Electric Avenue (song)

"Electric Avenue" is a song written, recorded and produced by Eddy Grant, who released it from his 1982 album Killer on the Rampage. In the United States, with the help of the MTV video he shot for it, it was one of the biggest hits of 1983. The song's title refers to Electric Avenue in the south London district of Brixton which was the first market street to be lit by electricity. According to Grant, he first became aware of the street's existence during a stint acting at the Black Theatre of Brixton.[1] The area is now known for its high population of Caribbean immigrants. At the beginning of the 1980s, tensions over unemployment, racism and poverty culminated in the street events now known as the 1981 Brixton riot. Grant, horrified and enraged, wrote and composed the song in response; a year afterwards, the song was playing over the airwaves. Grant had left the UK shortly after the riots to live in Barbados: his most recent batch of songs had been lost in baggage transit, and "Electric Avenue" was one of the songs he wrote immediately afterwards to make up for the lost material.[1]

For other uses, see Electric Avenue (disambiguation).
"Electric Avenue"
UK cover
Single by Eddy Grant
from the album Killer on the Rampage
Released1983
Studio
Genre
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s)Eddy Grant
Producer(s)Eddy Grant
Audio sample
"Electric Avenue"
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Electric Avenue" on YouTube

Grant initially released it as a single in 1983, and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1983, CBS decided to launch the single in the U.S., where it spent five weeks at No. 2 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 charts[5] and hit No. 1 in Cash Box Magazine. (It was kept out of the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 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.) "Electric Avenue" was a hit on two other US charts: On the soul chart it went to No. 18,[6] and on the dance charts, it peaked at No. 6.[7] It was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best R&B Song of 1983,[8] but lost to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean".

Music video

The video was the crucial element for this song to go mainstream in America. It was filmed in Barbados.[1] The song was already a hit in the UK. When MTV ran music videos on its network, the producers put the song into rotation to add some racial diversity. MTV in their early years played videos by white artists almost exclusively and were criticized by famous musicians like David Bowie for not having black artists on the network.[9] After "Billie Jean" aired and was successful, MTV was soon scrambling to get other black artists into their rotation. Once "Electric Avenue" aired, it did not take long for the song to climb up to the no. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.[10]

Other release information

The original B-Side to this song was a non-LP track titled "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,[11] 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.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts
Chart (1983) Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[37] 20
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[38] 46
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[39] 6
Germany (Official German Charts)[40] 63
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[41] 76
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[42] 37
US Billboard Hot 100[43] 22
US Cash Box[44] 9
Chart (2001) Rank
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[45] 99

Refugee Camp All-Stars version
"Avenues"
Single by Refugee Camp All-Stars feat. Pras & Ky-Mani Marley
Released1997
FormatMaxi single
Length3:56 (single version)
3:59 (album version)
LabelMotor Music
Songwriter(s)Eddy Grant
Producer(s)Pras, Jerry Duplessis, Wyclef Jean

In 1997, Refugee Camp All-Stars covered the song for the original soundtrack of the movie Money Talks. This cover was titled "Avenues" and featured reggae artist Ky-Mani Marley.

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[46] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[47] 32
Germany (Official German Charts)[48] 51
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[49] 10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[50] 14
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[51] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[52] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[53] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[54] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[55] 35

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[56] 86
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[57] 69
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[58] 22

See also

References
  1. Simpson, Dave (3 September 2018). "How we made Eddy Grant's Electric Avenue". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. Greene, Jo-Ann. "Eddy Grant – Killer on the Rampage". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. Galil, Leor (May 4, 2016). "Chief Keef meets CeeLo and Eddy Grant on 'Violence (Army)'". Chicago Reader. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  4. Anthony, Todd (January 5, 1994). "Soca Up the Sun". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 263.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 235.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 113.
  8. "Michael Jackson Tops Grammy Nominations". Detroit Free Press. 11 January 1984. p. 5B.
  9. Izadi, Elahe (12 January 2016). "How David Bowie confronted MTV for ignoring black artists in the early 1980s". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  10. Denisoff, R. Serge (1988). Inside MTV. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-88738-864-4.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  12. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989, part 2". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6231." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  16. "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Eddy Grant" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Electric Avenue". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
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  22. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (G)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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  28. "Danishcharts.com – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue". Tracklisten. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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  31. "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 31 May 2001". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue (Ringbang Remix By Peter Black)" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  33. "[Ringbang+Remix&cat=s Dutchcharts.nl – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue [Ringbang Remix]"] (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  34. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  35. "[Ringbang+Remix&cat=s Swisscharts.com – Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue [Ringbang Remix]"]. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  36. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  37. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  38. "Jaaroverzichten 1983" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  39. "The Top Singles of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39 no. 17. 24 December 1983. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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  42. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 singles: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 42–43. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.
  43. "Top 100 Hits for 1983". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  44. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012.
  45. "ChartsPlusYE2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  46. "Ultratop.be – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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  48. "Offiziellecharts.de – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  49. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  50. "Dutchcharts.nl – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  51. "Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani: Avenues" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  52. "Charts.nz – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  53. "Norwegiancharts.com – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues". VG-lista. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  54. "Swedishcharts.com – Refugee Camp All Stars featuring Pras & Ky-Mani – Avenues". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  55. "Billboard Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 42. 18 October 1997. p. 96. ISSN 0006-2510.
  56. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  57. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
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