Electra Heart (song)
| "Electra Heart" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by BetaTraxx featuring Marina and the Diamonds | |
| Released | 5 May 2014 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:43 |
| Label | Pilot |
| Writer |
|
| Producer | BetaTraxx |
"Electra Heart" is a song by American producer BetaTraxx featuring Welsh recording artist Marina and the Diamonds. Originally recorded for and ultimately excluded from Diamandis' second studio album Electra Heart (2012), the track and its accompanying music video were premiered on 8 August 2013, symbolically ending the promotional campaign for the record. However, it was later released through online music stores on 5 May 2014 by Pilot Records.
Background and release
In August 2011, Diamandis announced her then-upcoming project Electra Heart, which would be supplemented by a series of visual components; the titular character "Electra Heart" became "a vehicle to portray part of the American dream with elements of Greek tragedy", which she felt would be clarified through said visuals more effectively than could be verbally articulated.[1] The concept evolved into Diamandis' second studio album Electra Heart, for which approximately twenty-two songs were recorded for potential inclusion.[2] It was released in March 2012;[3] it became her highest-charting record in several territories, and respectively reached numbers 1 and 31 on the UK Albums Chart and U.S. Billboard 200.[4]
Diamandis first mentioned the existence of an unreleased title track during the last leg of her headlining The Lonely Hearts Club Tour.[5] She released the music video "Part 11: Electra Heart" on 8 August 2013, which simultaneously premiered the title track that was excluded from the parent record.[4] The clip contained elements of the ten previously-released music videos that comprised "The Archetypes" series, which Diamandis created to illustrate the "Electra Heart" character; the final scene of the video sees Diamandis smudging the iconic black heart on her cheek, symbolically killing off the character and effectively concluding promotional efforts for Electra Heart.[4] Producer BetaTraxx re-released the song through his SoundCloud account on 28 April 2014,[6] while it was officially released through the iTunes Store on 5 May 2014.[7]
Composition
"Electra Heart" was written by Diamandis and American producer BetaTraxx,[8] while BetaTraxx was solely responsible for its production.[6] Heavily inspired by elements of synthpop and dubstep music, the track was distinguished by Bradley Stern from MuuMuse for its "crashing, synth-heavy explosion of stuttering vocals and big dub-y beats"; he additionally made particular note of the lyrics "For forgiveness, you could always pray / That the sickness, it could go away".[5] Having interpreted the previous music videos to illustrate "the story of a young woman on a journey to find herself and navigate modern popular culture", Scott Interrante from The Absolute suggested that track represented her lack of satisfaction in "[failing] to become someone else", and reacted by killing the "Electra Heart" character.[9]
Whereas the original version is three minutes and forty-three seconds in length,[7] the extended BetaTraxx Remix of "Electra Heart" lasts for a duration of four minutes and twenty-five seconds.[10] Diamandis initially recorded her vocals for a demo of the remix before deciding on the final version; BetaTraxx commented that it was further produced before being released as the BetaTraxx Remix.[10] The classical version of "Electra Heart" is six minutes and thirty-eight seconds long; it makes use of prominent piano instrumentation, and removes Diamandis' vocals from the song.[11] The final Teddy Killerz Remix is the shortest of the four versions, standing at three minutes and twenty-eight seconds in length.[12]
Track listing
| "Electra Heart" – Digital download[7] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Electra Heart" |
| BetaTraxx | 3:43 | ||||||
Total length: |
3:43 | |||||||||
| "Electra Heart" (Classical Version) – Digital download[13] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Electra Heart" (classical version) | BetaTraxx | 6:38 | |||||||
Total length: |
6:38 | |||||||||
Release history
| Region | Date | Version | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 28 April 2014 | Original version | Online streaming | N/A | [6] |
| United States | 5 May 2014 | Digital download | Pilot | [7] | |
| Worldwide | 13 May 2014 | BetaTraxx Remix | Online streaming | N/A | [10] |
| 27 May 2014 | Classical version | [11] | |||
| 30 May 2014 | Teddy Killerz Remix | [12] | |||
| United States | 9 June 2014 | Classical version | Digital download | Psi Sci | [13] |
References
- ↑ Robinson, Peter (7 August 2011). "Marina & The Diamonds interview". Popjustice. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ Davidson-Vidavski, Doron (16 March 2012). "Interview: Marina & The Diamonds". Planet Notion. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ↑ "New Releases - Friday 27.04.12". Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Benjamin, Jeff (8 August 2013). "Marina & The Diamonds Kills "Electra Heart" Alter-Ego In New Video". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Stern, Bradley (8 August 2013). "Rest In Peace: Marina And The Diamonds Kills 'Electra Heart' With Final Chapter". MuuMuse. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Electra Heart Ft. Marina And The Diamonds". SoundCloud. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "iTunes - Music - Electra Heart (feat. Marina & The Diamonds) - Single by BetaTraxx". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ "♡ Part 11: Electra Heart ♡". YouTube. Google. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ Interrante, Scott. "Marina and The Diamonds "Electra Heart: The Archetypes"". The Absolute. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Electra Heart Feat. Marina & The Diamonds (Betatraxx Remix)". SoundCloud. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Electra Heart (Classical Version)". SoundCloud. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Betatraxx - Electra Heart ft. Marina and the Diamonds (Teddy Killerz Remix)". SoundCloud. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "iTunes - Music - Electra Heart (Classical Version) - Single by BetaTraxx". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||