"Overpowered" is a song by Irish recording artist Róisín Murphy

Róisín Murphy

Róisín Marie Murphy is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her electronic style.Murphy first came to note as part of the electronic music duo Moloko. Her partner in the band was then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her...

 from her second solo studio album, Overpowered

Overpowered

Overpowered is the second solo studio album by Irish recording artist Róisín Murphy, released in Ireland on 12 October 2007 and in the United Kingdom and rest of Europe on 15 October 2007. The album was to be released in the United States in late 2008 or early 2009, but was cancelled by EMI due to...

. Released as the album's lead single

Lead single

A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

 on 9 July 2007, the song was written by Murphy, Paul "Seiji" Dolby (of Bugz in the Attic

Bugz in the Attic

Bugz in the Attic is a collective of DJs and producers based in West London, who are prominent in broken beat. The collective includes Orin Walters , Paul Dolby , Kaidi Tatham, Daz-I-Kue, Alex Phountzi , Cliff Scott, Mark Force, Matt Lord, and Mikey Stirton. The group also has a label, BitaSweet...

) and Mike Patto and produced by Murphy herself and Seiji. The single reached number 149 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 ...

 on downloads alone, as its physical formats were ineligible to chart.

Single cover

The art director

Art director

The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....

 of the single was British graphic designer Scott King and the photographer was Jonathan de Villiers. Murphy is wearing a design by Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf is an Amsterdam-based fashion house. The company was founded in 1993 by designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren .- History :...

 on the cover.

Critical reception

"Overpowered" was met with positive reviews from critics. Jax Spike of About.com

About.com

About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

 described the song as "a perfect ode to melancholic memories that are sung with a seductive baby doll voice with lyrics like 'When I think that I am over you/I'm overpowered' right before a zigzagging electro beat comes into play." Heather Phares of Allmusic stated, "With its sleek beats, bubbling synths, and nagging chorus, 'Overpowered' closely resembles a state-of-the-art

State of the art

The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...

 pop single, but the way Murphy sings of science and oxytocin

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that acts primarily as a neuromodulator in the brain.Oxytocin is best known for its roles in sexual reproduction, in particular during and after childbirth...

 over a heart-fluttering harp is unmistakably her." 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....

's Sonja D'Cruze referred to the song as "a heady electronic anthem which tells the tale of getting consumed by the lust for an ex-lover, complete with a squelchy bassline and the minimalism of Casio

Casio

is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...

 kickdrums which are all secretly lifted by gentle harp and spacey synths. It's an irresistible match of loved-up disco pop which has a crafty reworking of TIGA

Tiga (musician)

Tiga is the stage name of Montreal-born DJ/producer Tiga James Sontag . His album Sexor won the 2007 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year.-Career:He graduated from Selwyn House School, a prestigious school in Westmount...

's 'I Wear My Sunglasses At Night', immediately making it a new classic." Mike Barnes from musicOMH

MusicOMH

musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...

 called the song "an unrelenting electro-pop gem that penetrates your skull faster than a high-velocity nail gun." Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 placed "Overpowered" at number sixty-nine on its list of the Top 100 Tracks of 2007, further commenting, "Arty and smartly seductive, 'Overpowered' is a sublime reminder of the glory days of New Pop."

Music video

Directed by Jamie Thraves

Jamie Thraves

Jamie Thraves is a British film writer and director.Jamie Thraves began making early short experimental films in 1989 at Hull University, having previously studied illustration . His graduation film Scratch and The Take-Out both went on to win numerous awards at short film festivals worldwide...

, 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...

 shows Murphy walking back home from a live gig

Gig (musical performance)

Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...

 at night. On her way home, she is seen catching a Routemaster

Routemaster

The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...

, buying fish and chips

Fish and chips

Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...

 at a restaurant and witnessing a police chase

Car chase

A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...

. Upon arriving home, she drinks water in the kitchen, removes clothes from the washing machine

Washing machine

A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...

, brushes her teeth and ultimately goes to bed. Throughout the video, Murphy wears a crimson and white-chequered

Sillitoe Tartan

The Sillitoe Tartan is the name given to the distinctive black and white chequered pattern which was originally associated with the police in Scotland, but which later spread to Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as to some other places such as Chicago...

 outfit designed by English fashion designer Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh is an English fashion designer. He currently lives and works in Paris.-Career:At 14, Pugh began working as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre. He started his fashion education at City of Sunderland College and finished his degree in Fashion Design at Central...

; Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

 would wear the same piece in her "In My Arms

In My Arms (Kylie Minogue song)

"In My Arms" is a song by Australian pop singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue from her tenth studio album, X . The track was written by Minogue, Calvin Harris, Richard "Biff" Stannard, Paul Harris and Julian Peake. It was produced by Calvin Harris and Stannard...

" video the following year.

Track listings

UK CD single

1. "Overpowered" – 5:09
2. "Foolish" – 3:28
3. "Sweet Nothings" – 3:45
4. "Overpowered" (Seamus Haji
   Seamus Haji
   Seamus Haji is a British record producer, who had a number one on the UK Dance Chart, with a cover of Indeep's, "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life". He originally released this as a single in 2004. The single originally reached #69 on the UK Singles Chart, and #13 on re-issue in March 2007 and #1 on...
   
    Remix) – 8:07
5. "Overpowered" (Kris Menace
   Kris Menace
   Kris Menace is an electronic musician.-History:Christophe Hoeffel began to work as a producer and writer in the mid 1990s for different projects and started using the pseudonym "Kris Menace" in 2005....
   
    Remix) – 5:09
6. "Overpowered" (Video) – 4:04

UK 12" single

A1. "Overpowered" – 5:09

A2. "Foolish" – 3:28

A3. "Overpowered" (Kris Menace Remix) – 5:09

B1. "Overpowered" (Seamus Haji Remix) – 8:07

B2. "Overpowered" (Herve

Hervé (DJ)

Joshua Harvey, otherwise known as Hervé, is a DJ/producer from the UK. Hervé is known for rave-orientated productions and DJ sets.Along with Sinden and Kid Sister, his track "Beeper" reached number 1 on the dance chart in April 2008....

 Remix)

UK promo CD single

1. "Overpowered" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Overpowered" (Album Version) – 5:08
3. "Overpowered" (Instrumental) – 5:06

Digital single

1. "Overpowered" (Radio Edit) – 3:44

Digital EP 1

1. "Overpowered" – 5:09
2. "Foolish" – 3:28
3. "Sweet Nothings" – 3:43

Digital EP 2

1. "Overpowered" – 5:08
2. "Overpowered" (Loose Cannons Mix) – 4:32
3. "Overpowered" (Kris Menace Remix) – 5:11
4. "Overpowered" (Seamus Haji Remix) – 8:08
5. "Overpowered" (Herve and Róisín in the Secret Garden Mix) – 5:27

Digital EP 3

1. "Overpowered" – 5:09
2. "Overpowered" (Kris Menace Remix) – 5:09
3. "Overpowered" (Seamus Haji Remix) – 8:07
4. "Overpowered" (Herve and Róisín in the Secret Garden Mix) – 5:26

Official versions

• Album Version
• Radio Edit
• Instrumental
• Live Version
• Herve and Róisín in the Secret Garden Mix (also known as Herve Remix)
• Kris Menace Remix
• Kris Menace Instrumental
• Loose Cannons Mix
• Seamus Haji Remix
• Seamus Haji Edit

Personnel

• Róisín Murphy – vocals
  Singing
  Singing 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...
  
  , producer
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  
• Tom Elmhirst
  Tom Elmhirst
  Tom Elmhirst is a British specialist music producer and mix engineer. He began his career at SARM studios in the early 90s at a time when digital audio was already becoming mainstream. Elmhirst’s experiences at SARM and with Trevor Horn have clearly influenced his current working methods...
  
   – mixing
  Audio 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...
  
  
• Scott King – art direction
  Art director
  The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
  
  , design
  Graphic design
  Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
  
  
• Dave Okumu
  The Invisible (band)
  The Invisible are an indie rock/post-rock band based in and originating from London, and fronted by the singer and guitarist Dave Okumu, a long-time member of the London jazz scene. The band formed as Dave Okumu's solo project but quickly developed into a full fledged band with friends Tom Herbert ...
  
   – guitar
  Guitar
  The 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...
  
  
• Mike Patto – keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  
• Seiji
  Bugz in the Attic
  Bugz in the Attic is a collective of DJs and producers based in West London, who are prominent in broken beat. The collective includes Orin Walters , Paul Dolby , Kaidi Tatham, Daz-I-Kue, Alex Phountzi , Cliff Scott, Mark Force, Matt Lord, and Mikey Stirton. The group also has a label, BitaSweet...
  
   – producer, drums
  Drum kit
  A 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 ....
  
  , keyboards
• Jonathan de Villiers – photography
  Photography
  Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
  
  

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...  (Flanders)	28
Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia)	13
Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...	34
Dutch Single Top 100	44
Finnish Singles Chart	10
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	86
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 ...	149