'' is the 14th single by
Duran Duran . It was released internationally by EMI on
20 October 1986. "Notorious" was the first single issued from the album ''
Notorious '', and reached #7 in the UK and #2 in the US. Duran Duran's success was on the wane, however, and the band would reach the Top 5 only once more before 1993's "
Ordinary World ".
"Notorious" marked the debut of the new streamlined trio version of Duran Duran, as both
Roger and
Andy Taylor had left the band by the time the single and album were released. In fact, the acrimonious nature of Andy Taylor's departure inspired the song to a certain degree. According to songwriter Simon Le Bon, the lyric "Who gives a damn for a flaky bandit" was a direct dig at the guitarist.
As a trio, the band had enlisted the help of
Nile Rodgers to take over production duties. His funk influences can be felt all over the single, from the tempo to the use of The Borneo Horns
Brass section.
The single's A-side featured an edited
Outro , cutting roughly 20 seconds from the album version.
As a first for the band, "Notorious" was released as two separate
12" Single s. The first had a Nile Rodgers produced "Extended Mix" while the second featured a remix by "The Latin Rascals".
This almost made up for the fact that for the first time, the
B-side to the standard single was not an original recording; "Winter Marches On" was an unretouched version of the album track. Before this, Duran Duran had always provided either completely original songs or previously unheard remixes on the b-side.
Numerous other remixes of the song have appeared in various collections, including such fanciful titles as "Notoriousaurus Rex".
The video was shot in November 1986 by directors
Peter Kagan and
Paula Greif , and bore an uncanny resemblance to the video the duo had filmed in June of that year for
Steve Winwood 's "
Higher Love ". The video was in black and white featuring the band, with dancers in the background choreographed by
Paula Abdul . A young
Christy Turlington appeared in outdoor scenes with the band.
Duran Duran's "Notorious" was interpolated in
The Notorious B.I.G. 's posthumous rap hit "Notorious B.I.G." (1999).
"Notorious" was also used in the
2001 film
Donnie Darko , serving as the soundtrack to one of
Sparkle Motion 's dance routines.
All release details pertain to the UK only.
# "Notorious
Mix " (3:58)
# "Winter Marches On" (3:25)
# "Notorious
Mix " (5:14)
# "Notorious
Mix " (3:58)
# "Winter Marches On" (3:25)
# "Notorious
Latin Rascals Mix " (6:23)
# "Notorious
Mix " (3:58)
# "Winter Marches On" (3:25)
# "Notorious
Mix " (3:58)
# "Winter Marches On" (3:25)
# "Notorious
Mix " (5:14)
# "Notorious
Latin Rascals Mix " (6:23)
Duran Duran are:
With:
Production:
Apart from the single, "Notorious" has also appeared on:
