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    6 Things You May Not Have Known About Duran Duran's 'Rio' Album

    This week, Duran Duran's Rio album is being reissued on 180-gram vinyl, which seems like as good an excuse as any to revisit the record and offer up a few tidbits about some of its songs that may have flown beneath your radar over the years.

    1. The first single released from Rio in the UK – “My Own Way,” which made it to #14 on the British charts – never saw release as a single in America.

    2. It took three tries before “Hungry like the Wolf” was fully embraced by American radio stations.

    3. Andy Taylor ended up hospitalized as a result of filming the video for “Save a Prayer.”

    4. Much of the music of the album’s title track was recycled from two earlier songs.

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    Given that it’s one of the most iconic songs in the band’s discography, it’s strange to think that “Rio” is actually a bit of musical Frankenstein’s monster. The verses were adapted from an early Duran Duran song called “See Me Repeat Me. The chorus, however, was inspired by “Stevie’s Radio Station” by the band TV Eye, fronted by Andy Wickett, who – prior to Simon Le Bon beginning his tenure – went on to briefly front Duran Duran as well. (According to the Duran Duran Wiki, Wickett would perform the song with Duran Duran, and after he left, they continued to perform it, changing “Stevie” to “Rio.”)

    5. Simon Le Bon’s lyrics for “The Chauffeur” helped him get the gig as lead singer for Duran Duran.

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    The song’s Wikipedia page refers to this story as having “become part of the Duran Duran legend,” and while that sounds a bit melodramatic, it’s not untrue. While in the employ of Paul and Michael Berrow, who ran the Birmingham nightclub known as The Rum Runner, one of the club’s barmaids suggested that her ex-boyfriend might make a good singer for the band. In short order, Simon Le Bon auditioned for the gig, and when he did, he came armed with a collection of poetry and lyrics, including – you guessed it – the lyrics which soon found their way into “The Chauffeur.” Yep, pretty legendary.

    6. The lyrics for “Hold Back the Rain” were written by Simon Le Bon as a message to John Taylor about his drinking and drug use.