Serious (Duran Duran song)

"Serious"
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Liberty
B-side	"Yo Bad Azizi" "Water Babies" "All Along the Water"
Released	5 November 1990 (1990-11-05)
Studio	Olympic (London)
Genre	Sophisti-pop [1]
Length	4:21 (album version) 3:56 (radio edit)
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Simon Le Bon John Taylor James Bates Warren Cuccurullo Sterling Campbell
Producer(s)	Duran Duran Chris Kimsey
Duran Duran singles chronology
"Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (1990) "Serious" (1990) "Ordinary World" (1992)
Music video
"Serious" on YouTube

"Serious" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 5 November 1990 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Liberty (1990), reaching number three in Italy and number 48 in the United Kingdom.

Music video

The black and white video, set at a circus, was directed by the duo Big TV! and features model Tess Daly. The video is a favourite among fans for the relaxed, natural attitude among the band members as they play their instruments, sometimes prompting each other into laughter. A multi-angle version of the video is available on the Greatest DVD in 2003, taking advantage of the multiple angle feature available on certain DVD players.

Track listing

UK 7-inch and cassette single ^{[2] [3]}

1. "Serious" (7-inch edit) – 3:56
2. "Yo Bad Azizi" – 3:03

UK 12-inch and CD single ^{[4] [5]}

1. "Serious"
2. "Yo Bad Azizi"
3. "Water Babies"

US and Canadian cassette single ^[6]

1. "Serious"
2. "Yo Bad Azizi"
3. "Liberty" (fade—album edit)
4. "First Impression" (fade—album edit)

The Singles 1986–1995 box set ^[7]

1. "Serious" (single version) – 3:56
2. "Yo Bad Azizi" – 3:03
3. "Water Babies" – 5:35
4. "All Along the Water" – 3:47

Personnel

• Simon Le Bon – vocals
• Nick Rhodes – keyboards
• John Taylor – bass guitar
• Warren Cuccurullo – guitar
• Sterling Campbell – drums

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Serious"

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Germany (GfK) [8]	69
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [9]	3
UK Singles (OCC) [10]	48

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	5 November 1990	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl cassette	Parlophone	[11]
	12 November 1990	12-inch etched vinyl		[12]
Japan	5 December 1990	Mini-CD	EMI	[13]
Australia	25 February 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl cassette	Parlophone	[14]

References

1. Flynn, Rik (30 January 2022). "40 of the best Duran Duran songs – year by year". Classic Pop . Retrieved 14 October 2024.
2. Serious (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Parlophone. 1990. DD 15, 20 4065 7.
3. Serious (UK cassette single sleeve). Parlophone. 1990. TCDD 15.
4. Serious (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Parlophone. 1990. 12 DDG 15.
5. Serious (UK CD single liner notes). Parlophone. 1990. CD DD 15.
6. Serious (US & Canadian cassette single sleeve). Capitol Records. 1990. 4JM-44638.
7. The Singles 1986–1995 (UK box set liner notes). Parlophone. 2004. 7243 5 49892 2 3.
8. "Duran Duran – Serious" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
9. "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 45. 10 November 1990. p. 17. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
11. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 3 November 1990. p. 37. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
12. "New Singles". Music Week. 10 November 1990. p. 45.
13. "デュラン・デュラン | シリアス" [Duran Duran | Serious] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 16 September 2025.
14. "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 25/02/91: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 57. 24 February 1991. p. 19.