When originally released on Sugar Hill Records, the record was credited to Grandmaster & Melle Mel. This was done to mislead the general public into believing that Grandmaster Flash participated on the record, when in fact he played no part and had already left the Sugar Hill Records label the previous year. "White Lines" peaked at No. 47 on the BillboardHot Black Singles chart in 1983. The song fared better in the United Kingdom, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1984, spending 17 consecutive weeks in the top 40. It was the 13th best-selling single of 1984 in the UK, selling more than several number one hits that year. The song was co-written by Melle Mel and Sylvia Robinson. Originally, it was intended to be an ironic celebration of a cocaine-fueled party lifestyle, but it was abridged with the "don't do it" message as a concession to commercial considerations. The lines "A businessman is caught with 24 kilos / He's out on bail and out of jail and that's the way it goes" refers to car manufacturerJohn DeLorean, who in 1982 became entrapped in a scheme to save his company from bankruptcy using drug money. Some of the lyrics in "White Lines" echoed lyrics from the song "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid from which the famous bassline was borrowed. As discussed in a 2011 article in the Village Voice, the entire "White Lines" was a note-by-note appropriation of "Cavern", with a rapping track overlaid. An unofficial music video was directed by then New York University film student Spike Lee and starred actor Laurence Fishburne. In 1988, the song was used as part of an anti-heroin public information film in the United Kingdom.
A 1995 cover version of "White Lines" featuring performances from Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel was released as the second single from the Duran Duran covers albumThank You. The single reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 5 on the US Dance Club Songs chart, No. 20 in Australia and No. 31 in New Zealand. The band continues to perform the song as a regular part of their live set. This single had more promo releases than most bands have releases, and across this myriad of 12" and CD singles the band released more than 20 distinct remixes and edits of "White Lines", many of which were crafted by DJ Junior Vasquez. Apart from the singles and the Thank You album, the song also appeared as a B-side on the first single from the album, "Perfect Day". A black and white video was shot in January 1995 by Nick Egan, featuring Duran Duran, Melle Mel, and the Furious Five performing the song accompanied by breakdancers and people in skeleton masks. On July 8, 2009, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson did a lip sync version of the Duran Duran cover featuring puppets on backing vocals.
