Paper Gods

Paper Gods is the fourteenth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 11 September 2015 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Mr Hudson and Joshua Blair, who had worked with the band on All You Need Is Now (2010) and A Diamond in the Mind: Live 2011 (2012); Nile Rodgers, who had previously first worked on the band's "The Reflex", his remixed version reaching number one, "The Wild Boys" single and Notorious album, and Mark Ronson, who produced All You Need Is Now. The first single, "Pressure Off", features vocals from American singer Janelle Monáe.[13] The album was supported by the Paper Gods on Tour.

Paper Gods
Standard and deluxe edition cover[lower-alpha 1]
Studio album by
Duran Duran
Released11 September 2015
Studio
Genre
Length57:21
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Duran Duran chronology
All You Need Is Now
(2010)		 Paper Gods
(2015)		 Future Past
(2021)
Singles from Paper Gods
  1. "Pressure Off"
    Released: 19 June 2015
  2. "Last Night in the City"
    Released: 10 March 2017[1]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Billboard[4]
Consequence of SoundB−[5]
Drowned in Sound5/10[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[7]
The Guardian[8]
Magnet[9]
PopMatters8/10[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]

Release

The album cover, designed by artist Alex Israel, consists of his 2013 painting titled "Sky Backdrop",[14] that features icons that represent the band's history. This includes lips and the eye painted by artist Patrick Nagel for their Rio album;[15] also representing the Rio album is a chauffeur's cap alluding to that record's closing track "The Chauffeur"; a pink telephone, champagne glass and the saxophone representing the single "Rio"; a sumo wrestler representing their controversial video for "Girls on Film"; Duran Duran's teeth are shown to be from "The Wild Boys"; the Eiffel Tower is a reference to the title song from the film A View to a Kill; a rocket from the greatest hits album, Decade; a silhouette of a female representing the single "Skin Trade";[16] an image of a tiger and a snake nodding to their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger; a white shoe from the single cover and the music video of "Come Undone"; a stylized ice cream cone taken from their "Perfect Day" single.[13][17] The deluxe physical copy of the record comes with sixteen stickers of Duran Duran iconography to mirror the album cover.[18]

Promotion

The band announced a tour of the United States and the United Kingdom to coincide with the album's release.[19]

The lead single from the album, "Pressure Off", was released in the United States on 19 June, first via Microsoft's Xbox Music.[20] The song subsequently appeared on Google Music.[21]

Commercial performance

The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five, becoming the band's ninth top-five album overall and making them one of only a handful of bands who have scored top-five albums in four consecutive decades. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 10 and became their first top-10 album since Duran Duran (1993). In its second week, the album fell to number 76, and in its third and final week fell to number 194, though it re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 45 in January 2016. In Italy, the album peaked at number two.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon, with additional writers noted

Standard edition[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Paper Gods" (featuring Mr Hudson)Mr Hudson
7:04
2."Last Night in the City" (featuring Kiesza)
  • Kiesza
  • Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Hudson
  • Josh Blair
4:44
3."You Kill Me with Silence"Mr Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Hudson
4:26
4."Pressure Off" (featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers)
  • Duran Duran
  • Ronson
  • Rodgers
  • Hudson
  • Blair[a]
4:21
5."Face for Today"Dom Brown
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
3:52
6."Danceophobia"
  • Brown
  • Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
  • Hudson[b]
4:14
7."What Are the Chances?"
  • Brown
  • Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
  • Hudson[b]
4:55
8."Sunset Garage"Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Hudson
  • Blair
4:43
9."Change the Skyline" (featuring Jonas Bjerre)Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
  • Rodgers[b]
3:57
10."Butterfly Girl"Brown
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
3:15
11."Only in Dreams"
  • Rodgers
  • Ronson
  • Hudson
  • Duran Duran
  • Rodgers
  • Ronson
  • Hudson[b]
  • Blair[b]
6:05
12."The Universe Alone" 
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
5:48
Total length:57:40
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Planet Roaring"Brown
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
3:49
14."Valentine Stones" 
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
3:30
15."Northern Lights"Brown
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
5:13
Total length:69:54
Target-exclusive edition (bonus tracks)[24]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
13."On Evil Beach"
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
2:48
14."Cinderella Ride"
  • Duran Duran
  • Blair
3:56
Total length:63:05

