Produced by Colin Thurston, The band utilized more experimentation compared to their debut album, from vibraphone and marimba to the sound of a cigarette being lit and cracking ice cubes. Andy Hamilton played a saxophone solo on the title track "Rio". A new wave, synth-pop, pop rock and dance-rock album with musical elements such as disco and funk, Rio is mostly composed of fast, upbeat numbers, with some slower synthesizer-based ballads. 

Music videos were shot for six of Rio's nine tracks. Russell Mulcahy, who had directed the video for "Planet Earth", worked with Duran Duran on videos for "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save a Prayer" and "Lonely in Your Nightmare" in Sri Lanka, one for "Rio" in Antigua and one for "The Chauffeur" in London without the band's involvement; another video was commissioned for the single version of "My Own Way". Former film student Marcello Anciano acted as storyboard artist and art director for all the videos. John Taylor came up with the album's title in 1981 during the band's worldwide tour supporting their debut. Taylor, who had never left England before, was taken by the glamour and excitement of the road which included stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Paris and Berlin. While visiting Brazil, he was fascinated with the idea of exotica, stating in his memoir: "Rio [de Janeiro], to me, was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop."

TRACKLIST

Rio
My Own Way
Lonely In Your Nightmare
Hungry Like The Wolf
Hold Back The Rain

New Religion
Last Chance On The Stairway
Save A Prayer
The Chauffeur