Hungry Like the Wolf

“Hungry Like the Wolf” is the fifth single from Birmingham band Duran Duran from their second studio album “Rio”, which was released in May 1982.

According to a 2003 interview the band did with the magazine, Duran Duran stated that the track was inspired by the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”, as well as the band’s keyboardist Nick Rhodes sonically experimenting with new sounds via 808 ang Jupiter 8 keyboards. According to the bands’ website, the track was created in a day, slowly improving and coming to together as each band member arrived for recording at the basement studios in EMI London’s headquarters. The track was finished that same evening. In an interview with Complex magazine in 2013, John Taylor (the bassist of Duran Duran), admitted that he “(doesn’t) really know” what the lyrics mean exactly, but that the song is most likely about “meeting girls”, as well as “wanting to have sex with someone”.

The music video for the track was directed by Russell Mulcahy (who had previously worked with the band on their “Planet Earth” video), who decided that the video should be shot in the jungle of Sri Lanka. It opens up with shots of the band in the streets of Sri Lanka, showing them in a restaurant. The band also flips over restaurant tables and running through markets. The band eventually makes their way into the jungle, searching for a lover. Andy Taylor (the lead guitarist) contracted a stomach virus from accidentally drinking lagoon water in the shoot, requiring hospitalization. However, Taylor described the video as “Indiana Jones is horny and wants to get laid”. The love interest painted as a tiger-like being is played by Bermudian model Sheila Ming. Since its upload to YouTube in July 2018, the video has over 2.8 million views and over 27,000 likes.

Release Date: 4th May 1982 (UK release) & 3rd December 1982 (US re-release)

Songwriter/s: Duran Duran

Producer/s: Colin Thurston

Label/s: EMI / Harvest

Music Video Release Date: 1983

Music Video Director: Russell Mulcahy

Chart Rankings, Certifications, Awards & Accolades: In its year of release, “Hungry Like the Wolf” reached #1 in Canada and the US Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, but also charted at #5 in Australia, #50 in the Netherlands, #4 in Ireland, #32 in Italy, #4 in New Zealand, #25 in Poland, #4 in South Africa, #5 in the UK Singles chart, and #3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as #26 in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The music video won a Grammy award in 1984 for “Best Short Form Music Video”, as well as “Hungry Like the Wolf” being the 15th most-played video on MTV at the time. In 2001, VH1 ranked it at #31 on their list of “100 Greatest Videos”.