"Rio" | ||||
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Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Rio | ||||
B-side |
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Released | August 1982 | |||
Studio | AIR (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Colin Thurston | |||
Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Rio" on YouTube |
"Rio" is the seventh single by English rock band Duran Duran. It was first released as a single in Australia, in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982.
The song was the fourth and final single lifted from the band's second studio album of the same name and was edited for its release. It was issued worldwide in October 1982 and became a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 9 on 11 December 1982. [4] As of October 2021, "Rio" is the third most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK. [5]
"Rio" was released as the third single from the album in Australia, and debuted on the Kent Music Report top 100 singles chart dated 6 September 1982. [6] The song did not attract much notice in the United States upon its initial global release but received early airplay at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles as early as 2 August 1982. [7] After the band's breakthrough hit "Hungry Like the Wolf" found success in the American charts in December 1982, Capitol Records reissued the single in March 1983 to be the band's second US top 20 hit, peaking at number 14.
The song originated from an idea by John Taylor about Rio de Janeiro – "the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop"; Simon Le Bon wrote the lyrics to the song, and chose not to write about the city but about a girl named Rio. [8] Its verses were inspired by their earlier song "See Me, Repeat Me" and the chorus was taken from "Stevie's Radio Station", a song written by the band TV Eye, featuring lead vocalist Andy Wickett, who went on to be one of Duran Duran's early lead vocalists. The song was a favourite of Nick and John and was incorporated into Duran Duran live sets during Wickett's tenure. [9]
Nick Rhodes created the unusual sound at the beginning of the song by throwing several small metal rods onto the strings of a grand piano in the studio. [10] The recorded sound was then reversed to create the intro. [11] Rhodes produced the synthesiser lead using the arpeggiator on a Roland Jupiter-4 set to random while playing a Cmaj7 chord. [12] The tenor saxophone solo was performed by Andy Hamilton. The laughter on the track was that of Rhodes's girlfriend at the time.[ citation needed ]
Cash Box called it "a perfect follow-up to 'Hungry Like The Wolf'", saying that "the melody's warm sea breeze contrasts effectively with the menace in 'Wolf' and is equally catchy." [13]
Director Russell Mulcahy filmed the music video for "Rio", which featured images of the band in Antony Price suits, singing and playing around on a yacht speeding over the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. The yacht in the music video was the Eilean . [14] [15] Short segments show band members trying to live out their assorted daydreams while being teased by a body-painted woman, played by Reema Ruspoli.[ citation needed ]
The music video was shot over the course of three days in May 1982 on the island of Antigua. [16] The yacht scenes were filmed on the bay at English Harbour, the beach scenes at Miller's Beach, and the segment featuring the raft at Shirley Heights. Some close ups were filmed later on the Solent due to a film processing error.
Director Mulcahy originally planned a scene where the band members got chased off the island by people wielding guns, but did not have enough film stock left to shoot this. He had to borrow a tourist's camera to shoot the part of John Taylor playing a saxophone on a mountaintop. When the video was featured on VH1's Pop-Up Video , it mentions that after the video was completed, Mulcahy, Le Bon, and Taylor went for a swim and were inches away from sharks when the yacht captain yelled for them to get out of the water. Rhodes was reportedly seasick during the filming, and has often said "I hate boats unless they're tied up and you're having cocktails on them." [17]
While in Antigua, the band also filmed a video for the album track "Night Boat", which appeared with "Rio" and nine other videos on the Duran Duran video album released in 1983.
There are 13 different official mixes of "Rio", many of which are edits of the album version or Kershenbaum remix with fades in various places. [18]
The B-side of the November 1982 original United Kingdom single was "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)", an acoustic version of the moody album track. The B-side of the April 1983 reissue in the United States was an upbeat remix of "Hold Back the Rain". The B-side of the 12-inch single included a remix of "My Own Way".
7-inch: EMI / EMI 5346 United Kingdom
7-inch: EMI / EMI 5346 United Kingdom
Two different versions of this single were available in the UK, both with identical sleeves and labels.
