, which is also impossibly cheesy in a way you can only find in the 1980s.