Danger! High Voltage

"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by American rock band Electric Six. It was released as the band's debut single and the lead single from their debut studio album, Fire (2003), in 2002 as a 7" vinyl. It was re-released by XL Recordings on January 6, 2003.[1] It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It received positive reviews from critics and was named Single of the Week by the NME.

"Danger! High Voltage"
Single by Electric Six
from the album Fire
B-side"I Lost Control (Of My Rock and Roll)"
Released2002 (2002)[lower-alpha 1]
Format
Recorded2000
Genre
Length3:34
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Stuart Bradbury
  • Damien Mendis
Electric Six singles chronology
"Danger! High Voltage"
(2002)		 "Gay Bar"
(2003)

Background

Jack White of The White Stripes, a fellow Detroit native, performed the secondary lead vocals on the track.[2] Members of the band have claimed in interviews that the singer was an auto mechanic named John S. O'Leary and not White,[3][4] although music critics suspected this name was a pseudonym for White.[5][6]

The song was originally recorded in early 2000,[7] when the band was under the name The Wildbunch. They were forced to drop this name following legal pressure from the Bristol trip hop collective of the same name.[8] The later album and single version was produced by British music producers, Damien Mendis and Stuart Bradbury—who also created club mixes under the name of Soulchild.

Critical reception

The New York Times called the song "catchier than anything on the radio by the White Stripes."[9] The Guardian called it "insanely catchy", though "the archetypal comic novelty single."[10] Josh Tyrangiel with Time magazine also praised the track.[11] NME's Piers Martin wrote "[Electric Six] rustle up the sort of pop-party thrash which sounds like the idiot half-brother to The Rapture’s 'House Of Jealous Lovers'. That good."[12] The song is listed at number 234 on the best songs of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media. It was also featured in The Pitchfork 500.[1] Writing for The Village Voice, Amy Phillips said, "The two men shout declarations of affection to each other over a sizzling Saturday Night Fever groove, and the sax sounds as if it's being played by someone with a long, luscious mullet. The video features taxidermy and a glowing codpiece."[13]

In other media

The song is also featured in films Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was used in commercials for Subaru, the TV show Malcolm in the Middle, animated series The Simpsons and the video game Forza Motorsport 6.[14]

Music video

The video for this song was produced by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire and stars lead singer Dick Valentine and actress Tina Kanarek outfitted with a brightly flashing codpiece and bra, respectively, as well as a similarly endowed moose, engaging in acts of lovemaking. Paintings featured in the video were created by artist Brian Rea.[15]

Track listings

CD1

  1. "Danger! High Voltage (Soulchild Radio Mix)"
  2. "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)"
  3. "Remote Control (Me)"

CD2

  1. "Danger! High Voltage (Soulchild 12" Blitz Mix)"
  2. "Danger! High Voltage (Thin White Duke Mix)"
  3. "Danger! High Voltage (Kilogram Mix)"

7" single

  1. "Danger! High Voltage (original 7" mix)"
  2. "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)"

12" single

  1. "Danger! High Voltage (Soulchild 12" Blitz Mix)"

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Legacy
  • The band performed the song on their first live album Absolute Pleasure.
  • The band performed the song in their live concert film Absolute Treasure.

Notes
  1. Originally released in 2002, re-released on January 6, 2003.

References
  1. Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
  2. "IN Interview: The Electric Six | inweekly". Inweekly.net. September 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  3. Ieg / Ecc. "Music From the Underground - Electric Six". antiMUSIC. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  4. "Electric Six Interview". Freewilliamsburg.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  5. Haag, Stephen. "Electric Six: Fire < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  6. "5 Jack White projects you may not know about". AXS. June 23, 2014.
  7. Handyside, 2013, pg. 180
  8. Handyside, 2013, pg. 183
  9. Strauss, Neil (February 16, 2003). "MUSIC: SPINS; Burning Down the Garage". The New York Times. Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  10. Petridis, Alexis (June 27, 2003), "Electric Six: Fire" The Guardian. Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  11. Tyrangiel, Josh (June 2, 2003), "Brilliant Idiots". Time Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  12. "Electric Six: Danger! High Voltage". New Music Express. January 7, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  13. Amy Phillips. "Sax as a Weapon". Village Voice.
  14. "Xbox Celebrates a Legacy of Innovation in Forza Motorsport 6 TV Ad". Xbox Wire. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  15. https://altpick.com/news/542
  16. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Danger! High Voltage". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  22. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  23. "Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  24. "British single certifications – Electric Six – Danger High Voltage". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 2, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Danger High Voltage in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

Bibliography
  • Handyside, Chris (2004). Fell in Love with a Band: The Story of The White Stripes. Location unknown:St. Martin's Griffin
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