“Is There Something I Should Know?” by Duran Duran
The way the lyrics of this song break down are as if the singer is addressing a romantic interest. More importantly emotion-wise, the two of them are in a troubled relationship. And the primary sentiment being expressed is the vocalist’s inability to deal with the situation. For as alluded to in the title, he doesn’t seem to actually know what’s bothering his sweetheart in the first place. However, he does know that she is very much bothered, even if the lady herself doesn’t realize such. And overall the situation reads as if he may be the victim of an unreciprocated love, i.e. feeling as if his sweetheart does not feel about him as he does for her. But either way the anxiety of the situation seems to be driving him mad, so to speak.
Release Date of “Is There Something I Should Know?”
This track was officially released on 12 November 1984. Its labels are EMI and Capitol Records. Originally it did not come out as part of any album but rather as a standalone single. And on its B-side were the tracks Faith in This Colour (in the UK) and Careless Memories (in the US).
Prior to its official release date it was added to the US re-issue of Duran Duran’s eponymous debut album in 1983. This was during the days of vinyl records, so the addition of this track on said re-issue resulted in another song, To the Shore, being dropped from it (due to length limitations).
And being one of their greatest hits, Is There Something I Should Know did go on to be featured on a number of other Duran Duran albums, primarily of the compilation variety.
Writing and Production
The track was produced by Ian Little and Duran Duran. And the entire band is collectively credited as being the song’s writers also.
More Facts about “Is There Something I Should Know”
Duran Duran used this track to open the setlist during their 1983-84 concerts entitled the Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour.
The Is There Something I Should Know music video was directed by Australian filmographer Russell Mulcahy, a regular collaborator of the band. This was back during the MTV era, and it did prove to be quite popular on Music Television.
A line from this song, “you’re about as easy as a nuclear war”, served as the inspiration for a track Duran Duran dropped in 1990 entitled Yo Bad Azizi.
This classic hit in both the US and Duran Duran’s homeland of the UK. In the latter it topped the UK Singles Chart, being the first of their songs to do so (also going gold in the United Kingdom). And stateside it peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Indeed this song is such a popular part of the band’s catalog that a derivative of its title, There’s Something You Should Know, served as the title of a Duran Duran documentary that came out in 2018.
