"Notorious" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Notorious | ||||
B-side | "Winter Marches On" | |||
Released | 20 October 1986 [1] | |||
Recorded | June–September 1986 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Notorious" on YouTube | ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
![]() The Latin Rascals official remix cover |
"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.
It was the first single released by Duran Duran as a trio as Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor had both left the band by the time it was released. "Notorious" was a commercial success worldwide,reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100,and the top ten in many other countries.
"Notorious" marked the debut of the new three-piece trio of Duran Duran,as drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor had left the band by the time the single was released. The band had enlisted the help of Nile Rodgers of Chic fame to help produce the album. The single showcased a new sound for Duran Duran reaching for light funk,heavy on bass and brass sections.
Rodgers played guitar on the song,in addition to drummer Steve Ferrone and the Borneo Horns. In a 2011 interview,lead singer Simon Le Bon said of the song's distinctive riff,"I remember him playing some notes up the neck of his guitar and it was a riff. That was the first time that any of us had ever heard it. We just said,'Man,we've got to have that.'" [3] The abrupt nature of Andy Taylor's departure was reflected in the song;according to Le Bon,the lyric "Who really gives a damn for a flaky bandit" was a diss at the guitarist.[ citation needed ]
In a contemporary review, Billboard praised the song's production calling it "Anglo-funk,sharp,tidy,made for dancing." [4]
Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic said,"The lyrics are as wordplay-driven as most Duran Duran hits usually were but show hints of a defensive posture towards gossip-mongers and the group's nay-saying critics via lines like "Fools run rings to break up something they'll never destroy" and "Spare your seedy judgments/Who says they're part of our lives?" Overall,these lyrics create an urban feel that bleeds over to the music,which intercuts staccato verses with a bright,soulfully up-tempo feel with a chorus that suffuses its singalong hooks with a jazzy sense of swing." [5]
"Notorious" was a massive commercial success internationally. It debuted at number 14 and peaked the following week at number 7 in the UK Singles Chart,and also performed very well in the US,reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also a success in other countries reaching the top 10 in Sweden,Norway,Spain,Switzerland,Belgium,New Zealand,the Netherlands and did even better particularly in Italy,where it went to number 1 for 4 consecutive weeks,becoming one of the best-selling singles of 1986 in the country.
The music video for "Notorious" was shot at a warehouse in Manhattan by directors Peter Kagan and Paula Greif and was released on October 23,1986,weeks before the album which saw heavy rotation on MTV. [6] The video was shot in black and white Super-8 with a hand-held camera,with quick cuts and changes of zoom and focus featuring the three-piece band and Nile Rodgers performing the song on a sound stage,with scantily clad dancers in the background choreographed by Paula Abdul. [7]
The video bore an uncanny resemblance to the videos the duo had filmed for Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" and Scritti Politti's "Perfect Way". The young model Christy Turlington appeared in outdoor scenes with the band,with a still photo from this location being used as the cover for the Notorious album.
For the first time,the B-side to the 7″single was not an original recording;"Winter Marches On" was an unaltered version of the Notorious album track. Before this,Duran Duran had always provided either completely original songs or previously unheard remixes on the B-side.
As a first for the band,"Notorious" was released as two separate 12″singles. The first had a Nile Rodgers-produced extended mix while the second featured a remix by the Latin Rascals.
There are 3 official mixes of "Notorious":
As a perennially popular song in their back catalogue,"Notorious" appears in various Duran Duran megamixes,most notably "Notoriousaurus Rex (Master Mix)","Burning the Ground" and its B-side,"Decadance".
Duran Duran
Additional musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 20 October 1986 |
| EMI | [1] |
United States | 27 October 1986 | Capitol | [6] |
Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide.
"Come Undone" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in March 1993 by Parlophone and Capitol as the second single from their seventh studio album, Duran Duran (1993). With their commercial and critical success reestablished by the previous single "Ordinary World", "Come Undone" continued to showcase more of the band's entry into the adult contemporary radio format.
