Hold Back the Rain - 2009 Remaster

For two former members of Duran Duran, drugs in general - and cocaine in particular - proved too tempting to decline. Guitarist Andy Taylor became a full-blown cocaine addict rather quickly, and would battle the demons of drug addiction for many years before wresting himself free of its grip. According to a VH1 Interview, lead singer Simon Le Bon became worried that John was "staying out too late, taking too many drugs, drinking too much, and going home with the wrong kinds of people." As any good songsmith does, Simon took his emotions and put pen to paper, writing a song in March of 1982 that would become recorded as "Hold Back the Rain." After writing the song, Simon slipped the song under John's door, and claimed that as late as 1993 John had never mentioned the incident to him, or that he knew Simon wrote the song about him. The song did appear on the band's second album, Rio plus included as a B-side to the single for "Save a Prayer." It would take many years before John would hear the plea in that song and get help for the drug problems that dogged him, but now he is clean.

After the band reunited in 2003, this song was brought back into the live rotation. John Taylor told Pop Matters: "Now, when we play it, there’s a feeling of, that’s what we do, you know? That song is what Duran Duran is all about."