"Electric Barbarella" is the 29th single by Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

, and the first official single from the album Medazzaland

Medazzaland

Medazzaland is the ninth album by British pop rock group Duran Duran. It was released by Capitol Records on in the U.S., where it reached #58 on the Billboard album chart. It was never officially released in Europe....

. In 1997, the single and album were released only in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

; "Electric Barbarella" was not issued as a single in the UK until January 1999 on the back of the late 1998 release of the compilation album Greatest

Greatest (Duran Duran album)

In November 2003, the videotape compilation was released in DVD format, titled Duran Duran: Greatest — The DVD, with hidden extra materials, including alternative versions of some of the videos and interviews of the band, however, this version is much criticised for its extensive use of easter egg...

.

The band's previous single, "Out of My Mind", was another track from Medazzaland, but was released as a single from The Saint

The Saint (film)

The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...

soundtrack album

Soundtrack album

A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...

 instead.

About the song

"Electric Barbarella" is a direct tribute to the 1968 Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...

 film Barbarella

Barbarella (film)

Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...

, from which the band took their name.

It has been touted as the first song available for digital purchase/download on the Internet, and dozens of different mixes were created from the song. A Dom T mix exclusive to the Internet was available for download in the US for 99 cents. This pioneering move annoyed many American retailers as they saw it as infringing on their retail territory and they either refused to stock the album, or provided very little, or sometimes no, promotion of the disc.

Music video

The video, directed by photographer Ellen von Unwerth

Ellen von Unwerth

Ellen von Unwerth is a photographer and director, specializing in erotic femininity. She worked as a fashion model for ten years herself before moving behind the camera, and now makes fashion, editorial, and advertising photographs.Ellen von Unwerth found fame when she first photographed Claudia...

, involved a robot sex doll

Robot fetishism

Robot fetishism is a fetishistic attraction to humanoid robots; also to people acting like robots or people dressed in robot costumes. A less common fantasy involves transformation into a robot...

 played by American model Myka Dunkle. Simon Le Bon stated during an interview with Carson Daily on Total Request Live

Total Request Live

Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...

 that von Unwerth specifically requested to use Dunkle, despite the fact that the band had other models and friends, including Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl , born Sophie Holloway, is an English author and former model. She was born in London, the daughter of actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Her paternal grandparents were actor Stanley Holloway and...

 (who does appear in several scenes in the video), in mind due to her background as a dancer, and her ability to "do the mime that would actually make her appear to be a robot." The video had to be mildly censored before receiving airplay on MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 or VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

; by the time the modified video was delivered, the song had already fallen off the charts.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes

The b-side for "Electric Barbarella" was a mix of their previous single, "Out of My Mind".

Numerous remixes were issued on various promo releases and on the internet.

Complete list of Remixes

1. "Electric Barbarella" - 5:15
2. "Electric Barbarella (edit)" - 4:16
3. "Electric Barbarella (Single edit)" - 3:58
4. "Electric Barbarella (Single edit - no solo)" - 4:00
5. "Electric Barbarella (The Electric Sex Remix)" - 5:02
6. "Electric Barbarella (The Electric Sex Instrumental Remix)" - 5:04
7. "Electric Barbarella (Russell Simins "Electric Sex Remix")" - 5:11
8. "Electric Barbarella (Russell Simins "Electric Sex Instrumental Remix")" - 5:11
9. "Electric Barbarella (The Americruiser Remix)" - 6:08
10. "Electric Barbarella (Eli Janney "Americruiser Remix")" - 6:17
11. "Electric Barbarella (Eli Janney "Yo Shorty Americruiser Remix")" - 5:11
12. "Electric Barbarella (The Yo Shorty Americruiser Remix)" - 5:01
13. "Electric Barbarella (Tee's Club Mix)" - 5:54
14. "Electric Barbarella (Tee's Dance Mix)" - 6:03
15. "Electric Barbarella (Tee's Speed dub)" - 6:15
16. "Electric Barbarella (Tee's radio edit)" - 4:05
17. "Electric Barbarella (Tee's Capella)" - 2:11
18. "Electric Barbarella (TNT In-House mix)" - 5:12
19. "Electric Barbarella (TNT radio mix)" - 3:23
20. "Electric Barbarella (All Fired Up mix)" - 7:09
21. "Electric Barbarella (Barbarella Bonus Beats)" - 4:45

