Duran Duran – “Friends of Mine”:
Sarcasm, Synths, and Subversion
This track is tucked away on the back half of their 1981 self-titled debut album, and it’s a snarling, high-energy cut that perfectly blends punk attitude with that new wave polish. Even though it was never released as a single, it’s become a cult favorite—a real live staple and a lyrical puzzle that just gets better the more you listen.
A Song with Teeth
Written by all five original members and produced by Colin Thurston, the song kicks off with Nick Rhodes’s ominous synth drones before exploding into a propulsive groove. Simon Le Bon delivers the lyrics with this sneering urgency, calling out fake friends and dropping names like Georgie Davies and Rocky Picture.
Now, Georgie Davies is a nod to George Davis, a London criminal whose 1970s conviction sparked a huge “George Davis is Innocent” protest. The line “Georgie Davies is coming out” refers to his release—and maybe hints at the disappointment when he got convicted again later.
Rocky Picture is a playful twist on The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with the lyric “Rocky Picture has lost his gun” possibly suggesting a loss of power or identity.
And that chorus—”No more heroes, we twist and shout“—it’s both a punk-era lament and a clever jab at cultural icons who’ve fallen from grace.
Cold War Shadows and Industry Cynicism
People have had different takes on what the song’s really about. Some see it as a Cold War allegory, with lines like “Why don’t they drop the bomb?” reflecting that nuclear anxiety of the time. Others read it as a sharp critique of the music industry and those superficial relationships you find there—”friends” who just waste your time and drain your energy.
Either way you slice it, the song’s sarcasm is razor-sharp, and its energy is absolutely undeniable.
Live Favorite and Enduring Edge
“Friends of Mine” was a regular in the band’s early tours and has stayed in their live rotation for decades. There’s a cool BBC session version that aired in early 1981, and a demo from December 1980 was later released on the Special Editions reissue. Even though it never made it onto compilations like Decade or Greatest, longtime fans totally adore it for its raw energy and bite.
It’s Duran Duran at their most confrontational—a perfect reminder that beneath all the glamour, they always had that underlying grit.