#22: "Rio" by Duran Duran

#22—The quintessential '80s band

Favorite Song: Save A Prayer
Notable tracks: Rio, Hungry Like The Wolf
Released: May 1982
Chart Peak: #6 (1983, U.S. Billboard 200)

Most of what I have to say about Duran Duran I already said with my inaugural post on this blog this past summer. I'm also writing later into the night tonight due to an unusually high number of things to do on a snow day that didn't include time to write my blog! In any event, this will be shorter than my previous posts. Again, if you want my full evaluation of DD, just scroll down to the first post!

This was certainly one of the first albums I bought in the eighties, and once again, this was a band introduced to me (and probably most people in the U.S.) by MTV. With their stylish good looks and slickly packaged pop songs, they were both celebrated and criticized for being the perfect style of music for cable's new Music Television.

Like I said before, the real genius of their music is how it really doesn't sound dated at all. Part of this, of course, has to do with the hyper-produced sound of pop music in 2013—the golden age of synthesizers has clearly not passed to never return again—but it also has to do with the true artistry of the group's musicians, who were talented enough to make hit records and astute enough to take advantage of the best way to get their music played and heard—and seen.

The three hit singles I've listed are probably familiar to almost any of you who are inclined to read my blog, so it's redundant to go over them. It brings back memories of freshman year and hanging out at the video arcade between the movie theater and the bowling alley, and watching MTV daily to see what new videos were coming out. I'm still here, and so are they. Not bad for 30 years, I'd say.

I'm including the video for "Rio" because I think it's really the best example of the perfect blending of visual style and musical substance that Duran Duran made famous. It's also set in a tropical locale, and since it's about 18 degrees outside right now where I live, it looks like a pretty good place to be.

See? No snow!