"Girls on Film" is the third single by English new wave band

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band wen ...

, released on 13 July 1981. The single became Duran Duran's Top 10 breakthrough in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, peaking at Number 5 in July 1981. The band personally selected the song for release following the failure of its predecessor, "

Careless Memories "Careless Memories" is the second single by Duran Duran, released on 20 April 1981. The band's debut single "Planet Earth" had been a Top 20 hit, so it was regarded as a major setback when "Careless Memories" stalled at No. 37 in the UK chart ...

", which had been chosen by their record company, EMI. Its popularity provided a major boost to sales of the band's eponymous debut studio album, ''

'', which had been released a month earlier. The song did not chart in the United States on its initial release, but it became popular and widely known after receiving heavy airplay on MTV when the ''Duran Duran'' album was re-issued in 1983. The song was used as the opening theme song for the anime series '' Speed Grapher'' in the Japanese-language version (the song wasn't able to be licensed for releases outside of Japan), and the night version appeared on 2012 action video game '' Sleeping Dogs''.

Background

Originally written and demoed in 1979 by an early line-up of the band featuring lead vocalist Andy Wickett, Duran Duran re-wrote and re-recorded the song in 1981. The different original version, which co-writer Wickett said "was inspired by the dark side of the glitz and glamour", was released as part of an EP in 2018.

Music video

The song fared well on the radio and the charts before the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

was filmed, but the controversy that ensued helped to keep the band in the public eye and the song on the charts for many weeks. The video was made with directing duo

Godley & Creme Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first musi ...

(of

10cc 10cc are an English rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group feat ...

fame) and director of photography Steven Bernstein at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

in July 1981. It was filmed just weeks before MTV was launched in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and before anyone knew what an impact the music channel would have on the industry. The band expected the "Girls on Film" video to be played exclusively at nightclubs that had video screens. The raunchy video created an uproar, and it was consequently banned by the BBC and heavily edited for its original run on MTV; the band unabashedly enjoyed and capitalised on the controversy. A Video 45 for "Girls on Film" and " Hungry Like the Wolf" was released in the United States in March 1983. The VHS-format tape contains the MTV-friendly edited "day version" of "Girls on Film", while the

Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 197 ...

and

CED Videodisc The Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) is an analog video, analog video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special stylus and high-density groove system similar to phonograph re ...

format contained the original uncensored "night version". The Video 45 won the

Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

in 1984, the first year the Academy gave that award. The uncensored video was also included in the ''

'' video album (1983) and the '' Greatest'' video collection (released on VHS in 1999, and on DVD in 2004, which was given a restrictive 18 rating in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) and was given the R13 rating in New Zealand. The edited version would later be used in the 2008

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...

video game '' SingStar Pop Vol. 2''. Simon Le Bon commented in the audio interview on the ''Greatest'' DVD collection that the scandal of the music video overshadowed the song's message of fashion model exploitation.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

The B-side of the single was another song initially unavailable anywhere else, a synthesiser-heavy dance track called "Faster Than Light". The extended night version of "Girls on Film", similar to "

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

" wasn't a remix, but a completely new arrangement of the song. There are two slightly different mixes of the Night Version, one clocking in at 5:45, the other at 5:27. The video version clocks in at 6:19. In 1998, EMI released ''Girls on Film – The Remixes'', featuring a swathe of newly commissioned re-constructions of the song by Tall Paul and

Tin Tin Out Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating wit ...

. A couple of these mixes were included on the 1998 UK release of the single " Electric Barbarella".

Covers, samples, and media references

Cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

s of "Girls on Film" have been recorded by Björn Again, Wesley Willis Fiasco,

the Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a ...

, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers,

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he b ...

, Kevin Max, La Ley, Midnight Oil,

Mindless Self Indulgence Mindless Self Indulgence (often referred to as MSI) is an American electropunk band formed in New York City in 1997. Their music has a mixed style which includes punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno, industrial, hip hop, and brea ...

and Chord Overstreet.

