Alive (Goldfrapp song)
Encyclopedia
"Alive" is a synthpop
song by English duo Goldfrapp
from their fifth studio album, Head First
. Written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp
and Will Gregory
, with additional production by Richard X
, the song was released as the album's second single
on 7 June 2010. The music video
premiered on YouTube
on 20 May 2010. "Alive" was their first full release to have no CD format issued, instead supported by a digital remix EP and a limited edition 7" picture disc. The single failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart
, but nevertheless became Goldfrapp's fifth single to top the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The track has been heavily used in promos for Australian television channel Eleven
.
stated: "Beginning with a piano riff reminiscent of vintage Elton
, 'Alive' builds towards a fantastic arms-in-the-air chorus on which Goldfrapp proclaims 'I'm feeling alive again' over gorgeously warm 80s-style synths." Heather Phares of Allmusic wrote that the song "channels ABBA
with percolating guitars, warm keyboards and synths that sparkle like falling stars or a shower of glitter." Peter Paphides
from The Times
referred to "Alive" as Billy Joel
's 1980 number-one hit "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
" as if "marinaded in amyl nitrate
and recast to lyrics that sound like a great lost Brutus
jeans jingle." BBC Music
reviewer Ian Wade felt that "while 'Alive' initially echoes The Feeling
, it soon expands into a broader wonder evocative of ELO
's most-imperial phase." Barry Nicolson of the NME
noted that the track "treads along on an infuriatingly familiar-sounding piano hook modernised by Gregory's whip-smart production." Andy Gill of The Independent
opined that "the Elton-esque piano chords of 'Alive' [...] recall the indulgent, bogus innocence of 1970s AOR
pop excess with Spandex
-tight accuracy." Spin
magazine's Lindsey Thomas commented that the song "wears its influences proudly, flaunting the shimmery squiggles that denoted muse-y magic in Xanadu
."
for Florence and the Machine
's song "Dog Days Are Over
", Alison Goldfrapp asked the direction duo Legs to produce a script for the song "Alive". Legs decided to create a dark video featured in a demotic world because "Alive" is "so infectiously happy and bright." The video was inspired by heavy metal
bands and the music video for Olivia Newton-John
's song "Physical
".
The video was filmed over one day. The morning was dedicated to filming the dancers and extras, while the afternoon focused on Goldfrapp's stage performance. Ross McLennan, the director of photography
, experimented with different styles of lighting to give the video an "incredible energy." Special effect
s such as laser beams, blood and fang transformation were added in post-production
by Absolute Post in New York City.
instructor who leads a group of black metal
fans and vampire
s through a fitness routine. The video begins with Goldfrapp standing in a dark room with smoke rising around her. In front of her are a group of men (the black metal fans) standing in a pentagram
wearing black hooded capes. As the music begins to pick up, the men take off their capes and begin to dance.
After the chorus, Goldfrapp shoots white laser beams from her fingertips, summoning a group of female dancers to join the dancing group of goth men. As the video progresses, it is revealed that these female dancers are actually vampires. The vampires attack the dancing metalheads and consume their rainbow-coloured blood. All through this, Goldfrapp continues to sing and dance, urging the vampires to continue to perform the aerobics routine. The video ends with Goldfrapp revealing a pair of vampire fangs and laying down in a neon coffin.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
song by English duo Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
from their fifth studio album, Head First
Head First (Goldfrapp album)
Head First is the fifth studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2010 by Mute Records. The album's lead single, "Rocket", was released on the iTunes Store on 5 March 2010...
. Written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.-Early life:...
and Will Gregory
Will Gregory
William Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
, with additional production by Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
, the song was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on 7 June 2010. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
premiered on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 20 May 2010. "Alive" was their first full release to have no CD format issued, instead supported by a digital remix EP and a limited edition 7" picture disc. The single failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, but nevertheless became Goldfrapp's fifth single to top the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The track has been heavily used in promos for Australian television channel Eleven
Eleven (TV channel)
Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
.
Critical reception
"Alive" received positive reviews from music critics. Robert Copsey of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
stated: "Beginning with a piano riff reminiscent of vintage Elton
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, 'Alive' builds towards a fantastic arms-in-the-air chorus on which Goldfrapp proclaims 'I'm feeling alive again' over gorgeously warm 80s-style synths." Heather Phares of Allmusic wrote that the song "channels ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
with percolating guitars, warm keyboards and synths that sparkle like falling stars or a shower of glitter." Peter Paphides
Peter Paphides
Peter Paphides is a British journalist and broadcaster.Between 2005 and 2010 he was employed as the chief rock critic of The Times and presented The Times weekly music podcast for Sounds Music supplement...
from The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
referred to "Alive" as Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
's 1980 number-one hit "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
"It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" is a hit 1980 song performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album Glass Houses. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980...
