It starts strange and eerie. A cacophonous echo of synthetic discord comes peeking out of nothing. Growing louder and louder until finally, it explodes in a flurry of excited drums. Howling electric guitar appears about 25 seconds in, and by the time Simon Le Bon starts with his sensual snarl, your heart is racing.
A New Wave
All that tightly-wound energy is rewarded with the euphoric chorus that characterizes the neon maximalism of ’80s pop. We’re talking about “Rio,” Duran Duran’s seventh career single, and the titular track from the new waver’s seminal second album.
“Rio” opens the Rio LP with five minutes and 37 seconds of pure sonic adrenaline. It grabs listeners by the lapels and whirls them to the dance floor. The track is fueled by a twinkling arpeggio, funky bassline, Le Bon’s devilish delivery, a soulful sax solo, and an eruptive breakdown. “Rio” cemented the British fivesome as leading men of the ’80s sound and superstars of the MTV era.
Back to the Future
Listening to “Rio” now, it feels incredibly emblematic of the era. However, such glittering and animalistic synth-pop was rather unheard of in 1982. The band emerged as part of the U.K.’s New Romantic scene, which was still in its formative state.
Its members were art and drama students fascinated with sci-fi and pushing boundaries. Even the band’s name is a play on the character Dr. Durand Durand from the 1968 retro-future kitsch classic Barbarella.
“'Rio’ pushed pop forward with an ornate sonic palette that comes to life in narrative peaks and valleys.”
Duran Duran had early success with its self-titled 1981 debut, mostly due to the salacious music video for breakout hit “Girls On Film.” On “Rio,” that formula of eye-catching aesthetics and scintillating sounds reached new heights. Still, gimmicky visuals are one thing—pure musicality is another altogether. Duran Duran’s music lives on decades after release because the songs are very, very good.
“Rio” pushed pop forward with an ornate sonic palette that comes to life in narrative peaks and valleys. That wild intro was born from free-form experimentation. The story goes that keyboardist Nick Rhodes was having a bit of fun in the studio, dropping a variety of small metal rods onto the exposed strings of a grand piano. The band recorded the sound, then reversed it to create that frightening yet fascinating bit of mood.
JUPITER-4 Rising
Speaking of keyboards, Duran Duran is all about its iconic synth leads. And “Rio” stands out with its arpeggiated backbone. The whimsical line adds a sense of playfulness and wonder to the gritty verses. Rhodes is once again behind this feat. He used a Roland JUPITER-4 and set it to random while playing a Cmaj7 chord. It’s that running line that gives “Rio” its giddy and eager signature, and it adds an air of space-age fun, too.
I Want My MTV
The song’s personality shines through in the iconic music video. The band appears in saturated colors, exploring the world and chasing beautiful women across the seven seas and golden sands. Le Bon sings enthusiastically about the inspiring exoticism of America—personified in one intoxicating, imaginary woman.
The song was not an instant hit. However, the music video brought more love from the fledgling channel MTV, and that catapulted Duran Duran’s style around the world. “Rio” charted in eight countries, but it found even more fame in the years to come.
“The song’s personality shines through in the iconic music video.”
As one of the band’s best-loved songs, it’s been covered by everyone from Nirvana to Green Day. And it’s a go-to anthem for karaoke singers around the globe. It’s a song that, once heard, can’t be forgotten; the perfect summer playlist singalong that’s sure to get a crowd moving and falling in love for years to come.
