“Murder on the Dancefloor” Originally Had a Line About Ripping a Bong
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Before Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” became a 2024 viral hit thanks to Saltburn, it was a major European hit in 2002. And before it was a 2002 hit, it was merely a demo, scribbled out partially by its co-writer, Gregg Alexander — who originally wrote the lyrics “I’m gonna make us hit the Hague/ Once you hit the bong.”
Alexander, who was also the frontman and songwriter for New Radicals, best known for their hit “You Get What You Give,” revealed the origins of “Murder on the Dancefloor” in a new interview with The Guardian. He unearthed the song’s original demo, which he wrote in his Mustang in the mid ’90s while living in Detroit.
“I had a moment of annoyance that I couldn’t go to the house clubs in Detroit,” Alexander told The Guardian, sharing that he originally had written the song for his band before it landed in Ellis-Bextor’s lap nearly seven years later. He even considered choosing “Murder on the Dancefloor” as the New Radicals’ lead single instead of “You Get What You Give”: “I almost flipped a coin between the two songs,” he said, “The record company wanted something urgently and I didn’t have the time or the budget to finish both. I felt like ‘Murder’ was a monster but ‘You Get What You Give’ was a masterpiece. It was everything I’d always wanted to say inside five minutes.”
The original demo features much of the same qualities as Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s eventual recording — but where Ellis-Bextor sings “I’ll take you all the way/ Stay another song,” Alexander wrote for one pre-chorus “I’m gonna make us hit the Hague/ Once you hit the bong.” Ellis-Bextor also maintained the disco-centric feel of Alexander’s demo, and several of the song’s most indelible moments were saved as well — like the descending line of “I know, I know, I know…” in the verse. “I’d been told you can’t use the same words over and over because it’s too repetitive,” Alexander told The Guardian. “So I used ‘I know’ seven times.”
As fate would have it, Alexander chose “You Get What You Give” as his band’s primary offering, and when New Radicals disbanded in 1999, he lent “Murder” to Ellis-Bextor after she heard the demo in London. Elsewhere in his chat with The Guardian, Gregg Alexander discusses the success of “Murder,” the political implications of “You Get What You Give” that have been largely ignored, and his journey producing and songwriting over the last 25 years.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, meanwhile, is celebrating the breakout success of “Murder on the Dancefloor” by embarking on her first North American tour ever this year; Get tickets for her upcoming trek here.
Get Sophie Ellis-Bextor Tickets Here
Alexander reunited with New Radicals in 2021 to perform “You Get What You Give” at Joe Biden’s Inauguration Parade, as the song was a significant one for Biden’s late son, Beau. Revisit New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give,” because 26 years later, it’s still a pretty incredible piece of music.
“Murder on the Dancefloor” Originally Had a Line About Ripping a Bong
Paolo Ragusa
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