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"Electricity"
Single by Suede
from the album Head Music
Released	12 April 1999 (1999-04-12)
Length	4:39
Label	Nude
Songwriter(s)	Brett Anderson, Neil Codling, Richard Oakes
Producer(s)	Steve Osborne, Ben Hillier, Bruce Lampcov
Suede singles chronology
"Filmstar" (1997) "Electricity" (1999) "She's in Fashion" (1999)

"Electricity" is the first single from the album Head Music by Suede, released on 12 April 1999 via Nude Records. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland and Norway. It was also a top-20 hit in Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Sweden and reached number 39 in New Zealand, becoming Suede's last charting single there.

Background

The band re-emerged with "Electricity" after nearly two years away from the public eye. For the first time, synthesizers are used as a primary part of a song, working in parallel with the distorted guitar as opposed to just providing backing. The single helped guide the band's new direction, as evident in the fact that synths were also heavily used on Head Music. According to the song's co-writer Neil Codling, it is "hard-edged, spiky and more like the last album than anything else on this one." According to singer Brett Anderson, it is just a "simple love song." On the choice of the album's lead single, he said: "it was either going to be this or 'Savoir Faire'. There are about five singles on the album, so in the end I couldn't really tell which one should be first. It was pretty much flip a coin or roll some dice." However, there was in fact another contender for first single. Both "Electricity" and the title track "Head Music" were played to Sony A&R personnel around the world, who voted in favour of what they felt was the "safer" choice in "Electricity". The latter track ultimately was not chosen as a single from the album. "Electricity" was produced by Steve Osborne, "Popstar" and "See That Girl" were produced by Ben Hillier while "Waterloo" was produced by Bruce Lampcov.

Release and promotion

The song was first performed live at a fanclub gig on 22 March 1999 at the Glasgow Garage; the band's first show since their Reading Festival appearance in 1997. Suede played at another fanclub show on 27 March at the London Astoria, with Black Box Recorder as the warm-up act. At the interval, the music video was premiered to a large gathering of the music media in attendance. To promote the single, the band performed the song on several TV shows, including: the Pepsi Chart Show, Top of the Pops, CD:UK. The single received exposure on Radio One's A-list four weeks in advance of release. On the day after its release on 12 April 1999, "Electricity" was holding up well at number two on the UK Singles Chart, behind Martine McCutcheon's "Perfect Moment". By the end of the week, it had slipped to its official peak of number five, and it went on to spend a total of seven weeks on the chart. British music charts commentator James Masterton felt that the decline from the midweek position was an indication that it is "only dedicated fans who are buying their records." "Electricity" would be Suede's last top-10 single in the United Kingdom. As part of a major marketing push for the 3 May album release, the single was chosen as the first ever MiniDisc single to be released in the UK, on 19 April 1999.

Music video

The video shoot for "Electricity" took place on 10 March and was directed by Mike Lipscombe. One of the band's few big budget videos, it features the band performing in the back alley Falconberg Court behind the London Astoria venue, ghosting in and out of view as electrical power lines surge and shower sparks over scene. The director made use of miniature models, rotoscoping and heavy post-production to achieve the final, big production look. Alluding to the comparisons in Suede’s music to David Bowie, a New Zealand Herald writer noted the similarity of the video's setting to the cover of Bowie’s 1972 Ziggy Stardust album; which also features a W1 London cul-de-sac.

Critical reception

"Electricity" received a generally favourable response from music critics, with some comparing the song to 1996 single "Trash". Music Week and the Irish Independent awarded the song, 'Single of the Week'. The former felt that it was "very different from the colder, more clinical material" on the album, calling it "a rock-charged stomper that compromises on nothing and promises everything for the album." The latter had high praise for the single. George Byrne wrote: "Just as 'Trash' served as a statement of intent back in 1996, so too 'Electricity' layers on slabs of driving guitars and bubbling synths, allowing Brett to take his warped vowel-yodel way beyond its Bowie-esque beginnings. A combination of Glam and Electronica, 'Electricity' offers further proof that Suede are the only real competition to the Manic Street Preachers for the title Best British Band of the Decade." Select wrote: "like 'Trash' before it, this squelchy-bassed return is utterly fresh without sounding remotely new." They added: "OK, so there are distinctly T. Rex-like backing vocals and nominal touches of studio trickery hinting at that much-touted New Direction, but essentially this is a tailor-made Uplifting Pop Single (imagine 'New Generation' morphed with 'The Beautiful Ones')."

