Girls on Film

This song is about the exploitation of fashion models, who must deal with dehumanizing shoots in a frenzied environment where they are objectified for the masses. The group was known for dating models, so they had plenty of firsthand accounts to draw from. It was written by the five members of the band.

A track from the band's first album, this was Duran Duran's third single. It would be another year before they had any impact in America, but in England, they had a swift rise as leaders of the New Romantic movement, and answer to the rebellious and politically indignant punk and two-tone movements of the '70s. England was still dealing with a harsh economic and social climate, but this is a country that loves its royals and is fascinated by its most glamorous citizens. Duran Duran filled that craving with upbeat pop music and relentless decadence. Most critics laughed them off or derided them as lightweights, but they quickly found an audience, with "Girls On Film" rising to #5 in the UK on August 22, 1981.

This song is best known for its video, which was the first extended video ever made and was quite racy. In an interview on the band's Greatest Hits DVD collection, Simon Le Bon says that the controversy over the song's notoriously raunchy music video eclipsed the song's message of fashion model exploitation. The video was directed by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, who were the leaders of the group 10cc and also recorded as Godley & Creme.