Danger! High Voltage
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"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Electric Six Electric Six is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Detroit in 1996. They are known for combining elements of Rock music, rock, disco, garage rock, Heavy metal music, metal, New wave music, new wave, and punk rock. Since achieving wide ...
. It was released as the band's debut single and the lead single from their debut studio album, ''
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
'' (2003), in December 2002 by
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...
. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 20 in Ireland and the Netherlands. It received positive reviews from critics and was named Single of the Week by the ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''.


Background

The song was originally recorded in early 2000,Handyside, 2013, pg. 180 when the band was under the name the Wildbunch. They were forced to drop this name following legal pressure from the Bristol
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
collective of the same name.Handyside, 2013, pg. 183 The later album and single version were produced by British music producers Damien Mendis and Stuart Bradbury, who also created club mixes under the name of Soulchild. Fellow
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
native
Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...
of
the White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...
performed the secondary lead vocals on the track. Members of the band have claimed in interviews that the singer was an auto mechanic named John S. O'Leary and not White, although music critics suspected this name was a pseudonym for White.


Critical reception

''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called the song "catchier than anything on the radio by the White Stripes." ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called it "insanely catchy", though "the archetypal comic novelty single."
Josh Tyrangiel Josh Tyrangiel is an American journalist. He was previously the deputy managing editor of ''TIME'' magazine and an editor at ''Bloomberg Businessweek''.Stephanie Clifford (November 17, 2009"Josh Tyrangiel Named Editor of BusinessWeek"/ref> In Ju ...
with ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine also praised the track. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
s Piers Martin wrote " lectric Sixrustle up the sort of pop-party thrash which sounds like the idiot half-brother to
The Rapture The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still a ...
's ' House Of Jealous Lovers'. That good." The song is listed at number 234 on the best songs of the 2000s by ''
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
''. It was also featured in ''
The Pitchfork 500 ''The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present'' is a book compiling the greatest songs from 1977 to 2006, published in 2008 by Pitchfork Media. The book focuses on specific genres including indie rock, hip-hop, ele ...
''. Writing for ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', Amy Phillips said, "The two men shout declarations of affection to each other over a sizzling Saturday Night Fever groove, and the sax sounds as if it's being played by someone with a long, luscious mullet. The video features taxidermy and a glowing
codpiece A codpiece () is a triangular piece that attached to the front of men's hose (clothing), hose, covering the Fly (clothing), fly. It may be held in place by ties or buttons. It was an important fashion item of European clothing during the 15th– ...
."


Music video

The video for this song was directed by
Tom Kuntz Tom Kuntz (born July 7, 1972) is an American director and filmmaker who is most known for his television commercials and music videos, which either have colorful settings, time-lapse photography or wildly eccentric humans. He has enjoyed mult ...
and Mike Maguire. Set in a manor house, it shows lead singer Dick Valentine and actress Tina Kanarek as a wealthy couple, outfitted with a brightly flashing
codpiece A codpiece () is a triangular piece that attached to the front of men's hose (clothing), hose, covering the Fly (clothing), fly. It may be held in place by ties or buttons. It was an important fashion item of European clothing during the 15th– ...
and
bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, ; ), is a type of form-fitting underwear that is primarily used to support and cover a woman's breasts. A typical bra consists of a chest band that wraps around the torso, supporting two breast cups ...
respectively. Paintings featured in the video were created by artist Brian Rea.


Track listings

US CD single # "Danger! High Voltage" ( Soulchild radio mix) # "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)" # "Remote Control (Me)" # "Danger! High Voltage" (
Thin White Duke The Thin White Duke was the persona and character adopted by the English musician David Bowie for public appearances in the mid-1970s. Though the Duke is primarily identified with Bowie's 1976 album ''Station to Station'' and is mentioned by n ...
remix by Jacques Lu Cont) Australian CD single # "Danger! High Voltage" (Soulchild radio mix) # "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)" # "Remote Control (Me)" # "Danger! High Voltage" (Soulchild 12-inch Blitz mix) # "Danger! High Voltage" (Kilogram mix) UK CD1 # "Danger! High Voltage" (Soulchild radio mix) # "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)" UK CD2 # "Danger! High Voltage" (Soulchild 12-inch Blitz mix) # "Danger! High Voltage" (Thin White Duke mix) # "Danger! High Voltage" (Kilogram remix) UK 7-inch single :A. "Danger! High Voltage" (original 7-inch mix) :B. "I Lost Control (Of My Rock & Roll)"


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References


Bibliography

*Handyside, Chris (2004). ''Fell in Love with a Band: The Story of The White Stripes''. Location unknown:St. Martin's Griffin


External links

*
Pitchfork review
{{Authority control 2001 songs 2002 debut singles 2003 singles Electric Six songs Jack White Number-one singles in Scotland UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles Male vocal duets XL Recordings singles