Read My Lips | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 September 2001 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:04 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Read My Lips | ||||
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Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 3 September 2001 by Polydor Records. [1] After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, for which Ellis-Bextor served as lead vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music.
Critical response to Read My Lips was polarised, with music critics denouncing its content that was, according to one magazine, Q, of lesser quality than "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"—the singer's collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller and according to others, inherently malign simply on account of being chart pop. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It spawned four singles: "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", double A-side single "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "Music Gets the Best of Me".
Following the disbandment of Britpop group Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller. [3] The song was a commercial success, [4] and Ellis-Bextor signed to Polydor. She was contacted by director Baz Luhrmann, who offered her a role in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! , but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist. [5] The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician Moby to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it. [2] He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour. [2] The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York City, which did not make the final cut of Read My Lips. [5] [6] Furthermore, she also recorded with Blur bassist Alex James, as well as former frontman of the New Radicals, Gregg Alexander, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for his programming and keyboard work. [6]
The album's title was chosen due to the strong lipstick Ellis-Bextor used for the album artwork, the "Take Me Home" music video and "Read My Lips" is sung in the opening verse of the album track "The Universe Is You". [7] The album photography was shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot. [8]
An "eclectic" album, Read My Lips, is a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco. [5] The album opener and first single is a cover version of Cher's 1979 song "Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove". [9] Betty Clarke from The Guardian observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle (in the film My Fair Lady ). [10] "Move This Mountain", co-written by Alex James, is a "vibrant" ballad with a trip hop-influenced sound. [9] Following track and second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", is a dance-pop and disco record, that utilises bass guitar and piano in its instrumental. [10] [11] [12] "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards", [10] while "Final Move" contains "tinny beats" and "electro swirls". [10] The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth". [13] "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding", [10] while "Leave the Others Alone" involves "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards". [10] "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent. [13] Re-release new song "Get Over You" is a "polite" Euro disco take on "I Will Survive". [14]
Promotion for Read My Lips launched with the release of "Take Me Home", a cover of the song by singer Cher, which was released on 13 August 2001. [15] Although its production and Ellis-Bextor's vocal performance in the song were heavily criticised, [16] the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. [17] After the release of the album, "Murder on the Dancefloor" was serviced as its second single on 3 December 2001. [18] It peaked in the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. [19] [20] A double A-side single including new re-release song "Get Over You" and original album track "Move This Mountain" was released on 10 June 2002, in a set of two CD singles. [21] [22]
Ellis-Bextor, who had previously felt uncomfortable with the idea of touring, confirmed a UK-only tour in January 2002, which took place from April to May. [23] Later, in July 2002, other dates of the tour were revealed for 2003. [24]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Blue Coupe | Positive [9] |
Entertainment.ie | [25] |
The Guardian | Negative [10] |
The Independent | Mixed [26] |
Q | [27] |
Yahoo! Music | [28] |
Toby Manning from Q cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with Spiller. [27] He also found that the album's music and the distinctive pronunciation of Ellis-Bextor's vocal delivery did not work to complimentary effect. [27] Betty Clarke from The Guardian described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had". [10] Kelvin Hayes from AllMusic dubbed it "a disappointing debut from Ellis-Bextor, fusing Human League synth with beats and cinematic strings", but described "Murder on the Dancefloor" as the "shimmering highlight" from the album. [13] A critic from entertainment.ie said "the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice", and said that "most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing". [25]
In contrast to the previous reviews, Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's Parallel Lines album", although he claimed that fans of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single". [9]
Read My Lips debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 23,023 copies in its first week. Although the original ten-track edition dropped down and out of the charts over the next few weeks, a twelve-track UK edition, released in December 2001, peaked at number three in January 2002 following the chart success of "Murder on the Dancefloor". Finally, a fifteen-track edition with a considerably revised running order was released in summer 2002 and peaked at number two—41 weeks after the original edition first charted. [29] The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 21 June 2002. [30] As of December 2020, it had sold 842,000 copies in the United Kingdom. [31]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
2. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
5. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
6. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
7. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
8. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
9. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
10. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
2. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
5. | "Sparkle" (UK bonus track) |
|
| 4:31 |
6. | "Final Move" (UK bonus track) |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
7. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
8. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
9. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
10. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
12. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
3. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
| 3:39 |
6. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
7. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
8. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
9. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
10. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
11. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
12. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
13. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley [a] | 4:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" (Jewels & Stone Mix) |
|
|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
3. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
| 3:39 |
6. | "Sparkle" (UK bonus track) |
|
| 4:31 |
7. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
8. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
9. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
10. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
12. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
13. | "Final Move" (UK bonus track) |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
14. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
15. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley [a] | 4:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "Never Let Me Down" (B-side of "Murder on the Dancefloor") |
|
| 3:43 |
16. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley [a] | 4:00 |
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2002 UK reissue of Read My Lips.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [62] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
France (SNEP) [63] | Gold | 100,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [64] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [65] | Gold | 20,000 |
United Kingdom (BPI) [30] | 2× Platinum | 842,000 [31] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [66] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Tour by Sophie Ellis-Bextor | |
Associated album | Read My Lips |
---|---|
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 45 in Europe |
Sophie Ellis-Bextor concert chronology |
The Read My Lips Tour was the debut concert tour by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, in support of her debut studio album. Beginning January 2003, the tour visited the European continent. [67] As of 2013, it is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever headlined. [10]
The Read My Lips Tour is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever gone on, having 38 dates and two legs. [68] The Shepherd's Bush Empire gig was recorded, later being released in Ellis-Bextor's first video album, Watch My Lips .
