1981 Rock Song, Whose Video Was Banned and Heavily Censored, Was Duran Duran’s First Top 10 Hit

“Girls on Film” was released by the English rock band Duran Duran in 1981. The song was their first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the No. 5 position. It also made it onto the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

The music video that accompanied the song was controversial. It was banned by the BBC and heavily censored when played on MTV. Beverley Downie, who was one of the women featured in the video, spoke to The Strange Brew about her experience filming the iconic footage.

“I didn’t really know of Duran Duran that well, but my younger sister was a big fan and very excited,” Downie explained. “It was a lovely experience, I was in it with one of my best friends at the time, Zoe Hendry. We met the band and the directors, Godley and Creme and the crew. Everyone was just lovely. I had no idea as to what I was going to do in the video. It just unfolded as the two days of shooting went on. First, we had a pillow fight on a greasy pole, then I was chosen as a massage therapist, then a girl drowning in a paddling pool, then we had a mud wrestle. It was a great experience.”

Downie also spoke about the video being banned and censored. “Shortly after the video, I saw an article, I think in the News of the World, ironically written by Paula Yates, saying how saucy or X-rated it was,” she explained. “Then it was banned from TV, of course. I suddenly thought, ‘Oh no, what have I done?’ But then it started to get a lot of notoriety, apparently it was the most popular in nightclubs, so I heard. I saw it. I thought it was really good, and I was proud to be a part of it.”

Related: 1964 Hit Song, Which Never Reached No. 1, Was Covered by Van Halen, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger

Duran Duran had many other hits over the years, including “Planet Earth,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer,” “Rio,” and “Ordinary World.” In 2022, the group was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Overall, they have sold over 100 million records.

The band is still together to this day, and they are still releasing new music.