My ten favorite Duran Duran songs, and their Taylor level

I realize that my cousin will probably disown me when I admit this, but I cannot tell one Taylor from another. If you were to ask me to name the current and former members of Duran Duran, I would respond as follows:

• Simon LeBon


• Nick Rhodes (on a good day; sometimes I'd say "the other guy")


• Warren Cuccurullo (kinda young kinda wow)


• All the Taylors

Now, while my cousin can tell one Taylor apart from another (she was photographed with one of them), I'm forced to admit that if Jackie Taylor, Marlon Taylor, and Randy Taylor walked up to me on the street, I couldn't tell them apart or tell you what instrument they played.

Now, of course, you know that the Taylors' names aren't Jackie, Marlon, or Randy. They are actually Alan, Wayne, and Jay.

No, actually their names are John, Roger, and Andy. Duran Duran's official website records the entries and exits of the various Taylors, to wit:

• John (guitar), along with Nick Rhodes, founded Duran Duran around 1978.


• Roger (drums) joined in 1979. John had switched from guitar to bass by this time.


• The last Taylor, Andy (guitar), joined in 1980, around the same time that Simon LeBon became the vocalist, thus setting the stage for the "classic" lineup of Duran Duran.


• In 1984-1985 the Taylors split off on separate side projects, with John and Andy joining the Power Station while Roger joined Arcadia.


• By the end of 1985 two Taylors, Roger and Andy, leave Duran Duran.


• In 1995 Roger joins Duran Duran for one song, but not permanently.


• In 1996 John leaves Duran Duran, leaving the band Taylor-less for the first time ever.


• The Taylor-less nature of the band is short-lived, as all three Taylors rejoin Duran Duran in 2001.


• Andy then left for a second time in 2006.

So it is possible to measure the Taylor level for any Duran Duran song. I've listed my ten favorite Duran Duran songs below, followed by their Taylor levels.

• "Hold Back the Rain," 3 Taylors


• "The Chauffeur," 3 Taylors


• "Is There Something I Should Know?" 3 Taylors


• "The Wild Boys," 3 Taylors


• "A View to a Kill," 3 Taylors


• "American Science," 1 Taylor


• "Winter Marches On," 1 Taylor


• "Ordinary World," 1 Taylor


• "Thank You," 1 Taylor


• "Electric Barbarella," 0 Taylors

However, there are truly not enough data points to draw any conclusions regarding my like of a song in comparison to its Taylor quotient. As it turns out, I am most familiar with the "Rio" (3) and "Notorious" (1) albums, but the exuberance of the former and the world-weariness of the latter is not directly related to the Taylor level.

(Picture source, license)