"Electric Barbarella" | ||||
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Single by Duran Duran | ||||
from the album Medazzaland | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 16 September 1997 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | TV Mania | |||
Duran Duran singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Electric Barbarella" on YouTube |
"Electric Barbarella" is the 29th single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, and the first official single from the album Medazzaland . In 1997, the single and album were released only in the United States; "Electric Barbarella" was not issued as a single in the UK until January 1999 on the back of the late 1998 release of the compilation album Greatest .
The band's previous single, "Out of My Mind", was another track from Medazzaland, but was released as a single from The Saint soundtrack album instead.
"Electric Barbarella" is a direct tribute to the 1968 Roger Vadim film Barbarella , from which a character named Durand Durand inspired the band's name. [3] It is considered as the first ever single by a major label artist available for digital purchase/download on the internet. [4]
The video, directed by photographer Ellen von Unwerth, involved a robot sex doll played by American model Myka Dunkle. Simon Le Bon stated during an interview with Carson Daly on Total Request Live that von Unwerth specifically requested to use Dunkle, despite the fact that the band had other models and friends (including Devon Aoki and Sophie Dahl, both of whom appear in the video's party scene) in mind, due to her background as a dancer, and her ability to "do the mime that would actually make her appear to be a robot." [5] The video had to be mildly censored before receiving airplay on MTV or VH1; by the time the modified video was delivered, the song had already fallen off the charts.
The B-sides for individual "Electric Barbarella" releases included remixes of previously released singles, such as "Girls on Film" or "Out of My Mind". Numerous remixes of the track were also issued on various promo releases and on the internet as well. [6]
The cosmetics company Hard Candy was preparing to launch a colour of nail polish named "Electric Barbarella" at the same time the single was released, but had to halt it because the proper permissions had not been received from the owners of the Barbarella name.
The song was released on 16 September in the United States, and peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 1 November and one year later reached No. 23 in UK singles charts. Due to the debacle over its download release, temporary censoring of the music video and late release to other markets the single is generally considered to have under-performed.
Region | Date |
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United States | 16 September 1997 |
United Kingdom | 23 January 1999 |
Duran Duran
Additional musicians
Duran Duran are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.
Nick Rhodes is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member and the keyboardist of the band Duran Duran.
Greatest is a greatest hits album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released in 1998.
Strange Behaviour is a remix album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released by EMI in March 1999.
Medazzaland is the ninth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 14 October 1997 by Capitol Records solely in North America, Latin America and Japan. The title is a reference to the anesthetic midazolam, which Simon Le Bon was given during dental surgery. It reached number 58 on the Billboard 200 and number 66 on RPM's albums chart.
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