"Hungry Like the Wolf"
Cover art for UK editions
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Rio
B-side"Careless Memories" (live)
Released
  • 4 May 1982 (1982-05-04) (UK)
  • 7 June 1982 (1982-06-07) (US)
  • 3 December 1982 (1982-12-03) (US re-release)
RecordedEarly 1982
Genre
Length
  • 3:23 (single version)
  • 4:11 (US album remix)
  • 5:14 (night version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Colin Thurston
Duran Duran singles chronology
"My Own Way"
(1981)		 "Hungry Like the Wolf"
(1982)		 "Save a Prayer"
(1982)
Music video
"Hungry Like the Wolf" on YouTube

"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, Rio (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, 8 June 1982 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The music video for "Hungry Like the Wolf" was directed by Russell Mulcahy and filmed in Sri Lanka. Although the band initially failed to break into the US market, MTV placed the "Hungry Like the Wolf" video into heavy rotation. Subsequently, the group gained much exposure; the song peaked at the No. 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1983, and Duran Duran became an international sensation. The video won the first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1984.

Writing and recording

"Hungry Like the Wolf" was written and recorded on a Saturday in the spring of 1982, at the basement studios of EMI's London headquarters.[4][5] The song was built throughout the day as each band member arrived, and by the evening it was essentially complete.[6]

"That track came from fiddling with the new technology that was starting to come in," guitarist Andy Taylor said in an interview with Blender magazine.[4]

Rhodes came up with an idea for the backing track in the car while he was going to the studio.[5] He started playing with the Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard, while lead vocalist Simon Le Bon was working with the lyrics.[5] The lyrics were inspired by Little Red Riding Hood,[4] and the repeating of the word "do" at the end of each verse takes its melody from the instrumentals in Gordon Lightfoot's song "If You Could Read My Mind."[7] Andy Taylor worked out a Marc Bolan-ish guitar part, a very Marshall-sounding Les Paul guitar lick that was added to the track. Then the bass and drums were added, and the whole track was finished that day, including Le Bon's vocal melody and lyrics.[4] The laugh at the beginning of the song and the moans during the song's fade-out were performed and recorded live by Rhodes' girlfriend at the time.[8]

The group re-recorded the song for the Rio album a few months later at London's AIR Studios with producer Colin Thurston,[6] who also recorded the hits "Too Shy" for Kajagoogoo and "I Want Candy" for Bow Wow Wow. Andy Taylor remembers: "He was a great organizer and arranger, we gave him far more ideas and music than the track actually needed, and he was important in the process of whittling them down to the essential elements." Thurston and the band decided to keep the demo's original electronic backing track and just re-record the other instruments and vocals.[4]

John Taylor has stated that he "[doesn't] really know" what the lyrics mean, speculating that the song is probably about "meeting girls" and/or "wanting to have sex with someone."[9]

Critical reception

In a 2003 review of the Singles Box Set 1981–1985, Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork Media said that "singles don't come much stronger than 'Hungry Like the Wolf,'" praising its "bubbly keys around a slashing guitar riff," adding that the song "show[s] off how Duran Duran was a band, not just a synthesizer."[10] Jon Pareles from The New York Times said the song "put an oblique, sometimes apocalyptic spin on pop romance in the verses but kept the choruses clear and catchy, never disguising their pop intentions," adding that the "posing was always a little preposterous, but no less enjoyable for that."[11]

AllMusic's Ned Raggett said the song "blended a tight, guitar-heavy groove with electronic production and a series of instant hooks," adding that it was one of Rio's "biggest smashes" that "open[ed] the door in America for the New Romantic/synth rock crossover."[12] Stewart Mason, also from AllMusic, called "Hungry Like the Wolf" a "spectacular pop single" and "the finest song Duran Duran ever wrote," adding that it was a "much more kinetic and exciting song than earlier flop singles like 'Planet Earth'."[13]

In 2006, VH1 ranked "Hungry Like the Wolf" No. 3 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 80's."[14] In 2021, Rolling Stone listed the song at No. 398 on "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."[15]

Music video

Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon, and the tiger-like woman screaming at each other, in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle.

