Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” is hitting new peaks with a new, younger audience. The unusual newfound popularity of the song can be traced to a scandalous scene at the end of Saltburn, a movie catching attention like wildfire across the internet due to its star studded cast and salacious content.
The song is a classic early aught’s anthem, with a thudding beat keeping the energy up during the entire track. It’s infectious synths and catchy melody create a bubbly experience that practically begs to be danced to.
Upon its release, “Murder on the Dancefloor” peaked at No. 2 on the UK Billboard Singles chart and became wildly popular in the Uk, rumored to have been the most played song in Europe in 2002. Now, it’s sitting comfortably in the US Billboard Hit 100 over twenty years after its release. There’s precedent for old songs charting due toTV or movie use; perhaps the most obvious example is Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, which was released in 1985 and charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global chart in 2022 after its use in the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Whether you loved the song when it first came out, or you’re a new fan excited to get to discover an artist that’s new to you, visual media's effective use of soundtracks giving older songs a new life will continue to baffle and excite the music industry.