Why Did Duran Duran Split at the Height of Their Fame? The Story Behind Arcadia's "Election Day"
The Twelve Inch 134 : Election Day (Arcadia)
Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and this is “The Twelve Inch”, a newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.
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Riding the Wave: Duran Duran’s Meteoric Rise
Duran Duran in 1981
Imagine being on top of the world—selling out stadiums, dominating the charts, and gracing magazine covers worldwide. In the early 1980s, that was the reality for Duran Duran. With their album Rio, the band became synonymous with 1980s pop culture, blending fashion, glamour, and a unique musical style that captured the imagination of a generation. But by 1985, this powerhouse was at a crossroads. Why did they take a break at the peak of their fame, splitting into two new projects—Arcadia and The Power Station?
Cracks in the Perfection: The Making of Seven and the Ragged Tiger
One of the most recognizable 80’s covers :” Rio” by Duran Duran
After Rio skyrocketed to success in 1982, Duran Duran faced the daunting task of creating a worthy follow-up. They spent much of 1983 as tax exiles, working in a château in France, followed by recording sessions in Montserrat and Sydney. The process of making their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, stretched over six months, bogged down by creative indecision, perfectionism, and emerging tensions within the band. Substance abuse issues and the pressures of fame added to the strain.
Reflecting on the album, Nick Rhodes admitted, “We worked on it too much because we weren’t sure of our direction. It was overly fine-tuned.” Released at the end of 1983, Seven and the Ragged Tiger hinted that Duran Duran might have lost some of their creative spark.
A Necessary Pause: Why the Band Stepped Back
By the spring of 1984, Duran Duran’s relentless pace of touring and recording had taken its toll. The group needed a break, not due to any internal strife but rather to rediscover their creative vision. Nick Rhodes explained, “We were dizzy from the amount of touring and recording we had been doing. We reached the point where we were unsure of our next step. It was time to step back out of the limelight a little bit and review the situation. We hadn’t had time to think about what we had done.”
Their break coincided with the challenging recording sessions for “A View to a Kill,” the last James Bond theme of the Roger Moore era. Tensions were high, and the studio atmosphere was strained. Rhodes recalled, “We had just come off this tour. No one was delighted with the ‘Seven and the Ragged Tiger’ album. There was a lot of tension in the studio. It was obvious that we were either going to take a break from Duran or make a dreadful Duran album.”
Diverging Paths: The Birth of Arcadia and The Power Station
The Power Station
Rather than crumble under the pressure, Duran Duran’s members opted for side projects that reflected their musical passions. John Taylor and Andy Taylor gravitated toward a rockier sound with The Power Station, collaborating with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson of Chic. Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon, along with Roger Taylor for a time, embraced a more experimental, atmospheric approach with Arcadia.
Arcadia
Arcadia’s direction was heavily influenced by moody synth arrangements, cinematic textures, and cryptic lyrics. The band’s name itself, chosen by Rhodes and Le Bon, came from a painting by Poussin found in the Louvre, adding a sense of mystique to their new endeavor.
“Et in Arcadia ego” by Nicolas Poussin
Spotlight on "Election Day": Arcadia's Ambitious 12-Inch
The Main François Kevorkian Twelve Inch Mix
Released in 1985, “Election Day” served as the lead single for Arcadia’s sole album, So Red the Rose. The extended version of the track spans over eight minutes, showcasing the band’s departure from the radio-friendly hits of Duran Duran. Instead, it embraced a more art-pop direction, with François Kevorkian’s remix adding depth and flair. Grace Jones’s spoken-word interlude in the middle section added to the song’s haunting atmosphere. Le Bon’s quick-written lyrics for Jones during the session led to her memorable retort, “Simon, what the fuck does this mean? What’s it about?” (I don’t think she got an answer)
“Election Day” is not a typical dance track but rather an intricate soundscape. It’s the perfect lead single for an album reflecting the influence of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy and Roxy Music’s Avalon (The fact that Andy MacKay from Roxy Music played on the album helped considerably). Arcadia’s music combined elements of jazz, funk, and classical motifs, resulting in a richly textured sonic experience.
