2022 is full of many anniversaries that make me feel like an old Gen Xer. Last week’s Music Video, “Hella Good,” was 20 years, and this week’s video is 40! On May 10th, 1982, British New Wave band Duran Duran released their second album, followed by two splashy music videos, “Rio” & “Hungry Like the Wolf.”
The “Rio” album was Duran Duran’s breakthrough release in the U.S., and 40(!) years later, it’s still their most accomplished LP with many of the band’s biggest hits. Much of Duran Duran’s success throughout the ’80s can be credited to their flashy, elaborate music videos. While they were technically New Wave, they embraced the glam rock look that was a perfect fit for MTV. It didn’t hurt that lead singer Simon Le Bon was gorgeous and photographed well.
“Hungry Like the Wolf” was my first exposure to the British heartthrob band, and MTV put the video into heavy rotation. The clip was directed by Australian film & TV director Russell Mulcahy, who would eventually helm the first “Highlander” (1985) movie (along with The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” video). Filmed in the jungles of Sri Lanka, the video features Le Bon decked out in tribal makeup, stalking a slinky femme fatale while his bandmates try to find their missing frontman. The clip has a very cinematic feel, and you can see Mulcahy heavily influenced by “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” released a year earlier. It’s a slick and well-edited watch, a far cry from the many primitive videos of the era.