Notes
  • ^[a] signifies lead vocal production
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the deluxe edition of Paper Gods.[25]

Duran Duran

Additional musicians
  • Mr Hudson – vocals (track 1)
  • David Emery – additional drum programming (track 1)
  • Kiesza – vocals (track 2)
  • Janelle Monáe – vocals (track 4)
  • Nile Rodgers – featured performer (track 4)
  • Davide Rossi – string arrangement and performance (tracks 4, 5, 7, 12, 15)
  • Josh Blair – string arrangement (tracks 5, 7, 12)
  • Lindsay Lohan – special guest vocals (track 6)
  • John Frusciante – guitars (tracks 7, 10, 12, 15)
  • Hollie Cook – additional vocals (track 8)
  • Jonas Bjerre – featured performer (track 9)
  • Dom Brown – guitars (tracks 10, 15)
  • Anna Ross – additional vocals (tracks 10, 13)
  • Voce Chamber Choir – additional voices (track 12)
  • London Youth Chamber Choir – additional voices (track 12)
  • Suzi Digby – conducting, artistic direction (track 12)
  • Toby Young – choir arrangement (track 12)
  • Steve Jones – guitars (track 13)

Technical
  • Duran Duran – production (all tracks)
  • Mr Hudson – production (tracks 1–4, 8); additional production (tracks 6, 7, 11)
  • Josh Blair – production (tracks 2, 5–10, 12–15); lead vocal production (track 4); additional production (track 11); mixing (tracks 14, 15); engineering (all tracks)
  • Mark Ronson – production (tracks 4, 11)
  • Nile Rodgers – production (tracks 4, 11); additional production (track 9)
  • Riccardo Damian – Pro Tools operator (tracks 4, 11)
  • Graham Russell – Janelle session engineering (track 4)
  • Ghian Wright – Janelle session engineering (track 4)
  • Jake Valentine – Janelle session engineering assistance (track 4)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing at Mixsuite and Battersea Park Studios (London)
  • Geoff Swan – mix engineering assistance
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City)
  • Wendy Laister – executive production

Artwork
  • Alex Israel – artwork, art direction
  • China Chow – creative direction, art direction
  • Brian Roettinger – art direction, logo
  • Nick Rhodes – photography

Charts

Notes
  1. On the Target-exclusive edition, the shades of blue in the background are replaced with additional shades of pink.
  2. Additional recording

References
  1. "Last Night in the City". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  2. "Reviews for Paper Gods By Duran Duran". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  4. Partridge, Kenneth (18 September 2015). "Duran Duran Party Like It's 1989 on Guest-Filled 'Paper Gods': Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  5. Sackllahon, David (4 September 2017). "Duran Duran - Paper Gods". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  6. Beardsworth, Luke (11 September 2015). "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  7. Anderson, Kyle (3 September 2015). "'Paper Gods' by Duran Duran: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  8. Simpson, Dave (10 September 2015). "Duran Duran: Paper Gods review – synth-pop survivors still bouncing". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  9. "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". Magnet. No. 124. p. 55.
  10. Gerard, Chris (14 September 2015). "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  11. "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". Q. October 2015. p. 109.
  12. Dolan, Jon (11 September 2015). "Duran Duran: Paper Gods". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  13. "Duran Duran Announce Title & Release Date of Upcoming New Album". DuranDuran.com. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  14. "Alex Israel | Sky Backdrop (2013)". Artsy. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  15. "Duran Duran - Rio at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  16. "Duran Duran Monthly Collector's Corner: September, 2015". DuranDuran.com. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  17. "Duran Duran – Perfect Day". Discogs. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  18. "Duran Duran – Paper Gods Deluxe Fan Edition CD". Warner Music Store. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  19. "Duran Duran US & UK Tour Pre-Sale/On Sale Information!". DuranDuran.com. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  20. "Duran Duran - Pressure Off at Xbox Music". Xbox Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  21. "Duran Duran: Pressure Off". Google Music. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
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  23. "Duran Duran: Paper Gods (Deluxe Edition)". Google Play. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  24. "Duran Duran: Paper Gods (Target Exclusive)". Target. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  25. Paper Gods (deluxe edition liner notes). Duran Duran. Warner Bros. Records. 2015. 9362-49251-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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