The Early Rough version of Election Day
Success vs. Experimentation: Arcadia and The Power Station Compared
So, which of these side projects made a bigger splash? While both Arcadia’s “Election Day” and The Power Station’s “Some Like It Hot” peaked at number 6 on the US charts, they didn’t reach the same heights as Duran Duran’s earlier hits. In Europe, neither side project broke into the top 10. The Power Station followed up with a cover of T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong),” but Arcadia’s subsequent singles struggled to make an impact.
The competing first single by The Power Station
Financially, The Power Station was the clear winner. Arcadia’s So Red the Rose was a high-cost venture, recorded over several months in an expensive studio with big-name guest artists like Sting and David Gilmour. Though the album went platinum, its commercial performance barely covered production costs.
Creative Fulfillment or Commercial Suicide?
Despite the contrasting outcomes, both projects brought creative satisfaction to their members. Rhodes recalled, “There was a little unspoken competition between the two bands, but I thought The Power Station did a really good job... But of course, we wanted to do better than The Power Station, and they wanted to do better than us.”
Yet Arcadia’s ambitions were short-lived. By 1986, Duran Duran had reformed, eager to regain their place in the spotlight. The industry had changed, and so had the tastes of their audience. Reuniting as a band meant leaving Arcadia behind, and the idea of a follow-up album became a running joke. As Rhodes put it, Simon and I have only talked about it in jest. The only time it’s ever arisen is when one of us says: ‘If we save up all the money we earn for the next 10 years, we could make another Arcadia record.’”
The B-side of the single
A Legacy That Lingers: Arcadia’s Lasting Impact
Though Arcadia was a brief chapter in Duran Duran’s history, its music has aged gracefully, gaining a reputation for its sophistication and unique artistry. In hindsight, Rhodes described So Red the Rose as “a selfish, indulgent album that took too long to make. We were trying different things. It was too delicate to be a Duran album. There was some stuff that Simon and I had to get out of our systems. We also wanted a chance to work with some other musicians. We never went on tour. When we started Arcadia, all we wanted to do was an album.”
The dub “Cryptic Cut”
Following their massive success in the early 1980s, Duran Duran found themselves with a generous recording budget and complete artistic freedom, thanks to their EMI contract. This combination proved to be a double-edged sword. In an era when it was common for bands to retreat to pricey studios for extended periods, often without a clear plan, this freedom allowed Arcadia to indulge in creative experimentation. Le Bon and Rhodes would later refer to Arcadia’s So Red the Rose as “pretentious”—a half-joking admission, but not entirely unfounded. The album, released in November 1985, was undeniably atmospheric and elusive, crafted more to satisfy the artistic impulses of its creators than to guarantee mainstream appeal. While some fans embraced its ethereal quality, the broader audience only followed so far.
The decision to embark on two side projects during such a pivotal moment in their career proved risky, even self-sabotaging. By the time Duran Duran reunited in 1986, musical trends had shifted, and the momentum they once had was gone. They would never again recapture the peaks of their early '80s stardom. Reflecting on this period, Nick Rhodes later admitted that the two side projects were a form of "commercial suicide," adding with a touch of irony that it was something they had always been good at.
Call to Action: Share Your Memories!
So, what about you? Do you remember the first time you heard Election Day? Which side project did you prefer—Arcadia or The Power Station? I’d love to hear your memories and thoughts.
Further reading (or should I say watching)
There are a number of interesting video’s/links :
So You Wanna Hear More ?
I thought you would !
It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.
Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.
So what’s in this week’s mix ?
1985 is a peculiar year for dance music. We are beyond the peak of new-pop and synth-pop. House wasn’t yet on the horizon and Freestyle only just started. A lot of the dance hits of the year were dance remixes of pop songs. You had some synth funk from the US and Italo disco.
This week’s mix captures the essence of that era, featuring a mix of dance and Europop tracks, and finishing with some standout examples of Italo disco.
Enjoy !
Next week, we tell the story of a Canadian disco queen that was destined for a major career, except it never materialized. Join me to find out why not.
Andy Taylor also worked with Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) on his album Thunder. I was there at the Record Plant while they were recording it and John Taylor popped by for a visit.
I completely forgot about Arcadia, so thank you—I feel like my ears have aged enough to hear it better than when I was 11 years old and wanting more of Andy Taylor's guitar. Over the past few years I've gone back to revisit just why I loved Duran Duran so much in their early years, while trying to convince friends who think I'm joking why they might too. I'm going to sit down with Arcadia on the headphones, maybe I can add that arrow to my quiver.