Song · Art of Noise
“Paranoimia” by Art of Noise
Released 1986
“Paranoimia” by Art of Noise appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1986 and 2023. It was first released in 1986. Its best result is #72 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #168 alternative song of 1986 and #5,415 alternative song of all time.
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"Paranoimia" first surfaced on In Visible Silence, Art of Noise's second album, in April 1986 on China Records, but the version that stuck was the single that handed the mic to Max Headroom, the fictional character played by Matt Frewer; that take landed on Re-Works of Art of Noise the same year. The title welds paranoia to insomnia, and on the seven-inch Max frets through a monologue about being too spooked to sleep.
The 12-inch hands him a whole new vocal as emcee, introducing a fantasy band built on puns: Peter O'Toole on trumpet, Martina Navratilova on bass line, Cher on mic and the Pope on drums. Anne Dudley, J.J. Jeczalik and Gary Langan wrote, arranged and produced it, and the English avant-garde synth-pop crew's music is sleek enough to play straight man.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 72 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 | 90 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1057 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2023 | 564 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
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