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Danger! High Voltage

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For the 1974 album "Danger High Voltage", see Betty Wright.

"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 December 2002 by XL Recordings. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 20 in Ireland and the Netherlands. 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)"
  • "Remote Control (Me)"
ReleasedDecember 23, 2002 (2002-12-23)
RecordedEarly 2000
Genre
Length3:34
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Stuart Bradbury
  • Damien Mendis
Electric Six singles chronology
"Danger! High Voltage"
(2002) 		"Gay Bar"
(2003)

Background

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The song was originally recorded in early 2000,[3] 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.[4] The later album and single version were produced by British music producers Damien Mendis and Stuart Bradbury, who also created club mixes under the name of Soulchild.

Fellow Detroit native Jack White of the White Stripes performed the secondary lead vocals on the track.[5] Members of the band have claimed in interviews that the singer was an auto mechanic named John S. O'Leary and not White,[6][7] although music critics suspected this name was a pseudonym for White.[8][9]

Critical reception

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The New York Times called the song "catchier than anything on the radio by the White Stripes."[10] The Guardian called it "insanely catchy", though "the archetypal comic novelty single."[11] Josh Tyrangiel with Time magazine also praised the track.[12] 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."[13] 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.[14] 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."[15]

Music video

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The video for this song was directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire. Set in a manor house, it shows lead singer Dick Valentine and actress Tina Kanarek as a wealthy couple, outfitted with a brightly flashing codpiece and bra respectively. Paintings featured in the video were created by artist Brian Rea.[16]

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
Australia December 23, 2002 CD XL [33]
United Kingdom January 6, 2003
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [14][34]
January 20, 2003 7-inch vinyl [35]
United States March 17, 2003 Alternative radio [36]

References

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  1. ^ "Fire – Billboard". Billboard. May 31, 2003. Retrieved June 25, 2021. It's the catchiest dance-rock track to come along in years.
  2. ^ "Interview: Electric Six". musicOMH. August 3, 2005. Retrieved June 25, 2021. ...Electric Six's Danger! High Voltage! single, an insanely catchy piece of sleazy funk rock...
  3. ^ Handyside, 2013, pg. 180
  4. ^ Handyside, 2013, pg. 183
  5. ^ "IN Interview: The Electric Six | inweekly". Inweekly.net. September 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  6. ^ Ieg / Ecc. "Music From the Underground - Electric Six". antiMUSIC. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "Electric Six Interview". Freewilliamsburg.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  8. ^ Haag, Stephen. "Electric Six: Fire". PopMatters. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  9. ^ "Jack White's Greatest Collaborations". Rolling Stone. January 19, 2012.
  10. ^ Strauss, Neil (February 16, 2003). "MUSIC: SPINS; Burning Down the Garage". The New York Times. Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  11. ^ Petridis, Alexis (June 27, 2003), "Electric Six: Fire" The Guardian. Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  12. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (June 2, 2003), "Brilliant Idiots". Time Retrieved on January 4, 2008
  13. ^ "Electric Six: Danger! High Voltage". New Musical Express. January 7, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  14. ^ a b Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
  15. ^ Phillips, Amy (April 2003). "Sax as a Weapon". Village Voice.
  16. ^ "Rea's Flaming Painting(s) In Music Video". Altpick.com. February 10, 2003.
  17. ^ Danger! High Voltage (US CD single liner notes). Electric Six. XL Recordings. 2002. XLS 157CDUS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Danger! High Voltage (Australian CD single liner notes). Electric Six. XL Recordings. 2002. XLS151CDE.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Danger! High Voltage (UK CD1 liner notes). Electric Six. XL Recordings. 2003. XLS 151CDS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Danger! High Voltage (UK CD2 liner notes). Electric Six. XL Recordings. 2003. XLS 151CD2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Danger! High Voltage (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Electric Six. XL Recordings. 2003. XLS 151.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ "Issue 677" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  23. ^ "Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  24. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 5. January 25, 2003. p. 15. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Danger! High Voltage". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 7, 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  31. ^ "Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  32. ^ "British single certifications – Electric Six – Danger High Voltage". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  33. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 23rd December 2002" (PDF). ARIA. December 23, 2002. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 6 January 2003" (PDF). Music Week. December 28, 2002. p. 12. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  35. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 20 January 2003". Music Week. January 18, 2003. p. 35.
  36. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1495. March 14, 2003. p. 26. Retrieved June 11, 2021.

Bibliography

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  • 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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