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Cover of Duran Duran by Duran Duran
Cover: Duran Duran

Song · Duran Duran

“Girls on Film” by Duran Duran

From the album Duran Duran (1981)

“Girls on Film” by Duran Duran appears on 51 radio countdowns from 18 stations between 1981 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album Duran Duran. Its best result is #18 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #25 alternative song of 1981, #351 alternative song of all time and #202 of the '80s.

51countdowns
18stations
#18best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1981–2026years charted

Watch

Duran Duran - Girls On Film (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (DuranDuranVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Girls on Film" came off Duran Duran's self-titled 1981 album as the band's third single that July, following "Careless Memories", and it's the one that finally put the English five-piece into the UK top 10. It's a sleek, pulsing synth-pop strut with a rock band's muscle underneath and a chorus built for flashbulbs, glamorous and a little cheeky.

All five members share the writing credit, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor and Roger Taylor, and Colin Thurston produced and engineered it.

It peaked at number 5 in Britain that month and travelled well beyond it: Portugal sent it all the way to the top, New Zealand took it to 4 and Australia to 11.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1981 25 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 106
1982 34 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982 107

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 166 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 47 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 206 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 181 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 18 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 198 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 167 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 189 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 463 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 166 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 191 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 218 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 158 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 243 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 147 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 197 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 149 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 183 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 66 Channel 104.9 Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) 104
1999 268 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 216 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 807 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 205 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 1028 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 146 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 321 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 321 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 430 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2002 443 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1365 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 657 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 357 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 773 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 442 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 245 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 228 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 479 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 828 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 2003 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2021 286 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 340 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 265 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2024 398 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2026 237 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498

Also listed as: Girls On Film.

Charting alongside it in 1981

Best songs of 1981 →
  1. 1Start Me UpThe Rolling Stones
  2. 2Tom SawyerRush
  3. 3I Love Rock-N-RollJoan Jett
  4. 4Every Little Thing She Does Is MagicThe Police
  5. 5Jukebox HeroForeigner
  6. 6For Those About to RockAC/DC

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