Rio (song)

For other songs, see Rio (disambiguation).

"Rio" is the seventh single by English new wave band Duran Duran. It was first released as a single in Australia, in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982.

"Rio"
12-inch vinyl single
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Rio
B-side	"The Chauffeur" (Sing Blue Silver) "Hold Back the Rain" "Rio Part 1" "My Own Way"
Released	August 1982
Studio	AIR (London, England)
Genre	New wave synth-pop^[1] synth-rock^[2]
Length	5:33 (album version) 4:40 (single version) 5:11 (Part 1) 5:29 (Part 2) 4:34 (US single version) 3:57 (US single remix)
Label	EMI (UK) Harvest, Capitol (US)
Songwriter(s)	Simon Le Bon John Taylor Roger Taylor Andy Taylor Nick Rhodes
Producer(s)	Colin Thurston
Duran Duran singles chronology
"Save a Prayer" (1982) "Rio" (1982) "Is There Something I Should Know?" (1983)
Music video
"Rio" on YouTube

The song was the fourth, final, and title single lifted from the band's second studio album of the same name and was edited for its release. It was issued worldwide in October 1982 and became a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 9 on 11 December 1982.^[3] As of October 2021, "Rio" is the third most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.^[4]

"Rio" was released as the third single from the album in Australia, and debuted on the Kent Music Report top 100 singles chart dated 6 September 1982.^[5] The song did not attract much notice in the United States upon its initial global release but received early airplay at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles as early as 2 August 1982.^[6] 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.

Production

The song originated from an idea by John Taylor about Rio 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

Nick Rhodes created the unusual sound at the beginning of the song by throwing several small metal rods onto the strings of a grand piano in the studio.^[9] The recorded sound was then reversed to create the intro.^[10] Rhodes produced the synthesiser lead using the arpeggiator on a Roland Jupiter-4 set to random while playing a Cmaj⁷ chord.^[11] The tenor saxophone solo was performed by Andy Hamilton. The laughter on the track was that of Rhodes's girlfriend at the time.^{[citation needed]}

Critical reception

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."^[12]

Music video

Director Russell Mulcahy filmed the music video for "Rio", which featured images of the band in Antony Price suits, singing and playing around on a yacht speeding over the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. The yacht in the music video was the Eilean.^[13][14] Short segments show band members trying to live out their assorted daydreams while being teased by a body-painted woman, played by Reema Ruspoli.^{[citation needed]}

The music video was shot over the course of three days in May 1982 on the island of Antigua.^[15] The yacht scenes were filmed on the bay at English Harbour, the beach scenes at Miller's Beach, and the segment featuring the raft at Shirley 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 of John Taylor playing a saxophone on a mountaintop. When the video was featured on VH1's Pop-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."^[16]

While in Antigua, the band also filmed a video for the album track "Night Boat", which appeared with "Rio" and nine other videos on the Duran Duran video album released in 1983.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

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.^[17]

The B-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 the 12-inch single included a remix of "My Own Way".

Formats and track listing

7-inch: EMI. / EMI 5346 United Kingdom

1. "Rio" – 4:40
2. "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)" – 3:48

• Track 1 is the "Single Version".
• Track 2 is the "Early Version" and is a shorter acoustic version of the moody album track.

7-inch: EMI. / EMI 5346 United Kingdom

1. "Rio" – 5:11
2. "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)" – 3:48

• Track 1 is "Rio" (Part 1).^{[verification needed]}

  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

1. "Rio" (Part 2) – 5:29
2. "Rio" (Part 1) – 5:11
3. "My Own Way" – 4:34 (a.k.a. "Carnival remix")

7": Harvest. / B-5175 United States (1982)

1. "Rio" (US Single version) – 4:34
2. "Hold Back the Rain" (Album version) – 3:59

7": Capitol. / B-5215 United States (Reissue 1983)

1. "Rio" (US Single remix) – 3:57
2. "Hold Back the Rain" (US Album remix) – 6:32

CD: Part of Singles Box Set 1981–1985 box set

1. "Rio" (Part 1) – 5:11
2. "The Chauffeur" (Blue Silver) – 3:48
3. "Rio" (Part 2) – 5:29
4. "My Own Way" (Carnival remix) – 4:34

