| "Rio" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 12-inch vinyl single | ||||
| Single byDuran Duran | ||||
| from the albumRio | ||||
| 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" onYouTube | ||||
"Rio" is the seventhsingle by Englishrock bandDuran 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 albumof the same name and was edited for its release. It was issued worldwide in October 1982 and became a Top 10 hit in theUK Singles Chart, peaking at number 9 on 11 December 1982.[6] As of October 2021, "Rio" is the third moststreamed Duran Duran song in the UK.[7]
"Rio" was released as the third single from the album in Australia, and debuted on theKent Music Report top 100 singles chart dated 6 September 1982.[8] The song did not attract much notice in the United States upon its initial global release but received early airplay atKROQ-FM in Los Angeles as early as 2 August 1982.[9] 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 byJohn Taylor aboutRio 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.[10] 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.[11]
Nick Rhodes created the unusual sound at the beginning of the song by throwing several small metal rods onto the strings of agrand piano in the studio.[12] The recorded sound was then reversed to create the intro.[13] Rhodes produced the synthesiser lead using thearpeggiator on aRoland Jupiter-4 set to random while playing aCmaj7 chord.[14] The tenor saxophone solo was performed byAndy 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."[15]
DirectorRussell Mulcahy filmed themusic video for "Rio", which featured images of the band inAntony Price suits,[16] singing and playing around on ayacht speeding over the crystal blueCaribbean Sea. The yacht in the music video was theEilean.[17][18] Short segments show band members trying to live out their assorted daydreams while being teased by a body-painted woman, played by Reema Ruspoli.[16]
The music video was shot over the course of three days in May 1982 on the island ofAntigua.[19] The yacht scenes were filmed on the bay atEnglish Harbour, the beach scenes at Miller's Beach, and the segment featuring the raft atShirley 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 ofJohn Taylor playing a saxophone on a mountaintop. When the video was featured onVH1'sPop-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."[20]
While in Antigua, the band also filmed a video for the album track "Night Boat", which appeared with "Rio" and nine other videos on theDuran 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.[21]
TheB-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 the12-inch single included a remix of "My Own Way".
Additional musician
7-inch: EMI / EMI 5346 United Kingdom
7-inch: EMI / EMI 5346 United Kingdom
Note:
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 ofSingles Box Set 1981–1985
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
It has been referenced in the lyrics of the 2005UK number one hit byArctic Monkeys, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor": "Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand".[35]
CSS collaborated with Simon Le Bon and John Taylor to record a cover of the song in 2016.[36]
The song was recreated byMoby for thecompilation albumMaking Patterns Rhyme (2014).[37]
| "Rio" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byNicole 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 forthe Pussycat Dolls) recorded acover version of "Rio" as a promotion for Caress Brazilianbody wash fromUnilever.[38] The song was released to radio on 28 July 2008 and as aCD 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.[39]
Of the cover, Duran Duran singerSimon 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 oursignature songs very few people have covered it over the years, so it has been great for us to hear a new interpretation."[40]
Two-track CD single
CD single maxi jewelcase
