Duran Duran “Rio (part 2)” b/w “Rio (part 1)” and “My Own Way” 1982. 12″ UK single on EMI. Today, May 10th, marks the anniversary of the full Rio album’s release and because I already blogged about it last year on this date, I’m spinning the 12″ single instead (which was released in November ‘82). Rio ranks among my favorite albums ever made, and will take any opportunity to geek out over it (I’ve watched the 2008 documentary Classic Albums: Rio more times than I care to admit).

There are 13 (!!) different remixes of the “Rio” single: this UK 12″ has Part 1 and Part 2, both longer than the Single version. It reached #9 in the UK, #14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The B-side on this release is “My Own Way;” the mix, by David Kershenbaum, was the same as the version on the Carnival EP, it just faded out a few seconds earlier. In my heady early teen Duranie days, we would imagine that the band stayed in a hotel in New York, called out in the lyrics: “I’m on 45, between 6th & Broadway, 7UP, between 6th & Broadway” – they boys were obviously in a room on the 7th floor so we just had to get there somehow to hang out with them. (I also always misheard the next line in the song: instead of “Hmm…busy, this is how I like it” I heard “Mmmm…fizzy! Just how I like it” – Simon is drinking soda! Or champagne!)

In the US the B-side of “Rio” was “Hold Back the Rain” – and if you need a some light in your day today, check out this video of Duran’s performance from ‘82: Simon’s white jazz shoes! Nick in a white jumpsuit!  Terry-cloth sweat wrist bands! The audience’s awkward 80′s dancing?