Duran Duran finally discovered the secret behind the model who inspired the ‘Rio’ album cover.
The band reposted Patrick Nagel’s post on Instagram with their album cover and wrote in the caption:
“Patrick Nagel fans today we publicly reveal Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ May 1982 album cover image source from Vogue Paris, February 1981. This was a multi-page editorial for Angelo Tarlazzi. The Model is Marcie Hunt & Thank you Sarah Bastos for identifying her.”
Other Details Shared By The Band
They shared who confirmed the tear sheet used by Nagel for the album cover:
“Barry Hahn, Patrick Nagel’s technical art assistant, confirmed this indeed was the tear sheet used by Nagel. His reply: ‘Great Catch!’ Indeed it is… Would you have put it together just flipping through magazines? I certainly would have missed it and it appears it has been missed for 42 years!”
The group lastly added:
“We suspect the model and maybe the band Duran Duran had no idea Nagel was influenced and used this image to create the cover of their musical masterpiece, ‘Rio.’ He certainly changed many things, most specifically removing her glasses, but he obviously loved her smile. And that smile has been an iconic piece of Duran Duran history for decades.”
Patrick Nagel left a comment under their post, writing:
“Thank you, Duran Duran. I love you so much!”
What Did Fans Say About The Revelation?
In the comments, many fans also thanked Duran Duran for sharing it. One person wrote:
“Holy cow that’s so cool! Thank you for sharing it with us. Love it.”
The model was a secret to many for years as another fan said:
“How cool!!! I’ve wondered who she was since my freshman year of high school.”
Some others were surprised that the album cover was inspired by a real person:
“No way! I never knew that it was based on a real person. How cool!”
‘Rio,’ released in 1982, is Duran Duran’s second studio album. The cover of the record doesn’t feature the band themselves, which was unusual for them at the time. Instead, it shows a portrait of a woman with bold makeup, a big smile, and black hair.
You can see the band’s post below.
