Rio – Duran Duran | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#14) and Mainstream Rock (#5); 1983
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
With Duran-mania in full swing in England, EMI attempted to replicate the success Stateside by releasing the group’s fifth and seventh UK singles in America in 1982.
Hungry Like The Wolf had been a big summertime smash overseas and Rio had hit in November, however, here both bombed.. So EMI tried again, and this time Wolf brought home the bacon.
It entered the Hot 100 on Christmas week and three months later peaked at #3. One week later Rio, with its luscious imagery, appeared and sailed up the chart. Its quick trip was hastened by a memorable video in which the five cavort on a ship with a striking seductress.
Rio reached #14 just six weeks after its debut. Meanwhile, Rio – the album – was almost a year into its two-and-a-half year stint on the US list. By the end of 1983, Duran Duran would have three albums on the chart at the same time, all of them platinum sellers.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
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Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).