In the wake of finding renewed success with her 2001 single "Murder on the Dancefloor" as a result of its inclusion on the soundtrack to the Amazon Prime film Saltburn, Sophie Ellis-Bextor sat down for an interview with NME about how the song has become a sensation all over again, to the degree that it's finally becoming a hit in the US for the first time ever.
“That’s what’s been quite extraordinary: to them it’s a new song, and that’s bonkers,” Ellis-Bextor told NME. “It didn’t do anything there the first time around, and I’m fine with that. If I’ve learned anything along the way it’s that you’ve got to go where the momentum is. The glamour of being big in America would have meant a lot of time away, and I’d rather go where there are already things happening. I had an absolute ball with the first record in Latin America, South East Asia and all these places – but if this ends up being something that takes me there now then let’s see what happens.”
The original cover art for the Sophie Ellis-Bextor single 'Murder on the Dancefloor'
First released 22 years ago, "Murder on the Dancefloor" saw a 541% surge in views in the UK since December 12 and topped the U.S. Spotify charts on January 4. In short order, it reentered the UK Singles chart at No. 8 and has cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. for the first time ever. Granted, it's only at No. 98, but for a 22-year-old track, that still ain't half bad.
Asked by NME if she was planning to embark on a US tour or perhaps pop up at Coachella, she replied with a delightful "Oh, golly!" before admitting, "I’ve always been quite open to what happens next and love the 'dot dot dot' of whatever I do. Energy and momentum are what you need if you’re a creative to keep things going and things are much harder from a standing start.”
In the NME interview, Ellis-Bextor also explained how the song came to be used in Saltburn:
“A little while back I was asked for approval for having ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ featured in a film, I was told very little information apart from the key components, like: Emerald Fennell was the writer/director (and I was already familiar with her and thought she was great), that the film was called Saltburn and that the main character would dance to the whole of the song with nothing on! That was all I knew and it was plenty. I said, ‘Count me in for that! That sounds fun.'"
And, hey, speaking of fun, Q thought it would be a proper hoot if we put together a playlist of Ellis-Bextor's best bangers, thereby giving Americans or anyone else unfamiliar with her oeuvre an opportunity to delve into it a bit without too much trouble. Give it a spin and don't be surprised to find yourself out on the dancefloor yourself...
