"Figure 8" is a song by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding from her second studio album, ''

Halcyon Halcyon is a name originally derived from Alcyone of Greek mythology. Halcyon or Halcyone may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''Halcyon'' (TV series), a Virtual Reality murder mystery on SyFy * '' The Halcyon'', British period ...

'' (2012). It was released on 14 December 2012 as the album's second single. The song was written by Goulding and Jonny Lattimer and produced by Monsta, with additional production by Mike Spencer. The accompanying music video was directed by

W.I.Z. Andrew John "W.I.Z." Whiston (born 4 January 1964) is an English director of films and music videos. Career W.I.Z. has directed a number of high-concept videos for major music artists from the United Kingdom and the United States, including Ma ...

and released on 19 November 2012.

Critical reception

"Figure 8" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Michael Roffman of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' called it "a defensive track that finds ouldingreasoning with her scorched paths", adding that Spencer's work with

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

or Kylie Minogue "injects a scenic quality that bludgeons with cinematic density." '' Digital Spy''s Lewis Corner noted the song "continues to explore Ellie's ascent into womanhood, centering around her experience of being left heartbroken by a former love over a buzzing

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...

bassline that vibrates with a gentle nod to the album's namesake." Sam Lansky of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

opined that "Figure 8" "gives the obligatory concession to dubstep, with production by MONSTA serving as effectively, if not more so, than ..

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...

himself would have done." Scott Shetler of

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wrote, "Built around piano and electronics, 'Figure 8' has a moody vibe that matches its heartbreaking lyrics", while comparing it to

Alex Clare Alexander George Clare (c. 1985) is an English singer and songwriter. His debut album, '' The Lateness of the Hour'', was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer. His biggest hit, " ...

's " Too Close", a song co-produced by Spencer. However, in a review of ''Halcyon'',

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

's Ben Hewitt expressed, "Far from showing off her talents, the likes of 'Figure 8' and 'Atlantis' become bottomless pits filled with heavy-handed knob-twiddling."

Commercial performance

"Figure 8" debuted at number 121 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

dated 8 December 2012, ahead of its single release, entering the top 100 at number 82 the following week. After jumping to number 49, the single peaked at number 33 in its fourth week on the chart. The song fared better in New Zealand, where it peaked at number seven, her highest-charting single in that country at that point, and was later certified platinum by Recorded Music NZ. "Figure 8" became Goulding's first song to chart in Finland, reaching number eight.

Music video

The music video for "Figure 8", directed by

, was filmed in a mansion outside London, and features freerunner

Tim Shieff Timothy Shieff is an English freerunner. He won the ''Barclaycard World Freerun Championship'' in 2009 and participated on the television programme MTV's '' Ultimate Parkour Challenge''. He has also competed on ''American Ninja Warrior'' and ' ...

. The video premiered on 19 November 2012. Switching constantly between black-and-white and coloured shots, the video reflects on breaking up with an ex and then missing them. It consists of intercut scenes of Goulding in the mansion in several different situations, such as lying on a mattress as she clutches a red piece of cloth, lying in bed with her on-screen boyfriend, dressed in a red, flowing gown while covered in a red veil, blindfolded, and breaking dishes. Towards the end of the video, Goulding's lit-up body is shown levitating off the bed, as she lets go of the red cloth.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''. * Ellie Goulding – vocals * Rufio Sandilands – arrangement, all instruments * Rocky Morris – arrangement, all instruments * Monsta – production, additional vocal production, recording * Mike Spencer – additional production, mix, additional vocal production, all instruments, recording * Jonny Lattimer – vocal production * Naweed – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs Ellie Goulding songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by Ellie Goulding Songs written by Jonny Lattimer