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982–1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)^[18] 60 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[19] 3 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[20] 14 Ireland (IRMA)^[21] 9 Netherlands (Single Tip)^[22] 28 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[23] 36 UK Singles (OCC)^[3] 9 US Billboard Hot 100^[24] 14 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[24] 5 US Cash Box Top 100^[25] 14

Year-end charts Chart (1983) Rank Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[26] 37 US Cash Box^[27] 94 US Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual ^[28] 104

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[29]	Gold	400,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers, samples and media references

It has been referenced in the lyrics of the 2005 UK number one hit by Arctic Monkeys, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor": "Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand".^[30]

CSS collaborated with Simon Le Bon and John Taylor to record a cover of the song in 2016.^[31]

The song was recreated by Moby for the compilation album Making Patterns Rhyme (2014).^[32]

Nicole Scherzinger version

"Rio"
Single by Nicole Scherzinger
Released	August 2008
Genre	Pop
Length	3:39
Label	A&M Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Duran Duran
Producer(s)	Ron Fair J. R. Rotem Ben H. Allen
Nicole Scherzinger singles chronology
"Puakenikeni" (2008) "Rio" (2008) "Nobody Can Change Me" (2010)

Nicole Scherzinger (lead vocalist for the Pussycat Dolls) recorded a cover version of "Rio" as a promotion for Caress Brazilian body wash from Unilever.^[33] The song was released to radio on 28 July 2008 and as a CD 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.^[34]

Of the cover, Duran Duran singer Simon 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 our signature songs very few people have covered it over the years, so it has been great for us to hear a new interpretation."^[35]

Track listings

Two-track CD single

1. "Rio (Caress Brazilian Mix)"
2. "Rio (Caress Brazilian Mix)" (Instrumental)

CD single maxi jewelcase

1. "Rio" (Caress Brazilian Mix)
2. "Rio" (Caress Brazilian Mix) (Instrumental)
3. "Rio" (dance Remix)
4. "Rio" (Video)
5. The making of the "Rio" (Caress Brazilian Mix)" video

References

1. People Weekly, Vol. 62. Time, Incorporated. 2004. "But the big-haired lineup that gave us such '80s synth-pop hits as "Girls on Film," "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" has reunited for Astronaut, which finds the group taking creative flight again."
2. "CLASSIC TRACKS: Duran Duran 'The Reflex'". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
3. "Duran Duran: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
4. "Duran Duran's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs revealed". Official Charts. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. p. 97. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. Audio recordings of the station obtained by industry publication Radio & Records show in an archived column written by Adam Jacobson.
7. John Taylor In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran 2012, chapter 33
8. . Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
9. Welch, Andy (23 May 2022). "Duran Duran on making Rio: 'We're still trying to work out what it means'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
10. . Archived from the original on 23 June 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2006.
11. Bein, Kat (16 June 2022). "Sound Behind the Song: "Rio" by Duran Duran". Roland Corporation. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
12. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 April 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
13. Long, Mark (29 May 2013). "Object of Desire: The Restored Yacht Eilean". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
14. Ellwood, Mark (17 October 2017). "Duran Duran video yacht rescued by luxe watch CEO". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
15. Nick Rhodes (9 November 2008). "Flashback: November 1982". The Guardian.
16. Odell, Michael. "Duran Duran: In their own words 2 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine". The Observer, 16 November 2003.
17. "Duran Duran Rio". Ionpool.net. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
19. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6323." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
20. Timo (13 August 2015). "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit DOG - DZE". Sisältää hitin. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rio". Irish Singles Chart.
22. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
23. "Duran Duran – Rio". Top 40 Singles.
24. "Rio (song by Duran Duran) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
25. "Top 100 1983-05-21". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
26. . Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
27. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1983". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
28. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 463. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
29. "British single certifications – Duran Duran – Rio". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
30. "50 incredibly geeky facts about Arctic Monkeys". Nme.com. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
31. "CSS cover Duran Duran for Rio Olympics". Retrieved 28 February 2020.
32. Grow, Kory (27 May 2014). "Hear Moby's Dusky Take on Duran Duran's 'Rio'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
33. . Caressbrazilian.msn.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
34. Nicole Scherzinger - "Rio" official video from CaressBrazilian on YouTube
35. . Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.

External links

• Rio at Discogs (list of releases)