Mark Ronson Cites His Top Five Favorite Duran Duran Deep Cuts
Mark Ronson served as producer on Duran Duran’s 2010 full-length, All You Need Is Now, and he’s once again partnered with the iconic synth-pop outfit for their upcoming album, Paper Gods, which is slated for a Sept. 11 release. Ahead of that day, Ronson reflected on his five favorite deep cuts from Duran Duran’s more than 30-year catalog.
Ronson’s list includes “The Chauffeur” and “Lonely in Your Nightmare” from Duran Duran’s 1982 LP, Rio, “New Moon on Monday” from 1983’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger, “Big Thing” from 1988’s I Don’t Want Your Love and “Girl Panic!” from All You Need Is Now.
Ronson told Billboard that “The Chauffeur,” in particular, impressed him with its innovation. “This has some of the coolest, eeriest synth programming of any pop song ever,” he said. “The effort that went into making a song like this in the pre-Pro Tools era is staggering.”
According to Ronson, “Girl Panic!” was one of the first songs he worked on with the band. “Simon [Le Bon] re-wrote the lyrics to this song five or six time,” Ronson recounted. “But we realized that the song was supposed to be about sex, so he rewrote them again at the last minute. I’m really proud of this song. If you listen closely to the bridge, in the background you can hear Don Johnson doing cocaine off a speedboat dashboard.”
Duran Duran have already shared Paper Gods lead single, “Pressure Off,” which features Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers.