"Connection" is a song by

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the U ...

group Elastica. It was originally released on 10 October 1994 as a single and included on their self-titled debut album in 1995. The song debuted and peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and became one of the few

songs to gain popularity in North America, reaching number 53 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number two on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number nine on the Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles chart. The song was the subject of controversy due to its overt similarity to another band's work. The intro synthesizer part (later repeated as a guitar figure) is lifted from the guitar riff in

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is co ...

's " Three Girl Rhumba" and transposed down a semitone. A judgment resulted in an

out-of-court settlement In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...

and the credits were rewritten. Jonathan Perry writing for '' The Phoenix'' noted the similarities to Wire. He included the song in a list of the 90 best songs of the 90s, writing: Connection', Elastica's obsessively catchy stateside breakthrough, nicked its signature opening riff from Wire's 'Three Girl Rhumba' – an overzealous (and uncredited) 'homage' that proved that though imitation may indeed be the highest form of flattery, it can also cost in publishing royalties. Great song, though." The song is the theme to the UK television programme ''

Trigger Happy TV ''Trigger Happy TV'' is a hidden camera/practical joke comedy television series. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for three series on the British television channel Channel 4 ...

''. A live version of the song was featured on the MuchMusic live compilation album, ''

Much at Edgefest '99 "Much @ Edgefest '99" is a compilation album distributed by MuchMusic, promoting the 1999 Edgefest touring rock festival. The album consists primarily of previously unreleased recordings (remixes, live versions, B-sides, etc.) by the bands that tou ...

''. The song also appears in the 2019 film, '' Captain Marvel'', which is set in 1995; in episode 8 of the 2018 Netflix series '' Everything Sucks!'', the 2022 HBO Max movie '' Kimi'' and the Season 3 finale of the Apple TV Plus series '' For All Mankind''.

Reception

'' Pitchfork'' said, "Elastica crafted one of the marvels of the Britpop era: art-rock reconfigured as a carnal rallying cry. All leftward hooks and innuendo, "Connection" never hits its target squarely. The single sounds simple, even primal, as Elastica bashes their dive-bomb riff with enthusiasm."

Track listings

UK CD and 12-inch single # "Connection" # "See That Animal" # "Blue" (Donna's 4-track demo) # "Spastica" UK cassette and limited-edition 7-inch single # "Connection" # "See That Animal" European and Australian CD single # "Connection" # "Rockunroll" (John Peel Session) # "Annie" (John Peel Session) # "See That Animal"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

1994 singles 1994 songs Elastica songs Geffen Records singles Songs written by Justine Frischmann {{1990s-rock-song-stub