Tighten Up (Electronic song)
Encyclopedia
"Tighten Up" is a song by the English
band Electronic
. Written, performed and produced by its two members Bernard Sumner
and Johnny Marr
, it appeared as the third track on their debut album Electronic
in May 1991 and was also a promotional
single
in the United States
five weeks later. Donald Johnson from A Certain Ratio
contributed drums
to the song.
Combining electric guitar
s with a bouncy synthesiser
riff
, "Tighten Up" is representative of the Electronic album. When issued as a promo in the USA it reached #6 on Billboard
s Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Feel Every Beat
" would become the next physical single release worldwide.
The single edit
is one minute shorter than the album version; the opening bars and the instrumental section are both edited. The song also fades out
on a loop whereas the original has a hard ending.
, Paul Lester described the song as "the devastating marriage of Smiths
guitars and New Order
technology that nervously excited fans the globe over were anticipating from Electronic. Imagine a sublime splicing of 'Bigmouth Strikes Again
' and 'Dream Attack', then multiply by 12". In Vox Keith Cameron wrote: "'Tighten Up' gives Marr a chance to relive The Smiths' halcyon days with an exhilarating semi-acoustic dynamism".
Illusionist David Copperfield
used the song during his live shows when he would leave the stage to look for audience members to participate in his show.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band Electronic
Electronic (band)
-Albums:-Singles:-Music videos:-External links:* *...
. Written, performed and produced by its two members Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
and Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, it appeared as the third track on their debut album Electronic
Electronic (album)
Electronic is the self-titled debut album by British supergroup Electronic, formed by Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr. It was first released in May 1991 on the Factory label, and reissued in remastered form in 1994 by Parlophone after Factory collapsed.The album was a commercial success, reaching...
in May 1991 and was also a promotional
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
five weeks later. Donald Johnson from A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...
contributed drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
to the song.
Combining electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s with a bouncy synthesiser
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
, "Tighten Up" is representative of the Electronic album. When issued as a promo in the USA it reached #6 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Feel Every Beat
Feel Every Beat
"Feel Every Beat" was the third single by the English band Electronic. It was released in the UK on 9 September 1991 by Factory Records and was a modest commercial success.-Composition:...
" would become the next physical single release worldwide.
The single edit
Radio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
is one minute shorter than the album version; the opening bars and the instrumental section are both edited. The song also fades out
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
on a loop whereas the original has a hard ending.
Critical response
Writing in Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, Paul Lester described the song as "the devastating marriage of Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
guitars and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
technology that nervously excited fans the globe over were anticipating from Electronic. Imagine a sublime splicing of 'Bigmouth Strikes Again
Bigmouth Strikes Again
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" is a song by The Smiths. It appears on their third album The Queen Is Dead and was the lead single from the album, reaching #26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986...
' and 'Dream Attack', then multiply by 12". In Vox Keith Cameron wrote: "'Tighten Up' gives Marr a chance to relive The Smiths' halcyon days with an exhilarating semi-acoustic dynamism".
Illusionist David Copperfield
David Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
used the song during his live shows when he would leave the stage to look for audience members to participate in his show.