It was a hit song back in 2001 and, 22 years later, it’s back in the charts — thanks to its inclusion in a much-talked-about recent movie.
Murder on the Dancefloor was a huge hit for English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor at the dawn of the noughties.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sophie Ellis-Bextor appears on Jimmy Fallon.
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And now, the song is getting a second life after being used during a memorable moment in the controversial Emerald Fennell-directed film Saltburn, starring Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan.
It follows a recent tradition of old songs gaining a new lease of life and a whole new generation of fans thanks to contemporary movies and hit TV shows.
Kate Bush experienced the feeling after Running Up That Hill was used in Stranger Things.
And people who had never heard 80s punk-goth band The Cramps play Goo Goo Muck had an education after Jenna Ortega danced to it in a viral scene from Wednesday.
Now, it’s Bextor’s turn, and she’s back in demand.
The singer, now 44, recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform the song live.
When she posted the footage of her performance, along with footage of her and Fallon messing about backstage, fans were stunned.
Wearing a short, sparkly black minidress, she barely seemed to have aged a day, prompting many to praise how incredible she looked.
“Like fine wine! Stunning!” one fan gushed.
“How has Sophie Ellis-Bextor not aged? She looks amazing,” wrote another. “Totally ageless.”
“She looks exactly the same like 20 years ago. Incredible 😍,” wrote a third fan.
Others were ecstatic to see Bextor get recognition in the US, where she is less of a household name than in the UK.
“I’m so happy the world is finally giving credit where credit is due, this song is a smash and has always been,” one fan wrote.
“She hasn’t changed one bit! So happy you Americans are seeing what we have been seeing for over 22 years! 😍🙌,” added another.
“Finally the US has an idea of how AMAZING Sophie is. Pop icon since 1998,” agreed a third.
Bextor didn’t exactly release one hit song and then slip into obscurity.
She has continued to record and release albums, but perhaps not with the same level of impact as Murder on the Dancefloor.
Her most recent album, Hana, came out in July 2023.
But the singer-songwriter is clearly grateful for the resurgence of interest brought about by viewers of Saltburn.
On January 1, Bextor posted a snippet of the original video to Instagram.
“It’s been 22 years since the release of Murder on the Dancefloor and you can now watch the music video in 4K — the story of a dance competition where evil triumphs over good,” she wrote.
“If you haven’t seen it yet, Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn is now available to watch on Amazon Prime now.
“It features Murder On The Dancefloor in the most brilliant and memorable way.”
Fans flocked to that post to congratulate Bextor on the success of the song and the movie.
“So happy that all these years later this song is getting a rebirth of sorts,” one fan wrote.
“For those of us who’ve been here since the beginning, we get to say welcome to the club.”
“Queen!” added another.
“So glad people are discovering this gem all over again.”
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