Duran Duran "Hungry Like The Wolf"

[A Thug Named Slickback]

When I think of classic 1980s pop songs, this one is always near the top of my list. It sounds fresh every time I listen to it. Either this, "The Reflex" or "Ordinary World" is my favorite Duran Duran tune.

Though they'd had a few hits in their native UK by the time this one was released, this was the single that broke them in the USA. It reached #5 in the UK and #3 in the US. Pretty shocking that this topped the US Mainstream Rock charts, too. I guess the line between pop and rock was much blurrier back then.

The video is also pretty cool. Really elaborate for 1982. Come to think of it: Duran Duran actually has a pretty good track record with their videos.

[Nick]

Love them, but this is their most played out single. LOL.

It's still a classic though.

[MikeCheck12]

"The Reflex" will always be my favorite old-school Duran Duran classic. But, I do like this one, too.

[DaveZ35]

"Hungry Like The Wolf" and "The Reflex" are two of my favorite Duran Duran songs. My sister was completely obsessed with this group back in the early/mid 80s. They truly had some of the greatest pop songs of that decade. The video for HLTF (my personal favorite from them) set the standard for other videos on MTV.

[mst3k]

Good song, although it's disappointing that the mix that appears on both of Duran Duran's greatest hits albums edits the bridge (poorly).

[620 Soul Train]

This is boring to me, I have the GH CD and I usually skip this one, man. Never could get into it as much as I wanted to for they are an awesome band, one of the best British exports!

[BillboardBoy]

Pretty good.

[joker]

cuidado said:

When I think of classic 1980s pop songs, this one is always near the top of my list. It sounds fresh every time I listen to it. Either this, "The Reflex" or "Ordinary World" is my favorite Duran Duran tune.

Good summary. Even my three favorites are the same.

[tico]

Good song, but not as good as some of their other songs, like "Say A Prayer", "Union Of the Snake" and "New Moon On Monday".

[areyoureadytojump]

[WotUNeed]

As others have said, it's a good one but they did even better.

[Hervard]

mst3k1 said:

Good song, although it's disappointing that the mix that appears on both of Duran Duran's greatest hits albums edits the bridge (poorly).

Is that the one where there's only one whisper of "Hungry like the wolf!" instead of three?

[unicorns]

I like this.

They're cute in the video.

[maine]

Classic. I've always loved this.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

May 24, 2006 19:56:50 GMT -5 Nick said:

Love them, but this is their most played out single. LOL.

It's still a classic though.

Agreed.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

May 25, 2006 9:46:36 GMT -5 MikeCheck12 said:

"The Reflex" will always be my favorite old-school Duran Duran classic. But, I do like this one, too.

Same. I love The Reflex.

[gonecountry]

Overplayed. They have better

[♛ The Manticore ☯]

Reminds me of the TV show Psych. There was a scene using this song.

[disman00911]

Duran Duran's best song.  As a youngster, I first heard it on B96 during their weekly morning flashback hour where they would play songs from the late 70s to the early 90s (mainly disco/R&B/synthpop/dance/rap tracks as they were a rhythmic station back then).  Later heard it on Hot AC 101.9 the Mix's "80s at 8" hour and is a staple on many 80s-based radio stations (either on FM radio or on the internet).  Despite the overplay it would get, I still like this one.

[areyoureadytojump]

Released 40 years ago today on May 4, 1982!

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

#196 on Billboard's 500 Greatest Pop Songs

You Know What It Is: The action-packed smash that broke Duran Duran as global superstars, and as epochal a new wave single as there is.

Who Put the Bomp: Shout out to Nick Rhodes’ then-girlfriend — identified by the group’s keyboardist in a 2001 blog post only as “Cheryl” — for providing both the iconic giggle that kicks off the song and the moans over the outro that help see it out.

Living on Video: Of course the Russell Mulcahy-helmed clip for the song played a massive part in breaking “Hungry Like the Wolf” (and Duran Duran), casting the band in a post-Indiana Jones Sri Lankan adventure. The cultural sensitivity of its largely imperialistic perspective would certainly be called into question if released now, but for better or worse, nearly every shot of it made a permanent imprint on MTV viewers of the time.