In December 2001, Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dance Floor" reached number two on the Official UK Singles Chart.
More than two decades later, the song enjoyed an unexpected resurgence after being featured in the 2023 film Saltburn . The song dates back to before the Emerald Fennell-directed thriller.
The song, written by Ellis-Bextor and Gregg Alexander and produced by Spice Girls collaborator Matt Rowe, is the second track from Ellis-Bextor's debut album , Read My Lips .
The song spent an impressive six weeks in the UK top ten, thanks in part to co-production by Sophie Muller (famous for her relationship with Gwen Stefani) The accompanying music video was directed by Gwen Stefani (known for her work with the likes of Selena Gomez).
renaissance of song
More than 20 years since its release, "Murder on the Dance Floor" has once again become a favorite. Appropriately enough, the song appeared in the first season of The English Traitor , where an unsuspecting contestant was eliminated on the dance floor.
Most notably, however, the song can be heard on the 2023 black comedy Saltburn .
Starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, the film tells the story of college student Oliver (Keoghan) who becomes obsessed with his college friend Felix (Elordi), who invites him to Spend summers at his eccentric family estate.
In one memorable scene, Keoghan's character dances naked around a Saltburn house to the accompaniment of Ellis-Best's "Murder on the Dancefloor," launching " Saul" The Burnt Effect".
salt burn effect
After Saltburn was released on Amazon Prime in December last year, the song continued to climb the global charts, and on January 5, the song re-entered the UK Official Singles Chart at No. 8.
"Thank you for such an amazing adventure," Ellis-Best said of her chart resurgence, adding that she was "very proud" of the song's success.
According to People , Saltburn also saw a 360% increase in streaming on Spotify in the United States in the first week after its release.
"'Murder on the Dance Floor' is a song that I've been singing for 20 years and I have a very strong attachment to it," she continued. "I love singing it, I love performing it, and actually, there's something magical about what's happening at the moment."
The song has also become a hit on TikTok, with users recreating Keoghan's infamous Saltburn scene, including Ellis-Best himself, while the #MurderOnTheDancefloor hashtag has amassed 44 million views - a figure It may still grow.
