In for the Kill (song)

"In for the Kill"
Single by La Roux
from the album La Roux
Released 15 March 2009 (2009-03-15)
Format CD single, EP, digital download, 7" single, 12" single
Recorded Elfin Studios
(Teddington, London, England)
Genre Electropop, synthpop
Length 4:08
Label Polydor
Writer(s) Elly Jackson, Ben Langmaid
Producer Elly Jackson, Ben Langmaid
La Roux singles chronology
"Quicksand"
(2008)		 "In for the Kill"
(2009)		 "Bulletproof"
(2009)
Audio sample
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"In for the Kill" is a song by English electropop duo La Roux from their eponymous debut album, La Roux (2009). Released as the album's second single in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2009, it was the duo's breakthrough single, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Dubstep producers Skream and Skrillex both made remixes of the track. "In for the Kill" was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2011 Grammy Awards.[1]

Contents

Song information

Vocalist Elly Jackson told Steve Harris of Xfm radio that the song is "about telling someone how you feel regardless of what you get back, and not waiting to find out if they want you or not."[2] The track is heavily influenced by the title theme of the 1980s cartoon classic Pole Position,[3] with the music video paying homage to the show as well. "In for the Kill" was also featured in the Chanel Haute Couture Fall Winter 2009/2010 fashion show.[4]

Critical reception

"In for the Kill" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Digital Spy reviewer David Balls described the song as "slightly odd, endlessly exciting" and stated that it "manages to sound quaintly old-school and positively futuristic all at the same time."[5] Francis Jolley of Clickmusic referred to it as "80s synth pop at its most glorious", naming it "the most exciting single around."[6] In a review for Exclaim!, Cam Lindsay wrote that the track "features some icy, high-pitched woos from Jackson and pulse-pounding beats" which make it sound "delicious".[7] MSN Music called it a "damn fine electro pop humdinger" and complimented Jackson's powerful vocals which "hit the ground running and burst with effervescence from the opening note."[8]

In October 2011, NME placed it at number 64 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[9]

Chart performance

"In for the Kill" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number eleven for the week of 22 March 2009.[10] Four weeks after its debut, the song reached its peak position of number two, where it spent four consecutive weeks, making "In for the Kill" the first non-chart-topper (since Take That's "Rule the World" in 2007) to stay a month at number two. In January 2011, it was named the all-time eleventh best-selling download in the UK.[11] In Ireland, the track debuted at number forty-seven on 16 April 2009[12] and peaked at number thirteen four weeks later.[13] "In for the Kill" was less successful in continental Europe, charting at number forty-three in Belgium, number fifty-three in Austria,[14] number sixty-eight in Slovakia[15] and number ninety-two in Germany.[16] It nevertheless reached number eleven in Norway,[14] as well as number nine on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.[17] The single debuted at number fifty in Australia on 29 June 2009, but fell off the chart the next week. On 13 July 2009 it re-entered the chart at number forty-six, peaking at number thirty-six two weeks later.[18]

Music video

The music video was directed by Kinga Burza and produced by Sarah Tognazzi.[19] The 1980s-inspired video features Jackson singing the song while driving a Toyota MR2. It begins with Jackson driving down a dark road at night. At the beginning of the chorus, she puts on a pair of sunglasses, removing them at the chorus' end. During the instrumental section of the song she waves her hand out of the car window, at which point the road ahead and the cloud-covered moon is visible. Jackson continues to drive the car until she comes across another version of herself standing in the middle of the road. The video concludes with Jackson driving the car, her eyes glowing white.

A second music video was released on 7 October 2010, featuring a slightly different vocal track than the original. It was shot at New York City's Hotel Chelsea, past home to many musicians.[20]

Alternative versions

Dubstep musician Skream produced the most well-known remix of the song, titled the Let's Get Ravey remix, which was included on the CD single and digital EP. This remix can be heard during the closing credits of the Entourage episode "Hair", originally aired 8 August 2010,[21] as well as in television commercials for the 2009 fantasy video game Bayonetta.[22] The track uses Jackson's original vocals over a minimalistic dubstep-esque arrangement, only upping the tempo to drum and bass in the last minute, after which it fades out abruptly. The remix received positive reviews from music critics. The Observer reviewer Gareth Grundy called it "a proper remix, the kind that nudges the original song into thrilling new territory."[23] Cam Lindsay of Exclaim! wrote that while the original version "features some icy, high-pitched wails from Jackson and pulse-pounding beats [...] it's the "Let's Get Ravey Mix" [...] that really kills it."[7] Skream also produced an alternate remix, That Doesn't Sound Like Skream's Remix, which appeared on the digital EP.[24] French musician Lifelike's self-titled remix, which is over six minutes long, was released as a 12-inch single and digital download by French electronic music label Kitsuné.[25]

The official remix of the song for the US featuring rapper Kanye West premiered exclusively on the Entertainment Weekly website on 12 October 2010,[26] and was released digitally on 2 November 2010.[27]

In 2011, Italian hardcore producer duo Art Of Fighters created a bootleg hardcore remix of the song, which first was premiered at their live set in Dominator Festival 30th July 2011. It was later released as a free download in september at their Facebook profile.

