Sophie Ellis-Bextor is currently on a European headlining tour. Her recent stop was Le Bataclan in Paris, France on March 5. Before performing her hit song “Murder On The Dancefloor,” Ellis-Bextor took a moment of remembrance for the victims of the 2015 terrorist attack at Le Bataclan. The attack occurred during an Eagles of Death Metal show.
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Ellis-Bextor acknowledged the title and lyrics of her 2001 hit in reference to the 2015 attacks at the venue, as seen in a fan-captured video. “It didn’t feel right to me to just waltz into a song called ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ without noting and paying tribute to the history,” she said to the audience. “All I want to say is that ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ is not a song with any evil in its heart.”
She continued, “The whole intention of that song, like this venue, is to bring joy and music onto the dancefloor. So in tribute to that spirit, and in tribute to everybody who has ever danced right here at the Bataclan, this is ‘Murder On The Dancefloor.’”
The attack at Le Bataclan was just one of six terrorist attacks in France on November 13, 2015. Shootings and bombs left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded in and around Paris. At Le Bataclan specifically, 89 people were killed and 99 others were injured at the 1,500-capacity sold out show. According to a report from the BBC at the time, three attackers with suicide belts stormed the venue and fired Kalashnikov-type assault rifles into the crowd.
Sophie Ellis-Baxter’s 2001 Hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” was Originally Supposed to be a New Radicals Song
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s hit has been gaining traction again in the U.S. and abroad after it was featured in the recent film Saltburn. However, many may not know that it was originally set to be New Radicals’ debut single. The band eventually abandoned it in favor of their actual 1998 debut “You Get What You Give.” How did they come to give the song over to Ellis-Bextor in the first place?
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Gregg Alexander of New Radicals outlined the process that led to the band giving up the single. “I almost flipped a coin between [‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and ‘You Get What You Give’],” said Alexander. “The record company wanted something urgently and I didn’t have the time or the budget to finish both. I felt like ‘Murder’ was a monster but ‘You Get What You Give’ was a masterpiece. It was everything I’d always wanted to say inside five minutes.”
The band transferred the song over to Ellis-Bextor, who changed some lyrics and made it her own. Alexander collaborated with her on the song as well, and they went on to work together on other Top 10 hits as well.
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