26 Apr The Original Bad Boys: Duran Duran

Being your typical millennial, Duran Duran was one of those bands who was well established before I was even around — yet somehow I thought I discovered them.

The song was “Hungry Like the Wolf,” and I’m pretty sure I heard it on the Disney Channel. It was originally released over a decade before I was even born, and yet there I was, in my living room, bobbing to the chorus as if the song just came out the day before.

Duran Duran formed in 1978 and became part of a new wave driven “second British Invasion,” including U.K. bands like The Police, Elvis Costello and more.

Whether you’re a fan, fanatic or know nothing about the band, there’s no denying you’ve heard at least five of its songs before. Duran Duran’s hits span from “Rio” to “Girls on Film” and tons of others. They all have this vibe about them where you just know it’s the English four-piece playing.

And even though the group was pretty mainstream, there’s no denying Duran Duran had an edginess about them. The band pushed the limit with its music videos, including partial nudity and sexual themes — which sounds like any rap video nowadays, but twenty years ago when MTV had just launched in America, it was a lot. Its video for “Girls on Film” even got banned by BBC and censored by MTV, but Duran Duran apparently loved ruffling feathers — and that’s pretty badass of them.

See them live:

Duran Duran at the Ford Stage. Wednesday, April 27, 8:30 p.m.