Notorious – Duran Duran | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#2); 1987
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
On the strength of eye-catching videos, a strong fashion sense, and well-crafted pop records, Duran Duran scaled the heights of pop success, reeling off 12 straight UK and nine consecutive U.S. hits. Fronted by female fan fav Simon Le Bon, DD kicked off their run for the gold with four singles in their homeland, before the fifth – Hungry Like The Wolf – catapulted them to stardom in the States as well.
The aforementioned streak was capped by the #1 James Bond theme, A View To A Kill, before DD split into two groups, Arcadia and The Power Station. Arcadia, with Le Bon, struck with Election Day (#6), while the Power Station saw two tracks, Some Like It Hot and Get It On, make the Top 10.
After an eighteen month absence, a re-configured Duran Duran returned to radio and TV playlists with Notorious. DD again utilized the talents of Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers, who’d co-produced The Wild Boys (#2; 1984), to craft their funkiest track to date and put them back in the spotlight.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Duran Duran
- Nile Rodgers
Lyrics Written by:
- Simon Le Bon
- John Taylor
- Nick Rhodes
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).