This week I’m featuring 80’s deep cuts on Mental Jukebox. They’re the non-charting singles. The forgotten b-sides. The unheralded album staples. While they may not be the first songs that come to mind when you think of the 80’s, they’re some of the most important musical statements of the decade.

Rio was full of radio-friendly songs that paired nicely with elaborate and exotic video shoots. But the very last track showed a darker, more mysterious side to the pop band. “The Chauffeur” put Duran Duran’s versatility on full display, with a moodier synth experiment from Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon on the ocarina. “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “My Own Way” and “Rio” grab you, but “The Chauffeur” grows on you.

“With a thought to stiffen brooding lies. And I'll only watch you leave me further behind.”