Murder on the Dancefloor

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"Murder on the Dancefloor"
SophieEllisBextorMurderOnTheDanceFloor.jpg
Single by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
from the album Read My Lips
B-side"Never Let Me Down"
Released3 December 2001 (2001-12-03)
StudioMayfair (London, England)
Length
  • 3:52 (album version)
  • 3:37 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Gregg Alexander
  • Matt Rowe
Sophie Ellis-Bextor singles chronology
"Take Me Home"
(2001) 		"Murder on the Dancefloor"
(2001) 		"Get Over You / Move This Mountain"
(2002)

"Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Gregg Alexander and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Alexander and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's first album, Read My Lips (2001). Released on 3 December 2001, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. The song became a top-10 hit worldwide except in the United States, where it was added to radio in September 2002. "Murder on the Dancefloor" is reported to have been the most played song in Europe in 2002.[1]

Background and release[]

The follow-up single to "Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)" was originally planned to be "Lover", an album track from Read My Lips, as read in first edition album stickers and announced by the label, but for unknown reasons the release was cancelled and replaced by "Murder on the Dancefloor" that turned out to be Sophie's biggest hit.[citation needed]

In January 2019, a re-recorded orchestal version was released as the third single off Ellis-Bextor's greatest hits package The Song Diaries.

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

The song is deemed to be among Ellis-Bextor's fan favourite songs, with over 60 million combined views on YouTube.

Chart performance[]

The song is Ellis-Bextor's greatest hit internationally. It was a hit in Australia, peaking at number three,[2] staying in the top 50 for 20 weeks,[2] being accredited Platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association,[3] and becoming the 12th-highest-selling single of 2002.[4]

Music video[]

The music video was directed by Sophie Muller and it centres around a dance competition. The winner's prize consists of a pair of golden high-heel shoes and a substantial amount of money. Desperate to win, Ellis-Bextor proceeds to sneakily injure and disqualify the majority of the other dancers. She causes one to slip on butter, before tripping up another, who sees her do it and angrily points at her to no avail. Next she slyly poisons a trio of potential rivals by spiking the punch during a refreshment period and then unstraps a contestant's clothes, causing her to run off. She finally frames a dancer for cheating on his partner, by planting a G-string on his person; this results in his partner slapping him and exiting the dance floor.

Ellis-Bextor then turns her attention to the trio of judges. By using what seems to be chloroform, she incapacitates the only female judge on the panel. Once the competition is down to the final four couples, Ellis-Bextor notices that the lead judge (played by Colin Stinton) has a weak spot for beautiful women. Using this to her advantage, Ellis-Bextor approaches him when he is alone at the judging table and seduces him. Lovestruck, the lead judge succeeds in persuading the remaining judge to have Ellis-Bextor declared the winner, much to her fellow dancers' disapproval.

The video concludes with the other dancers grudgingly applauding (before promptly deserting) Ellis-Bextor and her dance partner, as she happily clutches her cash prize and the golden shoes on the winner's podium.

Track listings[]

Charts[]

Certifications and sales[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[3] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[55] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[56] Gold 250,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Platinum 600,000double-dagger

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 3 December 2001 (2001-12-03)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Polydor [58][59]
Australia 11 February 2002 (2002-02-11) CD [60]
United States 9 September 2002 (2002-09-09)
Universal [61]

Covers and samples[]

A Chinese version by Hong Kong singer Kelly Chen entitled "最愛你的是我" or "Zui Ai Ni De Shi Wo"[62] was produced in 2003[63] and was included in her album, "心口不一".[64]

A reggae version was released in 2005 by Swedish rapper Papa Dee with reworked lyrics under the title of "Murder In The Dancehall", it features Richie Stephens & General Degree. Grime artist Skepta sampled the track on "Love Me Not" on his 2019 album Ignorance Is Bliss.[65]

References[]

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  3. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  4. ^ a b "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002". ARIA. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  5. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (UK & Australasian CD single liner notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001. 570 494-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (German Maxi Single liner notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001. 570 687-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (UK cassette single sleeve). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001. 570 494-4.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (European CD single liner notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001. 570 620-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001. 570 494-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Murder on the Dancefloor (US CD single liner notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Universal Records. 2002. 440 065 913-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  64. ^ "KKBOX - 心口不一" KKBOX; Retrieved 26 September 2018
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