What Was the Last US Top 40 Hit by Duran Duran?

Here’s the thing about pop music success: Once it departs, you usually won’t have much chance of getting it back. It’s why most artists who achieve broad commercial appeal generally only have a slender window to take advantage of it. Duran Duran enjoyed a thrilling heyday in the early-to-mid-80s. They defined the British New Romantic movement with their danceable, dramatic Top 40 hits. Duran Duran defied the odds and recaptured similar success a decade later, success that included their final US Top 40 hit.

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Far From ‘Rio‘

It’s hard to deny that Duran Duran was the biggest band in the world for a time in the 1980s. Rio, released in 1982, was ushered into the culture with a series of relentlessly stylish videos and made the band into pop idols. If you looked beyond the magazine covers and listened hard to the record, you heard all the hallmarks of great pop music. That includes instrumental dexterity, production innovation, and sharp songwriting.

Seven And The Ragged Tiger, a bit more overblown but still striking, followed a year later and solidified their worldwide success. Their commercial momentum was stunted by the decision to break off into two splinter groups in the middle of the decade. They scored some hits in the second half of the decade when they got back together. But the success was more muted.

In 1990, Duran Duran released Liberty. It was the first of the band’s albums to be met with a collective shrug, both from critics and fans. There were questions at that point about whether they’d even continue.

A New Approach

Warren Cuccurullo took over lead guitar for Duran Duran following the departure of Andy Taylor. It was Cucurullo who spearheaded the sessions for their self-titled 1993 album, which would commonly be referred to as The Wedding Album because of the cover. He invited them to work on the record at his home studio, which was a new approach for the group.

Freed from the studio setting, the band took their time building songs largely through Cucurullo’s synths and drum machine. They modernized their sound in the process, and the touching ballad “Ordinary World” returned them to the US Top 10.

But there was more good stuff to come from those sessions. The band thought that they were all done with the album, to the point that bassist John Taylor left for America. That’s when an unfinished piece of music spearheaded by Cucurullo and producer John Jones was revived. And that’s how “Come Undone” would come into existence.

“Undone” and Done

When singer Simon LeBon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes were played a tape of the barebones music for “Come Undone”, they decided it needed to be on the record. They hustled in to finish it up, with LeBon penning alluring lyrics about a couple who steer clear of the world’s problems by sticking close together.

Backing vocalist Tessa Niles put on the finishing touches, providing emotional counterbalance to LeBon’s steady lead. “Come Undone” followed up “Ordinary World” and rolled to no. 7 in the US. Those were two Top 10 hits from a band that many thought was cooked.

Although they had some close calls, Duran Duran never again battered their way into the US Top 40. Their albums still receive a ton of attention, however, and they remain a top touring draw. It’s a legacy built on their 80s supremacy. But songs like “Come Undone” proved that they were far more than a one-decade wonder.

Photo by John Swannell / High Rise PR