Her name is Rio, and she definitely made this victory happen. Duran Duran has won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame “fan vote†for the 2022 class, with the New Wave hotties tallying just under 1 million votes since the process began in January. Joining the band for the remaining “fan vote†spots are Eminem, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Dolly Parton, who came in second, third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively. (Fela Kuti came in last place.) These five acts will comprise a “fan vote†ballot that will be counted with equal significance as the regular Rock Hall nominating-committee voters’. It’s also important to note that this ballot is unweighted; fifth-place Parton has just as much power on the “fan vote†as first-place Duran Duran, which she’s actually now pleased about.
Now, if you’re a Duranie who made your way onto our unhinged pop-culture website, we know what you’re thinking: Does this mean my gorgeous boys with their gorgeous hair are guaranteed to get into the Hall this year? We regret to inform you that it does not — so sorry — but if history were to repeat itself, the chances are strongly in Duran Duran’s favor for induction. Let’s take a look at the past “fan vote†winners since the category’s inception:
2013: Rush (Writer’s note: HELL YEAH!!!!)
2014: Kiss
2015: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
2016: Chicago
2017: Journey
2018: Bon Jovi
2019: Def Leppard (Additional writer’s note: VERY COOL!!!!!)
2020: Dave Matthews Band (One more writer’s note: No comment.)
2021: Tina Turner
Every single year, except for the great Jam Band Debacle of 2020, has resulted in the “fan vote†champion getting inducted into the Rock Hall. We crunched the math into a calculator, and that’s a respectable 88 percent! Until then, the Hall is expected to announce its 2022 class by mid-May.