" as if "marinaded in amyl nitrate
Amyl nitrate
Amyl nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula CH34ONO2. This molecule consists of the 5-carbon amyl group attached to a nitrate functional group. It is the ester of amyl alcohol and nitric acid.-Applications:...
and recast to lyrics that sound like a great lost Brutus
Brutus Jeans
Brutus Jeans is a British clothing company founded in 1966 by brothers Keith and Alan Freedman, who were 18 and 17 years old at the time, respectively....
jeans jingle." BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
reviewer Ian Wade felt that "while 'Alive' initially echoes The Feeling
The Feeling
The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...
, it soon expands into a broader wonder evocative of ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
's most-imperial phase." Barry Nicolson of the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
noted that the track "treads along on an infuriatingly familiar-sounding piano hook modernised by Gregory's whip-smart production." Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
opined that "the Elton-esque piano chords of 'Alive' [...] recall the indulgent, bogus innocence of 1970s AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
pop excess with Spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
-tight accuracy." Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine's Lindsey Thomas commented that the song "wears its influences proudly, flaunting the shimmery squiggles that denoted muse-y magic in Xanadu
Xanadu (film)
Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
."
Development
Impressed by their work on the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
's song "Dog Days Are Over
Dog Days Are Over
"Dog Days Are Over" is the second single released by Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs. It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK but was later pushed back for release on December 1, 2008...
", Alison Goldfrapp asked the direction duo Legs to produce a script for the song "Alive". Legs decided to create a dark video featured in a demotic world because "Alive" is "so infectiously happy and bright." The video was inspired by heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands and the music video for Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
's song "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
".
The video was filmed over one day. The morning was dedicated to filming the dancers and extras, while the afternoon focused on Goldfrapp's stage performance. Ross McLennan, the director of photography
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, experimented with different styles of lighting to give the video an "incredible energy." Special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s such as laser beams, blood and fang transformation were added in post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
by Absolute Post in New York City.
Concept
The main idea behind the video is that Goldfrapp is a 1980s-inspired aerobicsAerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
instructor who leads a group of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
fans and vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s through a fitness routine. The video begins with Goldfrapp standing in a dark room with smoke rising around her. In front of her are a group of men (the black metal fans) standing in a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
wearing black hooded capes. As the music begins to pick up, the men take off their capes and begin to dance.
After the chorus, Goldfrapp shoots white laser beams from her fingertips, summoning a group of female dancers to join the dancing group of goth men. As the video progresses, it is revealed that these female dancers are actually vampires. The vampires attack the dancing metalheads and consume their rainbow-coloured blood. All through this, Goldfrapp continues to sing and dance, urging the vampires to continue to perform the aerobics routine. The video ends with Goldfrapp revealing a pair of vampire fangs and laying down in a neon coffin.
Track listings
- UK promo CD single
- "Alive" (Radio Edit) – 3:00
- "Alive" (Instrumental) – 3:28
- UK limited edition shaped 7" picture disc
- A. "Alive" – 3:28
- B. "Alive" (Joakim Remix - Edit)
- iTunes EP
- "Alive" – 3:28
- "Alive" (Joakim Remix) – 6:31
- "Alive" (Joakim NRG Dub) – 6:14
- "Alive" (Tensnake Remix) – 7:23
- "Alive" (Dave AudéDave AudéDave Audé is a Grammy nominated producer, house DJ, and remixer. He has done production for musicians such as KoЯn, t.A.T.u., DJ Keoki, Barenaked Ladies, Faith No More, Cause and Effect, Hilary Duff, Wanessa, Ashley Tisdale, The Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, Lunascape, Madonna, Britney Spears, CeCe...
Remix) – 7:57 - "Alive" (Arno Cost Remix) – 8:24
Personnel
- Alison GoldfrappAlison GoldfrappAlison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.-Early life:...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Will GregoryWill GregoryWilliam Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
– production, engineering - Nick Batt – additional programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
- Greg Freeman – drum recording
- Tim GoldsworthyTim GoldsworthyTim Goldsworthy is a British record producer, DJ and recording artist, living and working in New York City since 1999.Originally a musician/producer for UNKLE, Goldsworthy co-founded James Lavelle's Mo' Wax label...
– additional programming - Chris Goulston – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Matty Green – mixing assistant
- Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Charlie JonesCharlie Jones (musician)Charlie Jones is a British bassist, songwriter and record producer. He has toured and recorded with Robert Plant, Page and Plant, The Strange Sensation, Goldfrapp and many others. He was married to Robert Plant's daughter Carmen Plant, they divorced in 2010....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Ged Lynch – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Richard XRichard XRichard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
– additional production - Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
Weekly charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Dance Club Songs | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Dance Club Play | 20 |