Celebrating his 60th birthday, Simon Le Bon still seems ageless. With Duran Duran and then Arcadia and through to his solo work, he will forever remain a heartthrob synonymous with 80s synthpop.
Let's take a quick look at some of his career highlights...
Duran Duran
Chart-toppers and icons of new wave and synth pop as well as being pioneers of the New Romantic movement, they dominated the 80s with massive global hits "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Rio" and "Save A Prayer". Legend has it, Simon turned up for the audition in 1980 wearing pink leopard-print trousers and carrying a notebook containing a large collection of poems he had written, many of which would later become tracks on early Duran Duran albums.
Having released 14 studio albums between 1981 and 2015 their longevity is a testament to Simon's vocal and songwriting ability along with other long-time members Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor.
A View To Kill
Duran Duran regrouped in 1985 to contribute "A View to a Kill" for the James Bond movie of the same name. This single was the first Bond theme to go to #1 on the US charts, and was at the time the joint highest-placed Bond theme on the UK chart where it reached #2. It was the last single the band recorded as the original five-piece for close to twenty years.
Ordinary World with Pavarotti
With Duran Duran having been out of headlines for several years, the only way back was to write a song "so amazing that absolutely nobody could ignore it, which is exactly what they did with “Ordinary World.”" - Rolling Stone Mag. The song topped the charts in 1993 and Simon was invited to perform at a Pavarotti & Friends benefit concert to aid the children of war-torn Bosnia where they performed the song, taking it to new heights.
Ivor Novello Awards
Simon Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. This is one of the highest honours amongst songwriters.
Arcadia
It was kind of a Duran Duran Mk2 with Simon, Nick and Roger who had a Top 10 hit in 1986 with "Election Day" off their only album under that guise.
Solo work
Le Bon's solo career has included writing songs for film and TV soundtracks, collaborating with a wide mix of artists including Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) and current pop producer Mark Ronson, and co-writing for a Japanese online Manga project.
But, now that we have all buzzed up on Duran Duran, get stuck into this Spotify playlist...
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