Paul Connolly of The Times was favourable of the song and looked forward to the album, writing: "Its dense guitar structure is coated with a fierce metallic sheen but Brett Anderson's vocals are confident and expansive, and the song swells inexorably to a huge chorus, although the lyrics do stray into Celine Dion platitude territory: 'Our love is bigger than the universe/It's bigger than the two of us.' Suede have rediscovered their heart. Head Music will be a blast." NME and The List were slightly more mixed, with both calling the song "Suede-by-numbers". Stevie Chick of the former was generally favourable by comparing it to earlier songs, saying: "a splash of 'Trash', a bar of 'Filmstar', er, quite a lot of 'She' actually but recycled cut-and-paste Suede is still a fair old mince ahead of most other singles you'll hear this year." While the latter's Brian Donaldson felt that "despite the somewhat filthy guitar intro 'Electricity' finds Suede treading water when they should be breaking new ground." James Masterton said that the song "hardly ranks as the most appealing single they have ever released, lacking the killer chorus that made Trash and Metal Mickey such celebrated hits."

Track listings

Charts

Release history

References

1. "Suede's 13". NME. 14 February 1999. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
2. Barnett, David (2013). Suede the biography (revised, updated ed.). London: André Deutsch. p. 266. ISBN 978-0-233-00376-4.
3. ^ Barnett, David (2003). Love and Poison. Carlton Publishing Group. pp. 229–232. ISBN 0-233-00094-1.
4. ^ "Reviews – For Records Released on April 12, 1999" (PDF). Music Week. 3 April 1999. p. 20.
5. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 12 April, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 April 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
6. ^ Masterton, James (18 April 1999). "Week Ending April 24th 1999". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
8. "MiniDisc release of Electricity". Music Week. 17 April 1999. p. 5.
9. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 19 April, 1999: Singles". Music Week. 17 April 1999. p. 27.
10. "Suede - Stardust memories". The New Zealand Herald. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
11. Byrne, George (3 April 1999). "Suede: Electricity (Nude)". Irish Independent.
12. "Singles". Select. No. 107. May 1999. p. 95.
13. Connolly, Paul (10 April 1999). "Singled Out". The Times.
14. Chick, Stevie (13 April 1999). "This Week's Singles". NME. Archived from the original on 10 June 2000. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
15. Donaldson, Brian (1 April 1999). "Suede: Electricity (Nude)". The List. No. 356. p. 43. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
16. Electricity (UK CD1 liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD 43CD1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
17. Electricity (UK CD2 liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD 43CD2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
18. Electricity (UK cassette single sleeve). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD43MC.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
19. Electricity (European CD single liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD 667043 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
20. Electricity (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD 667043 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
21. Electricity (UK MiniDisc single liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. NUD 43MD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
22. Electricity (Japanese CD single liner notes). Suede. Nude Records. 1999. ESCA 7481.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 270.
24. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 18. 1 May 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
25. "Suede: Electricity" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
26. "Suede – Electricity" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
27. "Íslenski Listinn (13.5–20.5. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 14 May 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
28. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Electricity". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
29. "Suede – Electricity". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
30. "Suede – Electricity". VG-lista. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
31. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
32. "Suede – Electricity" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
33. "Suede – Electricity". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
34. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
35. "スウェード" [Suede]. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

• 1999 singles
• Suede (band) songs
• Songs written by Brett Anderson
• Songs written by Neil Codling
• Songs written by Richard Oakes (guitarist)
• 1999 songs
• Song recordings produced by Ben Hillier
• UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles
• Music videos directed by Mike Lipscombe