In 1982, music video director Russell Mulcahy, who had directed the band's first video, "Planet Earth," was brought back to make the music video for "Hungry Like the Wolf" and two other songs for the band's 1983 video album.[16] The band had a vision of jungles and exotic women, and Mulcahy suggested Sri Lanka, a country he had just visited.[4] EMI spent $200,000 to send the group to Sri Lanka;[17] the band made a stopover there in April, en route to a scheduled Australian tour.[4] Keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist Andy Taylor remained behind to finish the mixing of the Rio album while the rest of the band began filming the video; they flew straight to Sri Lanka after handing over the final masters to EMI.[18][19]

As it was described in the pop culture book The 1980s, the video was lush and cinematic, with shots of jungles, rivers, elephants, cafes and marketplaces evoking the atmosphere of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).[20] Andy Taylor, who contracted a stomach virus serious enough to require hospitalisation from accidentally drinking water in the lagoon during the shoot, describes the storyline as "Indiana Jones is horny and wants to get laid."[21] In the video, lead vocalist Simon Le Bon's head rises in slow motion out of the river as rain pours down, evoking a scene in Apocalypse Now (1979). He then chases a tiger-like woman played by Bermuda model Sheila Ming,[22] from open markets in the city through obstacles in the jungle. During the chase, Le Bon has his face mopped by a young boy and overturns a bar room table, culminating in a final chase and struggle in a jungle clearing, which is sexually suggestive. In the meantime, the other band members hunt for Le Bon.[17]

Less than two months after the shoot of the video, the American cable television network MTV put "Hungry Like the Wolf" into heavy rotation, playing it four times a day.[17] The exposure eventually helped propel the single into the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the Rio album into the top 10 of the albums chart.[17] Les Garland, senior executive vice-president of MTV, said: "I remember our director of talent and artist relations came running in and said, 'You have got to see this video that's come in.' Duran Duran were getting zero radio airplay at the time, and MTV wanted to try to break new music. 'Hungry Like the Wolf' was the greatest video I'd ever seen."[18] MTV named "Hungry Like the Wolf" the 15th most-played video of the network,[23] and was 11th on the century-end MTV "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made."[24] It won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the 26th Grammy Awards in February 1984, making it the first video to ever win that award.[25] In 2001, VH1 rated it 31st on the "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos."[26]

Chart performance

"Hungry Like the Wolf" was released in the United Kingdom on 4 May 1982; the next week the song debuted at No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart,[27] and six weeks later it reached its peak at No. 5,[28] remaining six weeks in the top 10, and 12 weeks in total.[29] The release of the single helped Rio reach No. 2 on the albums chart.[27] In Ireland, the single entered the chart on 23 May 1982 and reached No. 4 on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming the band's first top-10 hit in that country.[30]

Despite achieving commercial success with several top hits in the United Kingdom, the band failed to enter in the US market. Their debut studio album did not chart and failed to yield a hit single. "Hungry Like the Wolf" was released in the United States on 7 June 1982 but did not chart. At first, US radio were reluctant to play the song, but influential stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles championed the band, hosting an in-person artist album signing at a Licorice Pizza in Canoga Park, California, to build support for the act. On the first day of New York-based WLIR's run as a modern-rock station, "Hungry Like the Wolf" aired in morning drive, with John DeBella as host. It gained national popularity, however, only when the newly emerging MTV began playing the accompanying music video in heavy rotation; the exposure pushed "Hungry Like the Wolf" onto AOR playlists.[31] The song entered Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in August 1982 and reached the top of the chart in January 1983.[32]

Following the release of the Carnival EP in September and the David Kershenbaum remaster of Rio in November, the Kershenbaum remix of "Hungry Like the Wolf" was released as a single on 3 December 1982.[13] "Hungry Like the Wolf" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1982 at number 77,[33] peaking at No. 3 on 26 March 1983, and remaining 23 weeks on the chart.[34] Ten years later, in March 1993, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[35] In Canada, the song debuted at No. 48 on the RPM singles chart on 22 January 1983,[36] reaching the top of the chart for one week on 19 March 1983,[37] staying on the chart for 19 weeks,[38] and ending in the 10th position of the 1983 year-end chart.[39] It was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in April 1983.[40]

Legacy

"Hungry Like the Wolf" remains one of Duran Duran's most popular songs and a fan favourite.[41] As of October 2021, it was the band's most streamed song in the UK, with 40.4 million streams.[41]

Formats and track listings

7": EMI / EMI 5295 United Kingdom

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (single version) – 3:27
  2. "Careless Memories" (live) – 4:11 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 17 December 1981)

12": EMI / 12 EMI 5295 United Kingdom

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (night version) – 5:14
  2. "Careless Memories" (live) – 4:11 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 17 December 1981)

