It turns out that Simon LeBon is the oldest member and the other members are all still under 50. The group was formed back in 1978 and LeBon was not even the original vocalist for the group. Stephen Duffy was the original lead singer, but was replaced in 1979 by LeBon. Duffy formed the original band along with Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass guitar). They later added LeBon (vocals), Roger Taylor (drums) and Andy Taylor (guitar). On a surprising note, none of the three Taylors are related to each other.

They released their self titled debut album in 1981 which was a huge success in the UK rising all the way to #3 on the UK album charts. The third single from that album, "Girls on Film" gained them some attention in the U.S. due to the racey video which accompanied it. The second album, Rio, was released in 1982 and gained Duran Duran worldwide attention. The rest is history. The group would go on to have four platinum or multi-platinum albums in the 80's alone.

I thought I would take advantage of this occasion to publish my favorite Duran Duran songs from the 80's. They have had a couple hits after the 80's, but most of their great work was during that great decade. Duran Duran is also well respected for the outstanding music videos that they have produced over the years. They ranked on my popular list of Top 80s Music Videos which I also recommend you check out if you haven't before. Since they are especially deserving, I will be including links to each of the videos on my list.

Now here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 DURAN DURAN SONGS FROM THE 80's:

Honorable Mention: "Girls on Film" (1981) from Duran Duran - Not one of my favorites, but it really did help launch the band's success in the U.S., so I thought it deserved an honorable mention. [link to video]

10. "I Don't Want Your Love" (1988) from Big Thing - peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

9. "The Wild Boys" (1984) from Arena - peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

8. "Union of the Snake" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

7. "Notorious" (1986) from Notorious - peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

6. "A View to a Kill" (1985) from the soundtrack to A View to a Kill - 007 would be proud since it went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

5. "New Moon on Monday" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

4. "The Reflex" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

3. "Rio" (1982) from Rio - ranked on my Best 80s Songs with One-Word Titles list yet surprisingly only peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

2. "Is There Something I Should Know?" (1983) originally released as a stand-alone single - peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (1983) from Rio - peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]

There's my list. Be sure to watch the videos since most are well worth it. Did I miss any of your favorites?  Duran Duran impressively sold more than 100 million records and most of those were during the 80's. They have released a total of 12 studio albums, 3 remix albums, 2 live albums and 4 compilations. They were leaders of what many called the "second British invasion" and made a major impact on 80's music and, like many other artists from early in the decade, gained notoriety using MTV as a major marketing tool.

Though I would not consider myself a huge fan, when I hear many of the songs listed above they take me right back to that time and have mostly fond memories attached to them. One thing I remember about Duran Duran were the pins/buttons that so many people wore on their jackets. They were not the only band to be popular on pins, but one that I specifically remember being prominent. Covering a portion of your jacket in pins/buttons was one of those many odd 80's fashions. Happy 50^th Birthday Simon LeBon, you were the voice of a band who I feel is synonymous with 80's pop music.

That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. As always, thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary of those. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: I thought this newspaper correction notice was humorous (found on failblog.org). Instead of reporting the actual infraction as failure to stop at a railroad crossing, the reported an entirely different crime (see below). The paper "apologizes for the error" but I am not sure a simple apology is enough in this case.

Quote of the day: "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." -Carl Bard

Download this: All of the songs on the above list would make solid choices, but I am going to go with "Is There Something I Should Know?" by Duran Duran