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Connection (Elastica song)

1994 single by Elastica

Summary

1994 single by Elastica

FieldValue
nameConnection
coverElastica Connection.jpg
typesingle
artistElastica
albumElastica
released
* Britpop<ref>{{cite weblastStiernbergfirst=Bonniedate=11 June 2014title=The 50 Best Britpop Songsurl=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-britpop-songs/access-date=17 August 2021website=Paste}}
* post-punk<ref>{{cite weblastBradleyfirst=Megandate=2 October 2015title=Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpopurl=https://www.vh1.com/news/6bmm99/top-10-britpop-tracksarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820020247/https://www.vh1.com/news/6bmm99/top-10-britpop-tracksurl-status=livearchive-date=20 August 2022access-date=17 August 2021publisher=VH1}}
* art punk<ref>{{Cite podcasturlhttps://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2023/05/how-britpop-ruled-90s-u-k-musictitle=Champagne Supernova Editionwebsite=Hit Parade Music History and Music Triviapublisher=Slatelast=Molanphyfirst=Chrisdate=12 May 2023access-date=14 May 2023}}
length2:21
writerJustine Frischmann
producerElastica
prev_titleLine Up
prev_year1994
next_titleWaking Up
next_year1995

| B-side =

  • "See That Animal"
  • "Blue" (Donna's 4-track demo)
  • "Spastica"
  • Britpop
  • post-punk
  • art punk
  • Deceptive
  • Geffen

"Connection" is a song by Britpop group Elastica. It was originally released on 10 October 1994 as a single and included on their self-titled debut album in 1995. The song debuted and peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and became one of the few Britpop songs to gain popularity in North America, reaching number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number nine on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Damon Albarn mentions playing the synthesizer intro on a Yamaha QY10 handheld sequencer.

The song was the subject of controversy due to its overt similarity to another band's work. The intro synthesizer part (later repeated as a guitar figure) is lifted from the guitar riff in Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba" and transposed down a semitone. A judgment resulted in an out-of-court settlement and the credits were rewritten. Jonathan Perry writing for The Phoenix noted the similarities to Wire. He included the song in a list of the 90 best songs of the 90s, writing: Connection', Elastica's obsessively catchy stateside breakthrough, nicked its signature opening riff from Wire's 'Three Girl Rhumba' – an overzealous (and uncredited) 'homage' that proved that though imitation may indeed be the highest form of flattery, it can also cost in publishing royalties. Great song, though."

Reception

Pitchfork said, "Elastica crafted one of the marvels of the Britpop era: art-rock reconfigured as a carnal rallying cry. All leftward hooks and innuendo, "Connection" never hits its target squarely. The single sounds simple, even primal, as Elastica bashes their dive-bomb riff with enthusiasm." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine observes that on its release, "Connection" was criticized "for taking the keyboard riff from Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba," though he also notes that "Elastica can make the rigid artiness of Wire into a rocking, sexy single with more hooks than anything on Pink Flag."

Track listings

UK CD and 12-inch single

  1. "Connection"
  2. "See That Animal"
  3. "Blue" (Donna's 4-track demo)
  4. "Spastica"

UK cassette and limited-edition 7-inch single

  1. "Connection"
  2. "See That Animal"

European and Australian CD single

  1. "Connection"
  2. "Rockunroll" (John Peel Session)
  3. "Annie" (John Peel Session)
  4. "See That Animal"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994–1995)Peak
positionAustralia (ARIA)Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)UK Airplay (Music Week)US Billboard Hot 100US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
71
65
30
53
40
2

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)PositionCanada Top Singles (RPM)US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
98
13

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.United KingdomAustraliaUnited States
10 October 1994Deceptive
20 February 1995CDGeffen
18 April 1995Contemporary hit radio

Usage in media

The song was used in the opening credit sequence of the 2023 biographical comedy BlackBerry, playing over a montage depicting the history of mobile phone technology. Later that year, it was used in the horror film Five Nights at Freddy's, during a sequence in which the characters build a fort. It is the final credits song in the 2022 movie Kimi and it also appears in the 2019 movie Captain Marvel, which takes place largely in 1995. The song was used as the opening/closing theme of the TV show Trigger Happy TV.

References

References

  1. Stiernberg, Bonnie. (11 June 2014). "The 50 Best Britpop Songs".
  2. Bradley, Megan. (2 October 2015). "Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpop". [[VH1]].
  3. Molanphy, Chris. (12 May 2023). "Champagne Supernova Edition". [[Slate (magazine).
  4. (23 February 2023). "Damon Albarn: Studio Tour, 'Cracker Island' & Coachella {{!}} Apple Music".
  5. Buckley, Peter. (2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides Ltd.
  6. Perry, Jonathan. (30 December 1999). ""Connection" Elastica". [[The Phoenix (newspaper).
  7. Eric Torres. (27 September 2022). "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". [[Pitchfork (website).
  8. "Elastica Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |".
  9. "Elastica - Elastica | Album | AllMusic".
  10. (1994). "Connection". [[Deceptive Records]].
  11. (1994). "Connection". Deceptive Records.
  12. (1994). "Connection". Deceptive Records.
  13. (1994). "Connection". Deceptive Records.
  14. (1994). "Connection". [[Geffen Records]].
  15. (1994). "Connection". Geffen Records.
  16. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 2 Jul 1995". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
  17. (29 October 1994). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
  18. (29 October 1994). "The Airplay Chart".
  19. (27 May 1995). "Billboard Hot 100".
  20. (24 June 1995). "Mainstream Rock Airplay".
  21. (6 May 1995). "Alternative Airplay".
  22. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995".
  23. (23 December 1995). "The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks".
  24. (16 December 2020). "Dave Grohl goes BritPop with a cheeky cover of Elastica's Connection".
  25. (19 February 1995). "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 20/2/95: Singles".
  26. (14 April 1995). "Selected New Releases".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1994-songs 1994-singles elastica-songs geffen-records-singles songs-written-by-justine-frischmann
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