The Wild Boys (song)

1984 song by Duran Duran

Pop

The idea for the song came from longtime Duran Duran video director Russell Mulcahy, who wanted to make a full length feature film based on the surreal and sexual 1971 novel The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead by William S. Burroughs. He suggested that the band might create a modern soundtrack for the film in the same way that Queen would later provide a rock soundtrack for Mulcahy's 1986 film Highlander. Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon began writing some lyrics based on Mulcahy's quick synopsis of the book, and the band created a harsh sounding instrumental backdrop for them, taking inspiration from the groove of the hit single Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The single was issued with six separate collectible covers – one featuring each individual band member and one of the band collectively.

Cash Box called the song "a rolling pop tune with a tribal intensity". Billboard suggested that it sounds like "'Reflex' revisited."

The music video for "The Wild Boys" was directed by Russell Mulcahy. The cost totalled over one million pounds, a staggering sum for music videos at the time, as his design filled one entire end of the "007 Stage" at Pinewood Studios with a metal pyramid and a windmill over a deep enclosed pool, and called for a lifelike robotic face, dozens of elaborate costumes, prosthetics, and make up effects, and then cutting edge computer graphics. The choreography of dance routines was undertaken by Arlene Phillips, including intricate stunts and fire effects added to the cost. Mulcahy meant the video to be a teaser for his full length Burroughs film, demonstrating his vision to the movie studios he was wooing, but that project was never made. The video featured all of the band members imprisoned and in peril, wearing uncharacteristically rough and ragged outfits similar to the pieced together clothing of the film Mad Max 2 (1981). John Taylor was strapped to the roof of a car suffering a psycho torture with pictures of his childhood and early past; Nick Rhodes was caged with a pile of computer equipment; Roger Taylor was put in a hot air balloon that was dangling from the ceiling, leaving him high off the ground; Andy Taylor was bound (guitar and all) to a ship's figurehead; and Simon Le Bon was strapped to a blade of the windmill, his head covered in water as the blade passed through the pool. "The Wild Boys" was named British Video of the Year at the 1985 Brit Awards.

English Irish boy band Phixx released their version in 2004 which peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.