"Save A Prayer"
Single by Duran Duran
from the album 'Rio'
B-side(s)	"Hold Back the Rain"
Released	August 9, 1982
Recorded	AIR Studios, London 1982
Genre	Dance, New Wave
Length	mm:ss
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	Duran Duran
Producer(s)	Colin Thurston
Chart positions
#2 UK Singles Chart
Duran Duran singles chronology
Hungry Like the Wolf (1982)	Save A Prayer (1982)	Rio (1982)

Save A Prayer was a 1982 hit single for Duran Duran. It was their 6th single, and the third from the platinum album Rio. The soft, seductive ballad reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart, being held off the top spot by Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". Image File history File links Save_A_Prayer. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... Rio is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music), but re-released in November in the United States. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Dance music is a style of popular music commonly played in dance music nightclubs, radio stations and shows and raves. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The EMI Group is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... Hungry Like the Wolf was the breakout hit for the new wave group Duran Duran. ... Rio is a hit single from the album Rio by Duran Duran, and one of their most recognizable songs and music videos. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold to retail and other ancillary markets. ... Rio is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music), but re-released in November in the United States. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Eye of the Tiger is a song performed by the American rock group Survivor. ...

The song was not released as a single in the United States (although the video was very popular on MTV), but a live version released from the Arena reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network headquartered in New York City. ... Arena is a live album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1984 (see 1984 in music), and reissued with two bonus tracks in 2004, (see 2004 in music). ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Studio version

About the song

Donald A. Guarisco at All Music Guide^[1] said: The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ...

Dance-friendly items like "Rio" and "Hungry Like The Wolf" gave Duran Duran their chart breakthrough in the U.S. but they were also capable of making lush ballads guaranteed to make their fan base swoon. One of the finest, perhaps the finest, was "Save a Prayer," a lilting epic from Rio that has a special place in the heart of every Duran Duran fanatic. The lyrics revolve around a chance meeting between two people that flares into a love affair but ends all too soon: "Some people call it a one night stand/But we can call it paradise/Don't say a prayer for me now/Save it 'til the morning after." The music maintains the stormily romantic quality of the lyric by combining meditative verses with an aching chorus that swells and ebbs in a way that perfectly captures the song's heartbreak. Duran Duran's recording places an emphasis on Nick Rhodes' swirling, minimalist synth lines and Simon LeBon's pained vocals as the rhythm section holds down a steady but subdued beat, with Andy Taylor adding a few searing bursts of electric guitar during the chorus. The result was a stylish mood-piece that became a number two hit in the UK and earned plenty of airplay on MTV with a glossy video that featured the band jet-setting around the atmospheric locale of Sri Lanka.

According to Le Bon, the song's chorus structure is based on Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" and the lyrics as being contrary to the then-popular New Romantic movement by being "realistic, and not romantic" and "for seeing things as they really are." He sums up Save A Prayer as "It's definitely a freedom song but like a kinda nobody owns anybody kinda song." Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Lightfoot in 1975, on the cover of Gords Gold Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. ... New Romantic was a New Wave music genre and fashion movement that occurred primarily in England during the early 1980s. ...

Music video

The video was filmed by director Russell Mulcahy among the jungles, beaches, and temples of Sri Lanka in April, 1982. Scenes were filmed atop the rock fortress of Sigiriya, and among the ruins of a Buddhist temple at Polonnaruwa. Russell Mulcahy (born January 1, 1953) is a film director, born in Melbourne, Australia. ... Sigiriya is an archeological site in North Central Sri Lanka. ... The second most ancient of Sri Lankas kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. ...

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

The UK release of "Save A Prayer" was backed with a remix of "Hold Back the Rain". In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... A remix is an alternate version of a song, different from the original version. ...

Covers, samples, & media references

The song has been covered by Tony Hadley, Shut Up & Dance, Eve's Plum, Polyanna, Oliver Haze, 56K featuring Beejay, and the Push Kings. Tony Hadley (born 2 June 1960) is a British pop singer who fronted the 1980s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. ... Eves Plum was a rock band that originated in 1991. ...

Chart positions

"Save a Prayer" was released in the UK on 9 August, 1982, and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart on 11 September. This version was not released in the United States The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ...

Live version

"Save A Prayer (live)"
Single by Duran Duran
from the album 'Arena'
B-side(s)	"Save A Prayer"
Released	January 1985
Recorded	"around the world", 1984
Genre	Dance, New Wave
Length	mm:ss
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	Duran Duran
Chart positions
#16 Billboard Hot 100
Duran Duran singles chronology
The Wild Boys (1984)	Save A Prayer (live) (1985)	A View to a Kill (1985)

"Save a Prayer (live)" was released as a single from the live album Arena in the United States in February of 1985, backed with the original UK single version of "Save A Prayer". It peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. on 2 February. Image File history File links Nocover. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... Arena is a live album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1984 (see 1984 in music), and reissued with two bonus tracks in 2004, (see 2004 in music). ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Dance music is a style of popular music commonly played in dance music nightclubs, radio stations and shows and raves. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The EMI Group is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... The Wild Boys is the twelfth single from the band Duran Duran, released on the live album Arena in October of 1984. ... A View to a Kill is a single recorded by Duran Duran, released in May 1985. ... Arena is a live album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1984 (see 1984 in music), and reissued with two bonus tracks in 2004, (see 2004 in music). ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

The release was accompanied by a new live video, drawn from footage shot in 1984 for the concert film Arena. Arena (An Absurd Notion) is a concept concert video filmed during the course of Duran Durans 1984 Sing Blue Silver North American Tour. ...

Track listing

Other appearances

• 1984 Arena
• 1987 The Secret Policeman's Third Ball
• 1989 Decade: Greatest Hits
• 1993 "Ordinary World" single
• 1998 Greatest
• 1999 Now That's What I Call Music!: 1982
• 2001 Rio (reissue)
• 2003 Singles Box Set 1981-1985
• 2004 Singles Box Set 1986-1995
• 2005 Live from London

Arena is a live album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1984 (see 1984 in music), and reissued with two bonus tracks in 2004, (see 2004 in music). ... Ordinary World is the 23rd single by Duran Duran. ... Greatness is a vague concept that is heavily dependent on a persons perspective and biases. ... Now Thats What I Call Music! (often shortened to Now!) is a long-running series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom by Polygram/EMI/Virgin Records; spinoff series were later started in the United States and elsewhere. ... Rio is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music), but re-released in November in the United States. ... Singles Box Set 1981-1985 is a boxset by Duran Duran. ... Singles Box Set 1981-1985 is a boxset by Duran Duran. ... Live From London is Bon Jovis first live concert video. ...

Personnel

Duran Duran are:

• Simon Le Bon - vocals
• Nick Rhodes - keyboards
• John Taylor - bass guitar
• Roger Taylor - drums
• Andy Taylor - guitar

Also credited: Simon John Charles Le Bon (born October 27, 1958) is the lead singer and lyricist of the pop band Duran Duran. ... Nick Rhodes in 1981. ... Taylors first solo recording was a hit single for the 9½ Weeks movie soundtrack. ... Roger Andrew Taylor (born April 26, 1960) is the drummer for the pop band Duran Duran. ... Taylor in 2001 Andy Taylor (born 16 February 1961) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station. ...

• Colin Thurston - producer and engineer

References

• Save A Prayer at BBC's Sold on Song
• VH1: Duran Duran videos - see a clip from the "Save A Prayer" video
• The Duran Duran Timeline: 1982
• The Duran Duran Timeline: 1985
• Save a Prayer music video