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A few months after its release, opinion remains divided on Saltburn’s artistic merit, but one thing everyone can agree on is that Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 single Murder on the Dance Floor absolutely goes off.
The song closes out Emerald Fennell’s film, soundtracking a climactic final scene that sees Irish actor Barry Keoghan prancing through a stately home, totally naked. The combination of full-frontal nudity and Ellis-Bextor’s much-loved noughties hit gave the scene instant viral potential, and unsurprisingly, the internet did the rest.
Sophie-Ellis Bextor’s 2001 single Murder on the Dancefloor has propelled back to the charts thanks to its part in Emerald Fennell’s hit film Saltburn.
Murder on the Dance Floor is back on the charts, thanks to the film, peaking at number six in Australia and number eight in the UK, and even charting in the Billboard 100 in the US, marking the first US chart appearance ever for Ellis-Bextor.
All of which is to say, Sophie Ellis-Bextor should be on top of the world right now. Instead, she is hiding in a closet surrounded by extravagant gowns. “I’m sorry, I’ve got all five children home right now, and this is the only place I can find peace and quiet,” laughs Ellis-Bextor, 44, while speaking to this masthead.
Peace and quiet have been hard to come by for the singer ever since “the Saltburn Effect” relaunched Murder on the Dance Floor back into the public arena.
When we talk, Ellis-Bextor is fresh from making her US TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and will soon head our way as the headline act at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ 2024 Bondi Beach Party. While some artists struggle to reconcile being known for one huge hit, Ellis-Bextor is embracing her second wind.
“I’ve never had a complicated relationship with the song. I’ve been singing it really happily for 20-odd years, so it feels quite magical and celebratory,” she says. “When I first wrote my first album, it was the one my friends picked out as a single, so it’s always reminded me of my friends, and we love to dance to it.”
The re-emergence of the song has been largely driven by the Gen Z audience, who have embraced Saltburn’s TikTok-ability. The song even inspired a Saltburn TikTok trend, which sees users showcase their lavish homes while Murder On The Dance Floor plays.