Formats and track listing

7": EMI. / EMI 5206 United Kingdom

# "Girls on Film" – 3:29 # "Faster than Light" – 4:26

12": EMI. / 12 EMI 5206 United Kingdom

# "Girls on Film (Night Version)" – 5:31 # "Girls on Film" – 3:29 # "Faster than Light" – 4:26

12": EMI. / 062-20 07176 Greece

# "Girls on Film (Night Version)" – 5:45 # "Girls on Film (Instrumental)" – 5:41 # "Faster than Light" – 4:26 * The Greek 12" release of "Girls on Film" contains a version with a longer camera intro not found on the other 12 inches. It was also released on some versions of the 1982 Carnaval EP. It appeared for the first time on CD on the 2010 remaster of

as the "Extended Night Version". * The "Instrumental" was not released on other vinyl releases and remains unreleased on CD.

CD: Part of " Singles Box Set 1981–1985" boxset

# "Girls on Film" – 3:27 # "Faster than Light" – 4:26 # "Girls on Film (Night Version)" – 5:31

CD: Part of Duran Duran 2010 Special Edition (CD2)

# "Girls on Film" (Extended Night Version) – 5:45 # "Girls on Film" (Night Mix) – 5:42 * Track 1 is the same version as the Greek 12" release (EMI / 062-20 0717 6). * Released in 2010.

CD: The Remixes United States

# "Girls on Film" (Tin Tin Out Mix) – 6:55 # "Girls on Film" (Salt Tank Mix) – 6:29 # "Girls on Film" (16 Millimetre Mix) – 7:28 # "Girls on Film" (Tall Paul Mix 1) – 8:28 # "Girls on Film" (Night Version) – 5:31 # "Girls on Film" (8 Millimetre Mix) – 5:47 * Released in 1999

12": The Remixes United States

# "Girls on Film" (Tin Tin Out Mix) – 6:55 # "Girls on Film" (Salt Tank Mix) – 6:29 # "Girls on Film" (Tall Paul Mix 1) – 8:28 # "Girls on Film" (8 Millimetre Mix) – 5:47 * Released in 1999

Charts

As of October 2021 "Girls on Film" is the fifth most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.

Certifications

Other appearances

Apart from the single, "Girls on Film" has also appeared on: EP's * ''Nite Romantics'' (1981, Japan) * ''Night Versions'' (1982, Australia) (1984, New Zealand) * ''

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ...

'' (1982, The Netherlands, Spain, Canada, United States, except from the Japanese release) Mini-LP: * DMM Mega Mixes (1983, Germany) Albums: * ''

'' (1981) * ''

Decade A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "d ...

'' (1989) * '' Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran'' (1998) * '' Greatest'' (1998) * ''

Strange Behaviour ''Strange Behaviour'' is an album of remixes by Duran Duran. It was released by EMI in March 1999. The title comes from a line in the song "Skin Trade": "''would someone please explain, the reason for this strange behaviour''". The band had p ...

'' (1999) * ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

'' (2004 reissue) * '' Singles Box Set 1981-1985'' (2005) * '' Live from London (Bonus CD with Deluxe Edition)'' (2005) Singles: * "

Ordinary World Ordinary World may refer to: Music * ''Ordinary World'' (album), by Get Set Go Songs * "Ordinary World" (song), by Duran Duran, from the album ''Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)'', covered by Joy Williams, Red, Aurora, and other artists * "Or ...

" (1993) * " Electric Barbarella" (1998)

Personnel

Duran Duran are: * Simon Le Bon – vocals * Nick Rhodes – keyboards *

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...

– bass guitar * Roger Taylor – drums * Andy Taylor – guitar Also credited: * Colin Thurston – producer and engineer

References

External links

Official site
* , page 6 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girls on Film 1981 singles Duran Duran songs Girls Aloud songs Song recordings produced by Xenomania Music videos directed by Godley and Creme Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video Song recordings produced by Colin Thurston Anime songs 1980 songs Songs written by Simon Le Bon Songs written by John Taylor (bass guitarist) Songs written by Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer) Songs written by Andy Taylor (guitarist) Songs written by Nick Rhodes