Noticing that Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor turns 53 today, I immediately thought of the band’s 1983 single, “Is There Something I Should Know?,” as it kicks off with his kit work.

“Is There Something I Should Know?” followed their U.S. breakthrough “Hungry Like The Wolf” (#3 on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Rio” (#14). Originally recorded as a standalone single, “Is There Something I Should Know?” didn’t appear on either of their two albums, though Duran Duran’s self-titled debut was re-released in the U.S. in April 1983 with the song replacing another track, “To The Shore.”

In the press at the time (or at least in Star Hits magazine), Duran Duran was referred to as the Fab Five, a play on the famous nickname given to another British pop band of some renown, The Beatles. Because my encounter with the Fab Five nickname coincided with the release of “Is There Something I Should Know?,” I briefly thought their new song was a cover of some lesser known Fab Four composition. Upon buying the 45 and seeing the songwriting credits, I realized that was not the case.

But listening to “Is There Something I Should Know?” nearly 30 years later, I can still hear how it all might have been. (Well, maybe not the “You’re about as a easy as a nuclear war” line. Probably would have been ‘atomic’ in the Lennon-McCartney days.)

Released in June 1983, “Is There Something I Would Know?” reached #4 in early August, securing Duran Duran their second U.S. top ten hit.

Purchase Duran Duran – “Is There Something I Should Know?” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.