Notorious is the fourth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 24 November 1986 by EMI Records. Produced by the band with Nile Rodgers, its musical style differed from the band's previous albums with a funk rock sound. It is the first album to feature the band as a trio with singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, as drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor both left by the time the album was released. Andy Taylor would later be replaced by former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, who completed recording parts of the album in addition to Rodgers and session drummer Steve Ferrone.
"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic, released in June 1979 by Atlantic Records as the first single from their third album, Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and has become one of the most sampled songs in music history, most notably in hip hop music. Originally released with "A Warm Summer Night" on the B-side, it was reissued in 2004 with "I Want Your Love" on the B-side, a version which was certified Silver in the UK.
"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.
The Singles 1986–1995 is a box set by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. Comprising 14 CDs, it was released on 13 September 2004 by EMI and features the singles covering the era from Notorious (1986) to Thank You (1995).
"Le Freak" is a 1978 funk-disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first Billboard Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks "I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number one on the disco charts for seven weeks. The single achieved sales of 7 million and also scored number seven in the UK Singles Chart.
Decade is a greatest hits album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 13 November 1989.
KooKoo is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album was recorded whilst Harry took a break from her band Blondie. It was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 25 on the US Billboard 200 and number six on the UK Albums Chart.
"(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Astronaut (2004) and their 31st single overall. It was the first single since "A View to a Kill" in 1985 to feature all five of the original members of the band. The song was sent to US radio on 30 August 2004 and was issued physically over the following few months.
"Too Much Information" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in August 1993 by Parlophone and Capitol as the third single from their seventh studio album, Duran Duran (1993). In the United Kingdom, it became the band's third top-40 single from the album, while in North America, it peaked at numbers 45 and 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and number 26 in Canada. The accompanying music video for "Too Much Information" was filmed by British director Julien Temple in Santa Monica on 27 August and featured the elaborate stage setup designed for the band's 1993 Dilate Your Mind tour.
"Change of Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on November 11, 1986 as the second single from her second album, True Colors (1986). It went gold in the US, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by singer-songwriter Essra Mohawk. Popular remixes by Shep Pettibone were also released. A music video was produced for the song, filmed in Trafalgar Square in London. It features Lauper and her tour band performing the song in front of a large group of people. The Bangles sang background vocals on the original recording. A live version of the song was released on Lauper's live album/DVD, To Memphis, with Love.
"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 22 October 1984 in the United Kingdom.
"A View to a Kill" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 7 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the James Bond film of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It is the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart while stuck behind Paul Hardcastle's "19". The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001 and was also performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split.
"Meet El Presidente" is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 13 April 1987 as the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Notorious (1986). It reached number 24 in the UK Singles Chart and stalled at number 70 in the Billboard Hot 100.
"He's the Greatest Dancer" is a 1979 song by the American vocal group Sister Sledge. Released on February 3, 1979, the song was written and composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and recorded for the group's successful 1979 album We Are Family. Billboard named the song No. 66 on its list of "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time."
"The Flame" is the fourth single released by the Duran Duran offshoot band, Arcadia. It was released by Parlophone in 1986 and was the group's third UK single. It reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart.
Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 20 September 1985 by Arista Records. It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard 200.
"King For A Day" is a 1985 song by the British band the Thompson Twins. It was released as the third single from the band's fifth album Here's to Future Days.
Paper Gods is the fourteenth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 11 September 2015 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Mr Hudson and Joshua Blair, who had worked with the band on All You Need Is Now (2010) and A Diamond in the Mind: Live 2011 (2012); Nile Rodgers, who had previously first worked on the band's "The Reflex", his remixed version reaching number one, "The Wild Boys" single and Notorious album; and Mark Ronson, who produced All You Need Is Now. The first single, "Pressure Off", features vocals from American singer Janelle Monáe. The album was supported by the Paper Gods on Tour.