Cover versions

"In for the Kill" was covered on the Live Lounge segment of BBC Radio 1's The Jo Whiley Show on three separate occasions: on 18 May 2009 by Australian R&B singer Daniel Merriweather,[28] on 30 January 2010 by Swedish electropop trio Miike Snow[29] and on 12 May 2010 by American R&B singer Kelis.[30] Southern rapper Donnis rapped over a beat which heavily samples the Skream remix of "In for the Kill" in his song "For the Kill" on his 2010 mixtape Fashionably Late. Los Angeles electronic music group The Glitch Mob features excerpts from the song on their 2010 mixtape Drink the Sea Part 2. It was also sampled by hip hop producers Cool & Dre for rapper Game's song "The Kill" on his 2011 mixtape Purp & Patron.

Track listings

  • UK CD single
  1. "In for the Kill" – 4:08
  2. "In for the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) – 5:05
  • UK iTunes EP
  1. "In for the Kill" – 4:10
  2. "In for the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) – 5:04
  3. "In for the Kill" (That Doesn't Sound Like Skream's Remix) – 3:27
  • UK limited edition 7" picture disc
A. "In for the Kill" – 4:08
B. "In for the Kill" – 4:08
  • French iTunes single and 12" single
  1. "In for the Kill" (Lifelike Remix) – 6:08
  • French EP
  1. "In for the Kill" – 4:10
  2. "Quicksand" – 3:06
  3. "In for the Kill" (Lifelike Remix) – 6:09
  4. "In for the Kill" (That Doesn't Sound Like Skream's Remix) – 3:26
  5. "Quicksand" (autoKratz Drags to Riches Remix) – 4:40
  6. "Quicksand" (Beni's Sinking at 1.56 Mix) – 4:16
  7. "In for the Kill" (Skream's Lets Get Ravey Remix) – 5:03
  • US iTunes remix EP
  1. "In for the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) – 5:01
  2. "In for the Kill" (Tim Bran Remix) – 3:43
  3. "In for the Kill" (Danger's Ocean Remix) – 4:16
  4. "In for the Kill" (Skrillex Remix) – 5:11

Personnel

The following people contributed to "In for the Kill":[31]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[18] 36
Austrian Singles Chart[32] 53
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[14] 43
European Hot 100 Singles[17] 9
German Singles Chart[16] 92
Irish Singles Chart[13] 13
Norwegian Singles Chart[33] 11
Slovak Airplay Chart[15] 68
UK Singles Chart[10] 2
Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Hot Dance Club Songs[34] 1

Certifications

Country Certification
Australia Gold[35]
United Kingdom Platinum[36]