Media references

The cosmetics company Hard Candy

Hard Candy (cosmetics)

Hard Candy is an American cosmetics company, founded in 1995 by Iranian American sisters and Benjamin A. Einstein. Dineh Mohajer and ex-boyfriend Ben Einstein & several successful sport media comp., Pooneh Mohajer...

 was preparing to launch a colour of nail polish

Nail polish

Nail polish, or nail varnish, is a lacquer applied to human fingernails or toenails to decorate and/or protect the nail plate.-History:...

 named "Electric Barbarella" at the same time the single was released, but had to halt it because the proper permissions had not been received from the owners of the Barbarella name.

Chart positions

The song was released on September 16 in the United States, and peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 on November 1 and one year later reached #23 in UK singles charts .

Release history

Region	Date
United States
United Kingdom

7": Capitol / S7-724381972175 (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (album version) - 5:15
2. "Out of My Mind" (album version) - 4:16

CD: Capitol / C2 7243 8 58674 0 8 (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (album version) - 5:15
2. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Club mix) - 5:41
3. "Electric Barbarella" (All Fired Up mix) - 7:09
4. "Out of My Mind" (Perfecto mix) - 5:51
5. "Sinner and Saint" - 4:06
6. "Electric Barbarella" (Video - director's cut) - 4:50

CD: EMI / CD ELEC 2000 (UK)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (Edit) - 4:15
2. "Girls on Film" (Tin Tin Out Radio mix) - 4:51
3. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Radio Mix) - 4:05

• Released November 1998
• Also released on MC - TC ELEC 2000

12": Capitol / Y 7243 8 58674 1 5 (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Club mix) - 5:54
2. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Dance mix) - 6:16
3. "Electric Barbarella" (All Fired Up mix) - 7:12
4. "Electric Barbarella" (Barbarella Bonus Beats) - 4:49

12": EMI / 12 ELEC 2000 (UK)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Club Mix) - 5:54
2. "Electric Barbarella" (Electric Sex mix) - 5:02
3. "Girls on Film" (Salt Tank Mix) - 6:27

• Released November 1998

12": Capitol / SPRO 12098 (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Club Mix)
2. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Speed Dub)
3. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Dance Mix)
4. "Electric Barbarella" (TNT In-House Mix)
5. "Electric Barbarella" (Tee's Capella)

• US promo 12" labelled "Todd Terry Remixes"

12": Harvest / SPRO 7087 (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (Electric Sex Remix)
2. "Electric Barbarella" (Electric Sex Instrumental)
3. "Electric Barbarella" (Americruiser Remix)
4. "Electric Barbarella" (Yo Shorty Americruiser Remix)

• US promo 12"

Download

1. "Electric Barbarella (Internet-only mix)" - 4:20 [Dom T. remix edit]
2. "Electric Barbarella (Dom T Remix)" - 7:08

• First commercially downloadable song; sold for 99 cents

CD: Capitol / sampler (U.S.)

1. "Electric Barbarella" (edit)
2. "Planet Earth"
3. "Save A Prayer"
4. "The Reflex"
5. "Come Undone"
6. "Is There Something I Should Know?"
7. "Too Much Information"
8. "Notorious"
9. "The Chauffeur" [live from Arena]
10. "Hungry Like The Wolf"
11. "A View To A Kill"
12. "Rio"
13. "Girls On Film"
14. "Ordinary World"
15. "Electric Barbarella" (album version)

• US promo digi pack

Other appearances

Aside from the single, the song has also appeared on:

• Medazzaland
  Medazzaland
  Medazzaland is the ninth album by British pop rock group Duran Duran. It was released by Capitol Records on in the U.S., where it reached #58 on the Billboard album chart. It was never officially released in Europe....
  
  (1997)
• Greatest
  Greatest (Duran Duran album)
  In November 2003, the videotape compilation was released in DVD format, titled Duran Duran: Greatest — The DVD, with hidden extra materials, including alternative versions of some of the videos and interviews of the band, however, this version is much criticised for its extensive use of easter egg...
  
  (1998)