The Complete Disco Guide to...
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a singer from England. She used to be a member of a
band called theaudience. After that, her first big worldwide hit
was 2000's "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" with DJ Cristiano Spiller.
The instrumental version was the lead track on the record "The Mighty
Miami". One of the extended vocal versions of Groovejet is 7 minutes and
28 seconds long. It's based on the 1976 Salsoul song "Love is You" by
Carol
Williams. The disco sound of the song distinguishes it from most
other dance songs from 2000 and seemed to have ushered in a new era of
new disco songs by a wide variety of artists. Bextor told BBC's Radio 1:
"I've never done any dance music before... I do think of it as a disco
classic rather than a house dance thing. Not that I really know what
house dance is." In any event, she continues the disco groove rolling on
her first full album "Read My Lips" (summer 2001) with the singles "Take
Me Home (A Girl Like Me)" and the even better follow-up "Murder on the
Dancefloor". The British edition of the "Murder on the Dancefloor" single
came with the additional song "Never Let Me Down".
Bextor has performed the disco classic "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" (a
Baccara
song from 1977) live in concert, and her recorded rendition of it was
included on the Maxi-CD single for "I Won't Change You", released
in two packages, on December 2003 and February 2004. The 2004
multi-artist compilation "Discomania" from Mercury Records also included
"Yes Sir, I Can Boogie".
In June 2002, her next dance single, an electronica/pop song called "Get
Over You", was released. It debuted at #11 on the Australian pop chart and
later reached #4. It reached #3 Pop in the U.K.
A new companion song included on the "Get Over You"
single is "Live It Up (Acoustic Version)".
She also released a dance song called "Music Gets the Best of Me"
in 2002 on the re-issue of her "Read My Lips" album, and it became the
next single, released on November 4, 2002.
The electro-pop single "Mixed Up World" was released on October 13, 2003,
and her second album "Shoot from the Hip" was out since October 27, 2003.
Her next pop single, "I Won't Change You", was released on December 15,
2003 and reached the top 10 in Britain in January 2004. In March 2005 her
house song "Circles (Just My Good Time)", by Busface featuring
"Mademoiselle E.B.", was released and became a club hit, reaching number
one on the Music Week Commercial Club Chart.
Her rock-pop single "Catch You" was scheduled for release on February 19,
2007 in the U.K. Her house dance single "Me and My Imagination" came out
on May 12, 2007 in the U.K. with the equally electronic B-side "Move to
the Music". Her mid-tempo ballad "Today the Sun's on Us" became a single
in August 2007.
DISCOGRAPHY
Classic Songs:
2000: Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)
2001: Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me), Murder on the Dancefloor
2002: Get Over You, Music Gets the Best of Me
2003: Mixed Up World, I Won't Change You, Yes Sir I Can Boogie
2005: Circles (Just My Good Time)
2007: Catch You, Me and My Imagination
2016: Come With Us
2018: Love is You
Albums:
Read
My Lips (2001)
TRACKS: Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)
Lover
Move This Mountain
Murder on the Dancefloor
Sparkle
Final Move
I Believe
Leave the Others Alone
By Chance
The Universe is You
Is It Any Wonder
Everything Falls Into Place
Extra track: Music Gets the Best of Me
Extra track: Get Over You
Extra track: Groovejet Live Mix
"Take Me Home" is a modified remake of the 1979 Cher original that became
popular in Britain (it reached #2 Pop in the U.K. in August 2001)
and New Zealand (where it reached #18 Pop). It's more electronic-sounding
than "Murder on the Dancefloor" but it does have hints of a string
section, particularly in one of the extended mixes.
"Move This Mountain" is a power ballad. "Final Move" and "Is It Any
Wonder" are also ballads. "Is It Any Wonder" was co-written by Moby.
Critics are divided about the quality of the
album. Barbara Ellen in The Observer
characterized the album as "a misguided stab at early Eighties synth-pop"
and Claire Allfree in This Is London claimed that it's "shallow
pop". Some other reviewers agree, but others have been more favorable. For
instance, in the Penarth Times Ceri Garner called the album "a
fantastic effort" and called "Take Me Home" "an upbeat and catchy track".
In Dublin, Ireland's Energy Magazine, Brian Foley wrote that Sophie
has "archly deadpan vocals, clever and velvety" and added: "This is
grown-up pop with a post-watershed groove that tells stories of love,
desire and discos with grace and a mischievous tongue in its cheek."
Andrew Arora, writing in Blue Coupe Magazine, remarked:
"Read My Lips is sophisticated dance-pop that meshes synthesized
rhythms and 80s soul, but it's the album's funky disco that allows Ellis
Bextor to outclass her pop counterparts."