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
UK Singles Chart[37] 6

Decade-end charts

Chart (2000–09) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[38] 35

Release history

Country Date Label Format
United Kingdom 15 March 2009 Polydor Digital EP[24]
16 March 2009 CD single,[39] 7" single[40]
France 20 April 2009 Kitsuné Digital single,[41] 12" single[25]
April 2009 EP[42]
United States 14 September 2010 Cherrytree, Interscope Digital EP[43]
2 November 2010 Digital single (featuring Kanye West)[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards nominees". Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy. http://www.grammy.com/nominees?year=2010&genre=49. Retrieved 3 December 2010. 
  2. ^ "In For The Kill by La Roux". Songfacts. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14970. Retrieved 16 April 2009. 
  3. ^ Price, Simon (28 June 2009). "Album: La Roux, La Roux, (Polydor)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-la-roux-la-roux-polydor-1722841.html. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  4. ^ "Chanel Haute Couture Fall Winter 2009/2010:Intro". YouTube. 9 July 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYq59AiMGg. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  5. ^ Balls, David. "La Roux: 'In For The Kill'". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com/music/a146977/la-roux-in-for-the-kill.html. Retrieved 24 April 2009. 
  6. ^ Jolley, Francis (26 March 2009). "La Roux – In For The Kill". Clickmusic. http://www.clickmusic.com/singles/article/la-roux-in-for-the-kill. Retrieved 24 April 2009. 
  7. ^ a b Lindsay, Cam (20 March 2009). "La Roux – "In for the Kill"". Exclaim!. http://exclaim.ca/MusicVideo/ClickHear/la_roux-in_for_kill/. Retrieved 24 April 2009. 
  8. ^ "La Roux – "In For The Kill"". MSN Music. 5 March 2009. http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/music/reviews/article.aspx?cp-documentid=14805959. Retrieved 24 April 2009. 
  9. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/9
  10. ^ a b "La Roux – In For The Kill". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=33990. Retrieved 20 April 2009. 
  11. ^ "Top 100 Downloads of All Time". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 2 January 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/downloads. Retrieved 6 January 2011. 
  12. ^ "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 16 April 2009". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2009&year=2009&week=16. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  13. ^ a b "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 14 May 2009". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2009&year=2009&week=20. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  14. ^ a b c "La Roux – In For The Kill" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=La+Roux&titel=In+For+The+Kill&cat=s. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  15. ^ a b "RADIO TOP100 Oficiálna – La Roux – In For The Kill" (in Slovak). IFPI Slovakia. http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparadask/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=18&titul=145541&sec=40cb9a8fcc474568f7e826166accd9da. Retrieved 7 November 2009. 
  16. ^ a b "Chartverfolgung / La Roux / Single" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/La+Roux/?type=single. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  17. ^ a b "La Roux Album & Song Chart History – European Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/la-roux/chart-history/170748?f=349&g=Singles. Retrieved 7 November 2009. 
  18. ^ a b "La Roux – In For The Kill". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=La+Roux&titel=In+For+The+Kill&cat=s. Retrieved 25 July 2009. 
  19. ^ Knight, David (9 February 2009). "La Roux's In For The Kill by Kinga Burza". Promo News. http://www.promonews.tv/2009/02/09/la-rouxs-in-for-the-kill-by-kinga-burza/. Retrieved 24 April 2009. 
  20. ^ "La Roux goes to New York to revitalize In For The Kill". MTV Europe. MTV Networks Europe. 8 October 2010. http://www.mtv.tv/news/la-roux-new-in-for-the-kill-video/. Retrieved 27 October 2010. 
  21. ^ "Entourage: S7 Ep 84: Hair: Music". HBO. http://www.hbo.com/entourage/episodes/7/84-hair/music.html. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  22. ^ Hashimoto, Yusuke (4 January 2010). "Bayonetta TV Commercial". Platinum Games. http://platinumgames.com/2010/01/04/bayonetta-tv-commercial. Retrieved 25 March 2011. 
  23. ^ Grundy, Gareth (15 March 2009). "Electronic review: La Roux, In For the Kill (Skream remix)". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/15/la-roux-in-for-kill. Retrieved 25 April 2010. 
  24. ^ a b "In for the Kill – EP by La Roux". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/in-for-the-kill-ep/id305408465. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  25. ^ a b "Kitsuné Shop: La Roux – In For The Kill (12")". Kitsuné. http://kitsuneshop.topplersmusic.com/shop/product/KITSUNE095. Retrieved 25 April 2009. 
  26. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (12 October 2010). "La Roux feat. Kanye West, 'In for the Kill': An EW exclusive stream". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc.. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/10/12/la-roux-kanye-west-in-for-the-kill/. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  27. ^ a b "In for the Kill (feat. Kanye West) – EP by La Roux". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-for-kill-feat-kanye-west/id399848699. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  28. ^ "Live Lounge – Daniel Merriweather". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 18 May 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/livelounge/artist/090518_danielmerriweather.shtml. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  29. ^ "Live Lounge – Miike Snow". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 30 January 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/livelounge/artist/100130_miikesnow.shtml. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  30. ^ "Live Lounge – Kelis". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 12 May 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/livelounge/artist/100512_kelis.shtml. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  31. ^ "In for the Kill" (CD single liner notes). Polydor Records. 16 March 2009.
  32. ^ "La Roux – In For The Kill" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=La+Roux&titel=In+For+The+Kill&cat=s. Retrieved 17 March 2011. 
  33. ^ "La Roux – In For The Kill". Verdens Gang. Hung Medien. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=La+Roux&titel=In+For+The+Kill&cat=s. Retrieved 17 March 2011. 
  34. ^ "La Roux Album & Song Chart History – Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/la-roux/chart-history/170748?f=359&g=Singles. Retrieved 18 November 2010. 
  35. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accr.htm. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  36. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 28 August 2009. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx. Retrieved 7 November 2009. 
  37. ^ "Chart of the Year 2009 – the year's biggest selling singles". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100212105022/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/chart_of_the_year_2009/. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
  38. ^ Radio 1 Official Chart of the Decade, as broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on Tuesday, 29 December 2009, presented by DJ Nihal.
  39. ^ "In For The Kill: La Roux". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001SNJAWM. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  40. ^ "La Roux – In For The Kill (7", Shape, Pic, Ltd)". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/La-Roux-In-For-The-Kill/release/1690245. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  41. ^ "Kitsuné: In for the Kill (Lifelike Remix) – Single de La Roux" (in French). iTunes Store France. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/kitsune-in-for-kill-lifelike/id309928057. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  42. ^ "Kitsuné Shop: La Roux – In For The Kill (EP)". Kitsuné. http://kitsuneshop.topplersmusic.com/shop/product/KITSUNE095. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  43. ^ "In for the Kill Remixes – EP by La Roux". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-for-the-kill-remixes-ep/id391569866. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
La Roux
Elly Jackson · Ben Langmaid
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
"Quicksand" · "In for the Kill" · "Bulletproof" · "I'm Not Your Toy"
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