Electric Avenue (song)
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| "Electric Avenue" | ||
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UK cover
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| Single by Eddy Grant | ||
| from the album Killer on the Rampage | ||
| Released | 1982 (U.K and Guyana) March 1983 (US) |
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| Writer(s) | Eddy Grant | |
| Producer(s) | Eddy Grant | |
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"Electric Avenue" is an RIAA platinum-certified single by Eddy Grant, from his 1982 album Killer on the Rampage. In the United States (U.S.), it was one of 1983's biggest hits of the year. The song's lyrics refer to the 1981 Brixton riot, the title referring to Electric Avenue, a market street in the Brixton area of London.
It was initially released as a single in 1982, and reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart. In March 1983, CBS decided to launch the single in the U.S., where it spent five weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] (kept out of the top spot by a combination of two songs, "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara and that year's song of the summer, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police) and hit #1 in Cash Box magazine. "Electric Avenue" was a hit on two other US charts: On the soul chart it went to #18.[3] On the dance charts, it peaked at #6.[4]
The song is featured in the films, Pineapple Express, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End and Jackass 3D. This song is also featured in Season 1, Episode 14 of the series 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Contents
Chart positions
| Chart (1982−83) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 6 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles | 18 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] |
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Other release information
The original B-Side to this song was a non-LP track entitled "Time Warp." The 45 sold more than one million copies in the United States, earning a platinum certification. It was later re-issued with "I Don't Want to Dance" as the flip side.
Electric Avenue was re-released in 2001. The single featured the "Ringbang Remix", and reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in June 2001,[6] as well as reaching number 16 on the US dance chart.
The Ringbang Remix was also featured on Now That's What I Call Music! 49 as track 1 of disc 2.
Other versions
The song has been covered by many artists since its original release:
- "Weird Al" Yankovic performed a concert-only[7] parody of this song called "Flatbush Avenue". The recording was never released on any of his albums.[8]
- Grindcore band Anal Cunt covered the beginning of the song on track "Eddy Grant" from their 1994 album Everyone Should Be Killed.
- Canadian rapcore band Raggadeath covered the song on their self-titled 1997 album.
- Refugee Camp All Stars (featuring Pras Michel, former member of The Fugees) covered the song in 1997 for the original soundtrack of the movie Money Talks. This cover was titled "Avenues", featuring Reggae artist Ky-Mani Marley. Their version peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The Christian rock band Tait covered the song on their 2003 album, Lose This Life.
- Velvet, a Swedish singer sampled it on her 2006 album Finally. Velvet's version is called "Rock Down To (Electric Avenue)".
- Los Rabanes covered the song on their album Kamikaze, using their own lyrics in Spanish.
- Rapper C-Rayz Walz covered the song on his 2007 album Monster Maker.
- Servotron covered this album on a 7-inch record release with the B-Side of "Finest Work Song".
- Skindred released a cover of the song on their third studio album Shark Bites and Dog Fights.
- Swedish rock band Vains of Jenna released their cover on the studio album Reversed Tripped.
- Powerman 5000 covered the song on their 2011 album Copies, Clones & Replicants.
- Lazlo Bane, an American alternative rock band, covered the song on its 2012 EP Guilty Pleasures the 80's Volume 1.
- In the Family Guy episode "And the Wiener Is...", the James Woods High School marching band plays this as part of its halftime show.
References
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External links
- Music video at MTV.com (Windows Media format)
| Preceded by | Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart number-one single June 25, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Every Breath You Take" by The Police |
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| Singles |
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Electric Avenue on Rate Your Music
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- ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1983", Longbored Surfer.
- ↑ Singles: Electric Avenue. The Official Charts.
- ↑ Weird Al Yankovic Concert Trafalmadore- Buffalo, NY Late Show (March 10, 1984). Wolfgang's Vault.
- ↑ Weird Al Yankovic Studio Albums. WeirdAl.com.