This setlist was obtained from the concert held 3 May 2002 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, England. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Europe—Leg 1 [69] | |||
17 April 2002 | Middlesbrough | England | Middlesbrough Town Hall |
18 April 2002 | Carlisle | Sands Centre | |
19 April 2002 | Northampton | Derngate | |
21 April 2002 | York | Barbican | |
22 April 2002 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Queen's Hall |
23 April 2002 | Warrington | England | Parr Hall |
25 April 2002 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | |
26 April 2002 | Norwich | The Waterfront | |
27 April 2002 | Folkestone | Leas Cliff Hall | |
29 April 2002 | Basingstoke | The Anvil | |
30 April 2002 | Leicester | Richard Attenborough Centre | |
1 May 2002 | Bristol | Colston Hall | |
3 May 2002 | London | Shepherd's Bush Empire | |
4 May 2002 | |||
Europe—Leg 2 [70] | |||
16 January 2003 | Grimsby | England | Grimsby Auditorium |
17 January 2003 | Preston | Preston Guild Hall | |
19 January 2003 | Glasgow | Scotland | Clyde Auditorium |
23 January 2003 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall |
24 January 2003 | Nottingham | Theatre Royal | |
25 January 2003 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | |
27 January 2003 | Liverpool | Royal Court Theatre | |
28 January 2003 | Wolverhampton | Wolverhampton Civic Hall | |
29 January 2003 | Cambridge | Cambridge Corn Exchange | |
31 January 2003 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff International Arena |
1 February 2003 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo |
2 February 2003 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | |
4 February 2003 | Brighton | Brighton Centre | |
5 February 2003 | London | Hammersmith Apollo | |
9 February 2003 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Melkweg |
11 February 2003 | Stockholm | Sweden | Nalen |
12 February 2003 | Oslo | Norway | Rockefeller Music Hall |
13 February 2003 | Gdynia | Poland | Klub Muzyczny „Ucho" |
14 February 2003 | Aarhus | Denmark | Train |
15 February 2003 | Copenhagen | Amager Bio | |
17 February 2003 | Brussels | Belgium | Ancienne Belgique |
18 February 2003 | Cologne | Germany | Live Music Hall |
21 February 2003 | Hamburg | Große Freiheit 36 | |
22 February 2003 | Berlin | Universal Hall | |
24 February 2003 | Darmstadt | Centralstation | |
25 February 2003 | Munich | Kleine Elserhalle | |
26 February 2003 | Zürich | Switzerland | Volkshaus |
28 February 2003 | Milan | Italy | Propaganda |
1 March 2003 | Marseille | France | Théâtre du Moulin |
2 March 2003 | Lyon | Le Transbordeur | |
3 March 2003 | Paris | Élysée Montmartre | |
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and achieved success beginning in the early 2000s. Her music is mainstream pop and dance with influences of disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic music.
Shoot from the Hip is the second studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 27 October 2003 by Polydor Records. It was produced by Gregg Alexander, Matt Rowe, Jeremy Wheatley and Damian LeGassick.
"Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Gregg Alexander, produced by Alexander and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's debut studio album, Read My Lips (2001). Released on 3 December 2001, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit worldwide, charting within the top three in Australia, New Zealand, and four European countries. In the United States, the single reached number nine on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart. "Murder on the Dancefloor" is reported to have been the most played song in Europe in 2002.
Cristiano Spiller is an Italian electronic music DJ and record producer. He is best known for his 2000 single "Groovejet ", featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The song reached number-one in the UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. It sold over two million copies and was rumoured to be the first song to be played on an iPod.
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" is a song by the Italian electronic music DJ and record producer Spiller with lead vocals performed by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Various versions of the single were later featured on the German reissue and some UK editions of Ellis-Bextor's debut solo studio album, Read My Lips (2001). The single was released on 14 August 2000 by Positiva Records and was involved in a highly publicised chart battle against "Out of Your Mind", the first single by Victoria Beckham outside the Spice Girls, in the United Kingdom.
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
"Get Over You" and "Move This Mountain" are two songs by British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In most countries, "Get Over You" received a solo release, but in the United Kingdom, the two tracks were issued as a double A-side single on 10 June 2002. The former track was taken off the Read My Lips album reissue, while the latter was an album track in the original album release.
"Music Gets the Best of Me" is a song by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released as the fourth and final single from her debut solo album, Read My Lips (2001). The single was one of two new tracks that appeared on the re-issue of the album in 2002, along with previous single "Get Over You". The song peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 15 in Italy and Romania. Two music videos were made for the song.
Trip the Light Fantastic is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released on 21 May 2007 by Fascination Records following the release of the lead single, "Catch You" and the second single, "Me and My Imagination". The album was available to stream via the internet on 18 May 2007, three days before the official release date. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 7.
Richard Jones is a British music producer, songwriter, bass guitar player and founding member of the rock band The Feeling.
British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has released seven solo studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one remix album, one extended play, one video album, thirty-seven singles and twenty-seven music videos. Ellis-Bextor debuted in 1997 as frontwoman of the indie music group theaudience, whose single "I Know Enough " reached the top 25 on the United Kingdom singles chart. They released a self-titled album. A follow-up was shelved by label Mercury Records, but selected tracks circulate as bootlegs.
"Me and My Imagination" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Hannah Robinson and co-written and produced by Matt Prime. It is a dance-pop, disco song and its lyrics advise an overeager suitor to play harder to get. Some critics noted that it recalls the songs from her first studio album, Read My Lips (2001).
"Salsoul Nugget (If U Wanna)" is a song by British production duo M&S as part of their musical project, the Girl Next Door. Released on London Records in March 2001, the song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number 21 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Watch My Lips is the first and only video release by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It includes Ellis-Bextor's concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, as part of the Read My Lips Tour; Read My Lips-era videos; Theaudience's videos and extras.
Wanderlust is the fifth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 20 January 2014 by EBGB's. The album marks a sharp shift from Ellis-Bextor's electronic dance roots, incorporating elements of folk, baroque and orchestral music. It was featured as BBC Radio 2's "Album of the Week" on 18 January 2014.
Familia is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, Wanderlust. It was released on 2 September 2016, by EBGB LLP and was critically acclaimed. It was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July.
The Song Diaries is a compilation album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 15 March 2019 by EBGB's. Made in collaboration with Ed Harcourt, the album consists primarily of orchestral versions of Ellis-Bextor's solo singles, including her collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller, "Groovejet ", and a song from her time as part of Theaudience, "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed". It was called an "orchestral greatest hits" by Clash. Ellis-Bextor toured the UK with a full orchestra and band in support of the album from June 2019.
Songs from the Kitchen Disco is the first greatest hits album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 13 November 2020 by EGBG's, although it was previously announced for 23 October. It features singles from all her studio albums: Read My Lips (2001), Shoot from the Hip (2003), Trip the Light Fantastic (2007), Make a Scene (2011), Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016), as well as a number of cover versions of songs by other artists. Songs from the Kitchen Disco serves as the follow-up to her previous release, the 2019 orchestral compilation album The Song Diaries.
Hana is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released through Cooking Vinyl on 2 June 2023. The album is her third and final to be produced by Ed Harcourt, alongside Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016). Musically, Ellis-Bextor sought to create a fantastical world for the album, inspired by a trip to Japan shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Ellis-Bextor's first and most successful solo album after a spell as vocalist with theaudience, Read My Lips debuted at number four in 2001 (23,023 sales) and peaked 41 weeks later at number two.