Notorious (Duran Duran song)

Last updated

"Notorious"
Notorious (single).jpg
Single by Duran Duran
from the album Notorious
B-side "Winter Marches On"
Released
  • 20 October 1986 (UK) [1]
  • 27 October 1986 (US) [2]
RecordedJune–September 1986
Studio Abbey Road Studios (London)
Genre
Length
  • 4:19 (album version)
  • 4:03 (7-inch version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Duran Duran singles chronology
"A View to a Kill"
(1985)		"Notorious"
(1986)		"Skin Trade"
(1987)
Music video
"Notorious" on YouTube

"Notorious" is the fourteenth single song by English rock band Duran Duran. Released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986, it was the first single from Duran Duran's fourth studio album of the same name and it showcased a new direction for Duran Duran with a funk rock sound.

Contents

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.

Background

"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.” [4] The abrupt nature of Andy Taylor's departure was reflected in the song as according to songwriter Simon Le Bon, the lyrics "Who really gives a damn for a flaky bandit" was a diss at the guitarist.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, Billboard praised the song's production calling it "Anglo-funk, sharp, tidy, made for dancing." [5]

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." [6]

Commerical performance

"Notorious" was a massive commercial success internationally. It debuted at number 14 and peaked the following week at number 7 in the UK Singles Charts, 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.

Music video

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. [7] 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. [8]

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.

B-side and official remixes

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:

Formats and track listings

7": EMI / DDN 45 United Kingdom

  1. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  2. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

12": EMI / 12 DDN 45 United Kingdom

  1. "Notorious" (extended mix) – 5:14
  2. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  3. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

12": EMI / 12 DDNX 45 United Kingdom

  1. "Notorious" (The Latin Rascals mix) – 6:23
  2. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  3. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

7": Capitol / B-5648 United States

  1. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  2. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

12": Capitol / V-15264 United States

  1. "Notorious" (extended mix) – 5:14
  2. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  3. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

12": Capitol / V-15266 United States

  1. "Notorious" (The Latin Rascals mix) – 6:23
  2. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  3. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25

CD: The Singles 1986–1995 box set

  1. "Notorious" (45 mix) – 3:58
  2. "Winter Marches On" – 3:25
  3. "Notorious" (extended mix) – 5:14
  4. "Notorious" (The Latin Rascals mix) – 6:23

Personnel

Duran Duran

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United KingdomOctober 20, 1986
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
EMI [29]
United StatesOctober 27, 1986
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
Capitol [30]

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.durancompilations.com/1986/76.jpg.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ https://www.durancompilations.com/1986/75.jpg.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ "Classic album revisited: Duran Duran's "Notorious"". 19 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Duran Duran: Their favorite collaborators". EW.com. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Reviews". Billboard. 1 November 1986. p. 71. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Notorious by Duran Duran - Track Info | AllMusic , retrieved 21 March 2024
  7. ↑ "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DURAN DURAN RELEASE NOTORIOUS SINGLE; ALBUM IN NOVEMBER; WORLD TOUR IN 1987". Capitol. 24 October 1986.
  8. ↑ "GIMME A WRISTBAND » Notorious:Revisited / part 4 / final chapter". 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Top 100 (Kent Music Report) singles and albums peaks to 12 June 1988: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. p. 97. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  15. ↑ "HPI - Settimana del 15/11/86".
  16. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  19. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  20. ↑ "Duran Duran – Notorious". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  21. ↑ "Duran Duran: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  22. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 – Week of January 10, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  23. ↑ "Duran Duran Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  24. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Duran Duran – Notorious" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  25. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1986". Ultratop. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  26. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  28. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. 26 December 1987.
  29. ↑ "DURAN DURAN RELEASE NOTORIOUS SINGLE: ALBUM IN NOVEMBER: WORLD TOUR IN 1987". EMI. 20 October 1986.
  30. ↑ "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DURAN DURAN RELEASE NOTORIOUS SINGLE; ALBUM IN NOVEMBER; WORLD TOUR IN 1987". Capitol. 24 October 1986.
  31. ↑ Pop, Classic (5 July 2021). "Making Duran Duran: Notorious". Classic Pop Magazine. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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