7": Harvest / B 5134 United States

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (130 B.P.M. single version) – 3:23
  2. "Careless Memories" (live) – 4:11 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 17 December 1981)
  • Initial US release

7": Harvest / B 5195 United States

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (night version) – 5:14
  2. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (US album remix) – 4:11
  • US re-release
  • Track 2 remixed by David Kershenbaum

CD: Part of Singles Box Set 1981–1985

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (single version) – 3:27
  2. "Careless Memories" (live) – 4:11 (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 17 December 1981)
  3. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (129 B.P.M. night version) – 5:09

CD: Part of Rio (2009 Limited Edition) (CD1)

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (US album remix) – 4:11

CD: Part of Rio (2009 Limited Edition) (CD2)

  1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (129 B.P.M. night version) – 5:09

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Hungry Like the Wolf"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ CMJ New Music Report Vol. 59, N°633. CMJ Network, Inc. 1999. p. 28. ISSN 0890-0795. "Forget the melodramatic videos (if you can) and listen back to singles from this era – Nick Rhodes's fluttering flurry of new-wave keys during "Hungry Like The Wolf,"...
  2. ↑ People Weekly, Vol. 62. Time, Incorporated. 2004. "But the big-haired lineup that gave us such '80s synth-pop hits as "Girls on Film," "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" has reunited for Astronaut, which finds the group taking creative flight again."
  3. ↑ Bennun, David (14 June 2017). "Disco rock – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Black, Jhonny (January–February 2003). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Hungry Like the Wolf". Blender. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 Duran Duran (2008). Classic Albums: Rio (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  6. 1 2 "Ok Then, Shortest Song". Duranduran.com. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  7. ↑ "Story From Storytellers". Duranduran.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  8. ↑ "Sound Effects". Duranduran.com. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Ernest (24 July 2012). "Interview: Duran Duran Bassist John Taylor Talks About The Band's Biggest Hits". Complex. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (2 July 2003). "Fame Had Its Way With Us!". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media, Inc. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  11. ↑ Pareles, Jon (5 April 2005). "Nostalgia for the Skinny Tie as Duran Duran Returns". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  12. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Album Review: Rio". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  13. 1 2 Mason, Stewart. "Song Review: Hungry Like the Wolf". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "JdjdjRock on the Net: VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's: 1–50".
  15. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  16. ↑ Denisoff; Schurk, 1986. p. 364.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Shuker, 2001. p. 171.
  18. 1 2 Odell, Michael (June–July 2003). "Fame Had Its Way With Us!". Blender. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  19. ↑ Taylor, Andy (2008). Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran. London: Orion Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7528-8338-0.
  20. ↑ Batchelor; Stoddart, 2007. p. 124.
  21. ↑ Taylor, 104-05.
  22. ↑ "Hungry Lady". Duranduran.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  23. ↑ "Timeline: 1982". Duranduran.com. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  24. ↑ "MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made". 1999. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  25. ↑ "Grammy Awards Winners: Hungry Like the Wolf". The Recording Academy. 1983. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  26. ↑ "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos". 2001. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  27. 1 2 "1982 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – 15th May 1982". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  28. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  29. ↑ "Duran Duran". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  30. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". IRMA. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2013. Only one result when searching "Hungry like the wolf"
  31. ↑ Denisoff; Schurk, 1986. p. 365.
  32. 1 2 3 "Duran Duran awards at Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  33. ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100: Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran – Week of Dec 25 1982". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 25 December 1982. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  34. ↑ "Hot 100: Week of April 9, 1983 – Hungry Like the Wolf". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 9 April 1983. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  35. 1 2 "American single certifications – Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  36. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 37, No. 21, 22 January 1983". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 22 January 1983. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  37. 1 2 "Top Singles – Volume 38, No.3, 19 March 1983". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. 19 March 1983. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  38. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 38, No. 13, 28 May 1983". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 28 May 1983. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  39. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 39, No. 17, 24 December 1983". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 24 December 1983. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  40. 1 2 "Canadian single certifications – Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf". Music Canada. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  41. 1 2 "Duran Duran's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs revealed". Official Charts. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  42. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  43. ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 28, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  44. ↑ "Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  45. ↑ "Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  46. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  47. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of April 9, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  48. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  49. ↑ New Zealand End Of Year Charts 1982
  50. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1983 – Volume 39, No. 17, December 24 1983". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  51. ↑ "Talent Almanac 1984" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. Billboard Publications, Inc. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  52. ↑ "British single certifications – Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 May 2023.

References

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