Duran Duran Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Duran Duran has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class.
The pioneering new wave group formed in the late ‘70s, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1981. For more than a decade, they remained a dominant force in music, selling more than 100 million records and winning fans across the globe. Their list of hits – including “Girls on Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Rio” and “Ordinary World” – are still popular on radio and with new generations of fans.
Duran Duran earned entry into the Hall of Fame on their first nomination, though they have been eligible since 2007. They won the fan vote before the announcement of this year’s inductees. The current lineup – singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor – were all on hand to accept the honor, though a promised reunion with former members Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo didn't happen.
Robert Downey Jr., in his introductory speech, recognized Duran Duran's longevity, their musicianship – and their headbands. "It all comes down to two words – confidence and faith," Downey added. "Duran Duran invites us all to put our best days here now, and still in front of us."
Andy Taylor couldn't make it, Le Bon said. He read a letter from their original guitarist, revealing that Taylor is suffering from metastastic prostate cancer.
John Taylor mentioned Duran Duran's many influences, including the Beatles, Mick Ronson, Nile Rodgers and Siouxsie and the Banshees, among others. "These artists and so many others were parents mentors and spirit guides," he said. "Without their music we might never have found each other."
Nick Rhodes compared their deep bond to a kind of polygamy, while also arguing for the induction of New York Dolls, another key influence. "We share this award with you," he told their adoring fans.
This wasn’t the first time members of Duran Duran appeared on the Rock Hall stage. In 2019, John Taylor and Le Bon were on hand to induct Roxy Music, an experience Taylor told Spin was “one of the greatest privileges of my life.” In the same conversation, he laughed off suggestions that Duran Duran’s new-wave sound didn’t belong among “rock” artists.
“After electronics started coming in, and we’re building on these very square bases of electronic pulses, then that’s where people went, ‘That’s not rock 'n' roll,’” Taylor said, “and for the first few years, that seemed important. ‘What do you mean we’re not rock 'n' roll?' And then I was like, ‘Fine, fine. We’re not rock 'n' roll. Who cares?’ And now, well, now you’re going into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
Rodgers, who remixed their 1983 hit "The Reflex," was part of the induction video that played prior to the band's acceptance speech. He also worked with the Andy and John Taylor on the Duran Duran offshoot band Power Station.