"Murder on the Dancefloor" -- which features the bass guitar of Guy Pratt,
guitar-playing by John Themis, and strings by the Wired Strings (a
British-based female quartet led by Rosie Wetter) -- reached #2 Pop in
the U.K. in December 2001, #2 Pop in Ireland in January 2002,
#5 Pop in Canada in May 2002, #3 Pop in Australia in February 2002, and #2
Pop in New Zealand in April 2002.
It also became a radio hit in Japan, France, and Latin American countries
and has got some airplay in Canada and the United States.
On the American Dance chart it reached #26 in late 2002.
"Murder on the Dancefloor" is one of the representatives of the return of
disco music. It's so nice to hear contemporary dance songs with strings.
CR-ed+ Gold called it "A dance classic in the
making, this latest offering is superb. Catchy, memorable and totally
addictive." Alan Braidwood, writing for BBC Radio 1, wrote "It's quite
catchy in the way that 'Take me Home' was but not as good as
'Groovejet'." Mark Clapham wrote in Teenmusic.co.uk "...while not as
instantly delicious as 'Take Me Home', it does grow on you. With breathy
vocals and disco beats, this is definitely one for discerning Xmas
parties." Steve Canavan of the Bolton Evening News wrote: "This is an
attempt at having another huge hit from the woman who famously beat Posh
Spice to the Number One spot last year, and I think she's definitely
succeeded. Very catchy and perfect for today's chart. Will be
massive and then some." Billboard Magazine said: "...she possesses enough
attitude and sass - and a hint of a British accent - to really raise the
bar on this giddily inventive song."
"Murder on the Dancefloor" was included on Die Jury empfiehlt's 2004 CD
compilation "Die Besten Disco-Hits" from BMG Deutschland GmbH (Ar-Express)
along with another modern disco song, "Crying at the Discotheque" by
Alcazar, and 1970s disco classics like "Relight My Fire", "I Will
Survive", "D.I.S.C.O.", and "We Are Family".
Shoot
from the Hip (2003)
TRACKS: Making Music
Mixed Up World
I Won't Change You
Nowhere Without You
Another Day
Party in My Head
Love it is Love
You Get Yours
The Walls Keep Saying Your Name
I Won't Dance With You
I Am Not Good at Not Getting What I Want
Hello Hello
Trip
the Light Fantastic (2007)
TRACKS: Catch You
Me and My Imagination
New York City Lights
Today the Sun's on Us
If I Can't Dance
Distance Between Us
If You Go
Love is Here
Only One
New Flame
China Heart
What Have We Started
The catchy songs "New Flame" and "Love is Here" mark Sophie's return to
disco.
Make
a Scene (2011)
TRACKS: Revolution
Bittersweet
Off and On
Heartbreak
Not Giving Up On Love
Can't Fight This Feeling
Starlight
Under Your Touch
Make a Scene
Magic
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Synchronised
Cut Straight to the Heart
A Euro dance-pop album.
Wanderlust (2014)
Familia (2016)
TRACKS: Wild Forever
Death of Love
Crystallise
Hush Little Voices
Here Comes the Rapture
Come With Us
Cassandra
My Puppet Heart
Unrequited
The Saddest Happiness
Don't Shy Away
Produced by Ed Harcourt. Bass by Richard Jones, guitar by Seton Daunt, strings by Dirty Pretty Strings, drums by Phil Wilkinson. The disco song "Come With Us" is quite good and was released as a single on July 19, 2016.
The Song Diaries (2019)
Includes non-disco remakes of "Groovejet", "Murder on the Dancefloor", and "Take Me Home".
Bonus tracks include her rendition of the disco classic "Love is You" by Carol Williams
and, on some editions only, new disco versions of "Murder on the Dancefloor" and
"Take Me Home" recorded with more orchestration than before.
Covers of Sophie's Songs:
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by the Prism Leisure singers (2001) - a 2-minute electro-disco remake
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Girls Club (2010)
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Plastiscines (2014) - rock-dance version
"Murder on the Dance Floor" by Jon Louisson (2014) - instrumental electrodance version
"Murder on the Dance Floor" by Marble Caves (2020) - alternative version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Sløtface (2020) - mellow indie rock version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Boye and Sigvardt (2021) - electro-pop-dance version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Girl Ray (2021) - electro-rock-disco-pop version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Kruel Intentions and Chunk featuring Abi Flynn (2023) - house version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Brown Eyed Girl (2024)
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Geek Music (2024) - electro-rock-disco version
"Murder on the Dancefloor (Triple J Like a Version)" by Royel Otis (2024) - electro-rock-disco version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Martin Urrutia (2024) - electro-disco version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Amazonics and Brazil XXI (2024) - Brazilian-flavored slow jazzy version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by CYREES (2024) - house version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Henry Hood (2024) - house version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by Sing It Live featuring Nikki Heuskes (2024) - electro-disco version
"Murder on the Dancefloor" by New Radicals (2024) - adult alternative version
HOW TO ORDER YOUR FAVORITE SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
SONGS
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Related links:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor's
Official Website
Disco Savvy Homepage