12-inch: EMI / 12 EMI 5346 United Kingdom
7": Harvest / B-5175 United States (1982)
7": Capitol / B-5215 United States (1983 reissue)
CD: Part of Singles Box Set 1981–1985
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
It has been referenced in the lyrics of the 2005 UK number one hit by Arctic Monkeys, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor": "Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand". [32]
CSS collaborated with Simon Le Bon and John Taylor to record a cover of the song in 2016. [33]
The song was recreated by Moby for the compilation album Making Patterns Rhyme (2014). [34]
"Rio" | ||||
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Single by Nicole Scherzinger | ||||
Released | August 2008 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:39 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Duran Duran | |||
Producer(s) |
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Nicole Scherzinger singles chronology | ||||
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Nicole Scherzinger (lead vocalist for the Pussycat Dolls) recorded a cover version of "Rio" as a promotion for Caress Brazilian body wash from Unilever. [35] The song was released to radio on 28 July 2008 and as a CD single in August 2008. The music video shows Scherzinger performing in a pink dress in front of a crowd, with flowers appearing all around her as she sings on stage. [36]
Of the cover, Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon said, "When we were first approached about Nicole doing a version of 'Rio' for this campaign, we thought it was the perfect fit. She's exotic and beautiful and embodies everything that inspired the original version. Because it's one of our signature songs very few people have covered it over the years, so it has been great for us to hear a new interpretation." [37]
Two-track CD single
CD single maxi jewelcase
Duran Duran are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of bassist Simon Colley and drummer Roger Taylor the following year, the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.
Rio is the second studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 10 May 1982 through EMI. Produced by Colin Thurston, the band wrote and demoed most of the material before recording the album at AIR Studios in London from January to March 1982. The band utilised more experimentation compared to their debut album, from vibraphone and marimba to the sound of a cigarette being lit and cracking ice cubes. Andy Hamilton played a saxophone solo on "Rio".
Duran Duran is the debut studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 15 June 1981 through EMI. Produced by Colin Thurston, it was recorded in London and Oxfordshire between December 1980 and January 1981. The instrumental tracks were recorded quickly, but vocalist Simon Le Bon initially struggled to sing in the studio, leading to discussions about replacing him before EMI employee Dave Ambrose intervened.
So Red the Rose is the only studio album by the Duran Duran-spinoff group Arcadia, released on 18 November 1985 by Parlophone. It included the singles "Election Day", "Goodbye Is Forever" and "The Flame". The album peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 in January 1986 and at #30 on the UK Albums charts in December 1985.
Greatest is a greatest hits album by English rock band Duran Duran, released in 1998.
Carnival is a dance music EP by British band Duran Duran, originally released in various markets around the world in September 1982 by EMI.
Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by the English rock band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band, recording sessions took place in France, the Caribbean and Australia between April and October 1983 following Duran Duran's decision to record outside the UK as tax exiles. Unlike their previous two studio albums, the sessions were marred by a lack of productivity and tensions rose between the band members over its direction.
"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 14 March 1983.
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released in 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983). The single became the band's first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to top the UK Singles Chart.
"Notorious" is the fourteenth single song by English rock band Duran Duran. Released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986, it was the first single from Duran Duran's fourth studio album of the same name and it showcased a new direction for Duran Duran with a funk rock sound.
"Do You Believe in Shame?" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released on 10 April 1989 as the third and final single from their fifth studio album, Big Thing (1988).
"Save a Prayer" is a song by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982 as the third single from their second album Rio (1982). It became Duran Duran's biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number two. As of October 2021 "Save a Prayer" is the sixth most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.
"Planet Earth" is the debut single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.
"Girls on Film" is the third single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981. It became Duran Duran's first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 5 in July 1981, and an international hit reaching the top 20 in several countries, including number 1 in Portugal, number 4 in New Zealand and number 11 in Australia.
"My Own Way" is the fourth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, originally released on 16 November 1981.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, Rio (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, and 8 June 1982 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Ordinary World" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in December 1992 by Parlophone, EMI and Capitol as the first single from their self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. The ballad, both written by the band and co-produced with John Jones, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Iceland and Sweden, and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Nick Egan and filmed in California.
"New Moon on Monday" is the tenth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 23 January 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"Meet El Presidente" is the sixteenth single by English rock band Duran Duran. Released on 18 April 1987 as the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Notorious, it only reached number 24 in the UK Single Charts and stalled at number 70 in the Billboard Hot 100.
"Election Day" is the first single released by Duran Duran offshoot band, Arcadia.