Planet Earth

Recorded in late 1980 with Colin Thurston during the sessions for Duran Duran’s debut album, with work split between Red Bus Studios in London, Utopia Studio, and Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire. The single was mixed at Utopia Studio and finished with later overdubs during the January 1981 sessions. Released on February 2, 1981, it served as Duran Duran’s debut single and first UK chart entry, introducing the band’s sleek dance-rock sound to a wider audience. It reached No. 12 on the UK singles chart and helped establish the group at the start of the New Romantic era. The song remained a staple of the band’s live setlists and later received recognition as one of the great debut singles, including a Rolling Stone nod cited by the band. It also gained extra cultural reach through performances with The Killers and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way.