This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2009) |
"Is There Something I Should Know?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Duran Duran | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released |
| |||
Recorded | December 1982 | |||
Studio | Good Earth (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Is There Something I Should Know?" on YouTube |
"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran,released on 14 March 1983.
The song was released as a stand-alone single and became the band's first UK number one record. It debuted in the number one position on the UK Singles Chart on 26 March 1983. [2] The single also had great success in America,where it was released in late May. The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 6 August 1983 and sold more than a million copies.
"Is There Something I Should Know?" was recorded at Tony Visconti’s Good Earth Studios in Soho,London with producer Ian Little,who was recommended to the group by Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera. [3] Eventually,the song would undergo several rounds of mixing due to a lack of compression on the drums as Little asserted:one mix was done at Good Earth,one at Eel Pie Studios,one at The Gallery and one at The Power Station in New York with Bob Clearmountain. [4] Keyboardist Nick Rhodes remembered being present most of the night during the mix with Clearmountain and leaving the next day thinking the band had something special on their hands. But upon reflection some days later,it was decided that despite being what they considered a "beautiful mix",it was a little too soft for the sound they were trying to achieve for the record. [5] So the final mix would be done with producer Alex Sadkin (who'd be brought in to produce the band's next album alongside Little, Seven and the Ragged Tiger ) and Phil Thornalley at RAK Studios,London,who replaced the drums with samples triggered via AMS delay units. [4] According to Nick Rhodes,the pulsing keyboard sound is from a Roland Jupiter-8 synth,while the Prophet-5 was used for a small melodic part. [6]
In its contemporary review of the song, Cash Box praised "the upbeat arrangement,clear production and lustrous vocals." [7] David Hepworth of Smash Hits just noticed that producer change lead to "more pronounced rock group sound" and expressed displeasure with impossibility to do something "with an overly-strained chorus." [8] In a retrospective review of the song,AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco wrote that the lyrics "deal with a difficult romantic relationship in rather obtuse terms." Guarisco highlighted what he described as "odd turns of phrase" in the lyrics,such as:"and fiery demons all dance when you walk through that door/Don't say you're easy on me 'cause you're about as easy as a nuclear war."
Although Guarisco questioned the lyrics,he praised the melody in the song. He wrote:"The melody of 'Is There Something I Should Know?' is one of Duran Duran's catchiest,matching twisty verse melodies full of ear-catching hooks with a harmonized chorus." [9]
The video for "Is There Something I Should Know?" featured colour clips of the band members,in blue shirts with tucked-in white ties,interspersed with surreal images in black-and-white. The video made a point of marking the transition between the first three albums,featuring clips from several earlier Duran Duran videos. This included "My Own Way"—presented on the Duran Duran video album but never released to MTV.
The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy,and was one of the most popular videos of 1983 on MTV. [10] The video is longer as there are verses that were edited out of the original 45 release,that subsequently made it to album,tape and CD. The DVD Greatest Hits has the long version video
When asked if there was anything about their videos they'd like to change,drummer Roger Taylor commented,"The only part of a video I would change is the end of 'Is There Something I Should Know?' where I am singing to the camera. I look very uncomfortable doing this and cringe every time I see it to this day." [11]
The B-side to "Is There Something I Should Know?" in the UK is the instrumental "Faith in This Colour". An "alternate slow mix" of "Faith in This Colour" was used on the 7" single,some pressings of which included brief unauthorized sound samples from the movie Star Wars —these were promptly withdrawn when copyright concerns were raised,although on the "alternate slow mix" from the singles box set,the scene,in which Obi-Wan leaves to disable the tractor beam,can clearly be heard in the last minute.
The mainly instrumental "Monster mix" of "Is There Something I Should Know?" was completed by producers Ian Little and Alex Sadkin and Phil Thornalley at RAK studio One.
In the US,the song "Careless Memories" was used as the B-side.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2018) |
The band Sugar Ray took elements from the video and featured them in a segment of the music video for their single "When It's Over".
Cover versions of the song have been recorded by the Mr. T Experience,Harvey Danger and Allstars,the last of which took the song back into the UK charts at #12 in September 2001 as a double-A-side with their own track "Things That Go Bump in the Night".
The second episode of the sixth season of the cartoon series The Venture Bros. ,entitled "Maybe No Go",follows Billy Quizboy and Pete White retrieving the rubber ball prop used in the music video from their archenemy,a collector of pop culture memorabillia.
The line "you're about as easy as a nuclear war" was the inspiration for the Duran Duran song "Yo Bad Azizi",included as a B-side to the "Serious" single released seven years later.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
As of October 2021 "Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eleventh most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK. [36]
Duran Duran
Technical
Duran Duran are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.
Rio is the second studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 10 May 1982 through EMI. Produced by Colin Thurston, the band wrote and demoed most of the material before recording the album at AIR Studios in London from January to March 1982. The band utilised 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 "Rio".
Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band, recording sessions took place in France, the Caribbean and Australia between April and October 1983 following Duran Duran's decision to record outside the UK as tax exiles. Unlike their previous two studio albums, the sessions were marred by a lack of productivity and tensions rose between the band members over its direction.
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 16 April 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983). The single became the band's first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to top the UK Singles Chart.
"Notorious" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986 as the first single from their fourth studio album of the same name. It showcased a new direction for Duran Duran with a funk rock sound.
"Skin Trade" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released in January 1987 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Notorious (1986). It showcased a drastic change from their previous singles, with R&B influences, brass solos and funk guitar riffs, in addition to a Prince-style falsetto from lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.
Singles Box Set 1981–1985 is a box set by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. Consisting of 13 CDs, it was released on 12 May 2003 by EMI and covers the era from Duran Duran (1981) to Arena (1984), as well as the non-studio album single "A View to a Kill" (1985).
Alex Sadkin was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer.
Phillip Carden Thornalley is an English songwriter, musician, and producer who has worked in the music industry since 1978. He produced the album Pornography by The Cure and was later their bass player. He began releasing his own music in 1988 and briefly joined the band Johnny Hates Jazz. In later years he worked principally as a songwriter, and is perhaps best known for co-writing the song "Torn" and for writing two UK number one hits for Pixie Lott. Starting in the 2010s he released more solo music under his own name and as Astral Drive.
"Save a Prayer" is a song by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982 as the third single from their second album Rio (1982). It became Duran Duran's biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number two. As of October 2021 "Save a Prayer" is the sixth most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.
"Planet Earth" is the debut single by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, Rio (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, and 8 June 1982 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Rio" is the seventh single by English rock band Duran Duran. It was first released as a single in Australia, in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982.
"Union of the Snake" is the ninth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 17 October 1983.
"Ordinary World" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in December 1992 by Parlophone, EMI and Capitol as the first single from their self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. The ballad, both written by the band and co-produced with John Jones, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Iceland and Sweden, and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Nick Egan and filmed in California.
"New Moon on Monday" is the tenth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 23 January 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"All She Wants Is" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 19 December 1988 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Big Thing (1988), and reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
"The Promise" is the third single released by the Duran Duran offshoot band Arcadia. It was released by Parlophone in 1986 as the group's second UK single. It peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Hold Me Now" is a 1983 song by British band the Thompson Twins. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alex Sadkin and the group's lead vocalist Tom Bailey. The song is a mid-tempo new wave song that uses a varied instrumentation, including keyboards, a xylophone, a piano and Latin percussion. It was released in November 1983 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Into the Gap.
"Looking for Clues" is a song by English musician Robert Palmer, released in 1980 as the second single from his sixth studio album Clues. Written and produced by Palmer, "Looking for Clues" reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 5 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)