Electric Avenue

Eddy Grant

About Electric Avenue

"Electric Avenue" is a song written, recorded and produced by Eddy Grant, who released it from his 1982 album Killer on the Rampage. In the United States, with the help of the MTV video he shot for it, it was one of the biggest hits of 1983. The song's title refers to Electric Avenue in the south London district of Brixton which was the first market street to be lit by electricity. According to Grant, he first became aware of the street's existence during a stint acting at the Black Theatre of Brixton. The area is now known for its high population of Caribbean immigrants. At the beginning of the 1980s, tensions over unemployment, racism and poverty culminated in the street events now known as the 1981 Brixton riot. Grant, horrified and enraged, wrote and composed the song in response; a year afterwards, the song was playing over the airwaves. Grant had left the UK shortly after the riots to live in Barbados: his most recent batch of songs had been lost in baggage transit, and "Electric Avenue" was one of the songs he wrote immediately afterwards to make up for the lost material. Grant initially released it as a single in 1983, and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1983, CBS decided to launch the single in the U. S., where it spent five weeks at No. 2 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 charts and hit No. 1 in Cash Box Magazine. (It was kept out of the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 by a combination of two songs, "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara and that year's song of the summer, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.) "Electric Avenue" was a hit on two other US charts: On the soul chart it went to No. 18, and on the dance charts, it peaked at No. 6. It was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best R&B Song of 1983, but lost to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". 


Year:
1999
3:48
42 

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Boy
Boy

Down in the street there is violence
And a lots of work to be done
No place to hang out our washing
And I can't blame all on the sun, oh no

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher

Workin' so hard like a soldier
Can't afford a thing on TV
Deep in my heart I'm a warrior
Can't get food for them kid, good God

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher

Oh no
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no

Who is to blame in one country
Never can get to the one
Dealin' in multiplication
And they still can't feed everyone, oh no

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher

Out in the street
Out in the street
Out in the daytime
Out in the night

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher

Out in the street
Out in the street
Out in the playground
In the dark side of town

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher

We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher, Electric Avenue
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher, Electric Avenue

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Eddy Grant

Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana. more »

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Written by: EDDY GRANT

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Genres
"Electric Avenue" is considered to be a mixture of Synth-pop, Reggae, and New wave music genres.
Release Date
The song was first released in 1982 and is included in Eddy Grant's fifth studio album "Killer on the Rampage".
Chart Ranking
"Electric Avenue" was a huge hit, reaching number two on both the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Primary Theme
The song discusses the economic struggle witnessed in the 1980s, specifically the 1981 Brixton riots in London.
Song's Name Origin
"Electric Avenue" is named after a real street in London. It was famous because it was the first market street to be lit by electricity.
Song Composition
Eddy Grant wrote, produced, and performed "Electric Avenue". He also played all the musical instruments on the song.
21st-century success
The song had a revival in the 21st century when it appeared in the 2008 movie "Pineapple Express".
Remix Version
A remixed version of "Electric Avenue" was released in 2001, which also charted, reaching number 5 in the UK Singles Chart.
Music Video
The music video for the song features stop-motion animation with claymation, and it was the 44th music video to air on MTV's first broadcast day, August 1, 1981.
Legacy
"Electric Avenue" has been included in video games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and SingStar '80s, further establishing its cultural significance.

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    Electric Avenue

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1983

    Billboard #2


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