How 'Saltburn' Revived 'Murder on the Dance Floor' and Other Songs

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder on the Dancefloor' has returned to the top 10 of the UK Official Singles Chart, with its mainstay 'Saltburn.'

Spoiler alert: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for „Saltburn.”

Set in the United Kingdom in 2006, Emerald Fennell's „Saltburn,” starring Jacob Elorty and Barry Keoghan, features indie sleaze and timeless radio hits on its nostalgic soundtrack, including Sophie Ellis-Bexter's T.N. ” MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” and even Flo Rita’s “Lo”.

Over the past week (the film received its streaming release via Amazon Prime Video on December 22), „Murder” and the now 20-year-old singles from the soundtrack have enjoyed several major streaming, listen and audience increases — reminiscent of Kate Bush's „Running Up That Hill” from the movie „Stranger.” Things” and a TikTok-directed hit.

Elordi plays the suave and aristocratic Oxford University student Felix, who catches the attention of Keoghan's character Oliver. When Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family's estate, Saltburn, things slowly take a dark turn and Oliver becomes obsessed with breaking the family fortune. The film ends with a nude scene of Oliver dancing through the empty halls of the estate to the disco club hit „Murder on the Dancefloor”.

Released in 2001, the song was a huge hit for Ellis-Pexter, peaking at number 2 in the UK charts and becoming a top 10 hit worldwide. On Friday, the single entered the top 10 of the UK Official Singles Chart for the first time in 22 years at number 8, its best streaming week in the region (2.2 million streams), per Official charts are company data.

„I really like that song,” Fennell said recently Variety. „It was the only song that seemed fitting to tie the ending of the film together.”

„It's a dark, twisted and humorous ride,” Ellis-Bexter said of the film's plot. „When you get to that point, the song has the sweetness of pop, but also a sting in the tail with the lyrics.” He added, „My luck, how nice to be surprised by an old friend like that song.”

On New Year's Day, „Murder” had its highest daily global streams on Spotify at 1.5 million streams (a 340% increase compared to last year) and entered the Global Spotify chart for the first time (at No. 130). It sits at No. 1 on DSP's Viral 50 chart in the United States and topped its Viral 50 chart both globally and in the UK, with additional increases in Nigeria (220%) and Brazil (290%). Songs like „Running,” „Murder” have also gained a new legion of fans on Tik Tok, where a viral trend mirrored Oliver's dancing on fancy sidewalks.

For the „Murders” music video, Vevo reported a 496% increase in viewership worldwide. That equates to almost six times its average daily views worldwide. The artist saw a 142% jump in global views for Vevo and streams of „Murder's” parent LP, „Read My Lips,” which rose 340% in the US on Spotify in seven days of Saltburn's wide theatrical release. November 22.

In addition to „Murder,” MGMT's „Time to Pretend” music video jumped 115% in global views and Princess Superstar's club mashup with Mason, „Perfect (Exceed)” is currently at No. 5 on Spotify's Viral 50 chart. In America

„Perfect Exeder is going crazy viral with half a million streams a day, and it's in the movie Saltburn,” noted Amsterdam-based DJ and producer Mason. X (formerly Twitter) On December 30. „It's entered the UK Spotify charts, TikTok charts, Beatport charts, Shazam charts worldwide… – a really sick revival and a good Christmas present.”

Back in the States, „Murder” and „Perfect (Exceed)” are on fire on the TikTok charts, while „Murder” is on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart (its highest peak is No. 3 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Song Sales chart). There's still a long way to go for any of the film's unique singles to break into the Hot 100 Songs chart, covering all genres of the release, but if there's anything „Saltburn” taught us, it's that Nothing It is possible if you put your mind to it.