"Electricity" is a song composed by English musician Elton John and Lee Hall for Billy Elliot the Musical. Released on 11 July 2005, it became John's 63rd UK top-40 hit, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart, and is his most recent solo top-40 hit in the UK.[2] The song was included as a bonus track on the UK re-issue of Elton's album Peachtree Road.[3]
| "Electricity" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Peachtree Road and Billy Elliot the Musical | ||||
| Released | 11 July 2005[1] | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) | Elton John | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Lee Hall | |||
| Producer(s) | Elton John | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe song is sung by Billy Elliot in the stage production at his audition for a place at The Royal Ballet School in London. Billy is asked "What does it feel like, when you are dancing?" by one of the panel. Billy responds, hesitantly at first, "I can't really explain it... I haven't got the words..." And then (see full lyrics) the music takes hold, and he goes into an energetic song, describing dancing as "Something that you can't control". After two verses, each with a chorus, Billy leaps into a frenetic dance; in this dance, many skills such as acrobatics are used (the rhythm for this section of the instrumental varies from Billy to Billy, depending on each actor's dance strengths). The number concludes with another verse and Billy doing several pirouettes or tumbles.
The most notable lyric in this piece is that of the title: 'Electricity sparks inside of me and I'm free, I'm free!" It was inspired by the scene in the film, which it follows closely, in which Billy describes dancing as "Electricity". His passion, shown in his description, is the implied reason for Billy's acceptance into The Royal Ballet School.
Track listings
edit|
UK CD single[4]
UK enhanced maxi-single[5]
|
European 7-inch single, blue vinyl[6]
|
Charts
edit| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[7] | 13 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 31 |
| Scotland (OCC)[9] | 17 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[2] | 4 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[10] | 17 |
References
edit- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 9 July 2005. p. 21.
- ^ a b "Elton John: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ Wallace, Gary (20 July 2015). "Electricity – Elton John". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ Electricity (UK CD single liner notes). Elton John. The Rocket Record Company, Mercury Records. 2005. 98721842.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Electricity (UK enhanced maxi-single liner notes). Elton John. The Rocket Record Company, Mercury Records. 2005. 9872183.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Australian-charts.com – Elton John – Electricity". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 31. 30 July 2005. p. 57. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Elton John". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Elton John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2022.