Is There Something I Should Know?

"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single from the British pop band Duran Duran. It was released in March 1983 and became the band's first UK Number One record. In New Zealand, it was the longest-running Number One single of 1983, staying atop the charts for nine weeks. It also reached #4 in the United States.

About the song
"Is There Something I Should Know?" was recorded in London with producer Ian Little in December of 1982. It was the only new song on the 1983 United States reissue of the band's 1981 debut album Duran Duran. The song was released in the UK as a stand-alone single on 19 March 1983, as the reissued album was not released in the UK. The first long playing album in the UK on which the song featured was the inaugural Now That's What I Call Music compilation at the end of the year.

The singles from the Duran Duran album did not receive much airplay in the United States on the album's first release; both the band and the New Romantic genre were unknown, and very few British bands were able to break into American radio at that time. However, at the end of 1982 the band's second album Rio was rapidly climbing the American charts, fueled by around-the-clock airplay of several different videos on MTV. The band and their label, Capitol/EMI, decided to re-release the debut album in the United States with the inclusion of this newly recorded single.

Because of the time limitations of vinyl records, the inclusion of "Is There Something I Should Know?" required the omission of the album track "To The Shore" on the reissue. "To The Shore" was reinstated on later compact disc pressings.

Music video
The memorable and much-played video for "Is There Something I Should Know?" featured color clips of the band members, in blue shirts with tucked-in white ties, interspersed with surreal images in black-and-white. The end of the video also included clips from several earlier Duran Duran videos, including some filmed for album tracks which were never released to MTV. (See the Duran Duran video album for details.)

The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy, and was one of the most popular videos of 1983 on MTV.

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."

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes
The b-side to "Is There Something I Should Know?" was 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.

The mainly instrumental "Monster Mix" of "Is There Something I Should Know?" was completed by producers Ian Little and Alex Sadkin.

Covers, samples, & media references
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 and the band allSTARS*.

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.

Chart positions
The song debuted in the #1 position on the UK charts on 26 March 1983. Duran Duran were one of the very few acts since Elvis Presley and The Beatles to debut at the top, before the advent of more aggressive marketing methods in the late 1980s made it a much easier goal to achieve.

The single also had great success in America, where it was released in late May: it reached #4 on the Billboard charts on 6 August 1983 and sold more than a million copies.

Track listing
Release information pertains to UK release only.

7": EMI 5371

 * 1) "Is There Something I Should Know?"  – 4:11
 * 2) "Faith In This Colour [alternate slow mix]"  – 4:05

12": 12 EMI 5371

 * 1) "Is There Something I Should Know? [Monster mix]"  – 6:40
 * 2) "Faith In This Colour"  – 4:05

CD: Part of "Singles Box Set 1981-1985" boxset

 * 1) "Is There Something I Should Know?"  – 4:11
 * 2) "Faith In This Colour"  – 4:05
 * 3) "Is There Something I Should Know? [Monster mix]"  – 6:40
 * 4) "Faith In This Colour [alternate slow mix]"  – 4:05
 * Monster mix remixed by Alex Sadkin and Ian Little

Other appearances
Apart from the single, "Is There Something I Should Know?" has also appeared on:

Albums:
 * Duran Duran (1983)
 * Arena (1984)
 * Tiger Tiger! ep (Japan only, 1984)
 * Decade (1989)
 * 12" Collection (Japan only, 1991)
 * Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran (US only, 1998)
 * Greatest (1998)
 * Strange Behaviour (1999)
 * Singles Box Set 1981-1985 (2003)
 * Singles Box Set 1986-1995 (2004)

Singles:
 * Capitol Gold Cuts (1990)
 * Come Undone (1993)

Personnel
Duran Duran are:
 * Simon Le Bon - vocals
 * Nick Rhodes - keyboards
 * John Taylor - bass guitar
 * Roger Taylor - drums
 * Andy Taylor - guitar

Also credited:
 * Ian Little - producer