Under the Sheets
Encyclopedia
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding
from her debut album, Lights
. Produced by Starsmith
, it was released as the album's lead single
. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1
on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store
on 15 November 2009, peaking at number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart
on the issue dated 22 November 2009. It was also used to promote the second season of 90210
on the UK channel E4. According to Goulding, the single was released on independent label Neon Gold Records
rather than Polydor
so that she would not be put under too much pressure.
music editor Nick Levine wrote that "Under the Sheets" is "that bit more magical than the average electropop tune, managing to sound twinkly and chunky at the same time, and the chorus is pretty much irresistible." He also went on to describe Goulding's voice as "pure, girlish and as fluttery as a butterfly trapped in a cupboard." Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
Chart Blog called the track an "immaculate frostypop masterpiece" and stated that "[f]rom the first like all the boys, boys, boys, boys to the final go around on the pleading chorus, Ellie's voice dominates. There is barely a second of music which does not feature her vocal in some way, either as a muffled pixie choir, a lead instrument, or a soft, tumbledown wail in the background." The Guardian
reviewer Alexis Petridis
described it as "a mildly anxious relationship memoir made over with digitised strings, breeze-block synths and crashing 1980s drums." Mark Beaumont from the NME
referred to the song as one of the album's "spangliest tracks" along with "Starry Eyed", further commenting that it sees Goulding "in more bruised and bitter mood as producer Starsmith feeds her vulnerable vocals through an Auto-Tune
the size of the Large Hadron Collider
."
for "Under the Sheets" was directed by the Lennox Brothers and released on 22 October 2009. It opens with Goulding leaving a bed occupied by an unknown male and walking though a brick building surrounded by different versions of herself. She can be seen sitting on the floor, playing guitar, riding a vintage bicycle and swinging in a hanging chair all simultaneously. She is also seen playing drums covered in glitter, and while sitting in a wicker chair a close shot of Goulding's hand with a heart drawn on the inside of her fingers is shown with her fingers opening and closing. Throughout the video Goulding wears a sequin top and high-top kicks.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
from her debut album, Lights
Lights (Ellie Goulding album)
Lights is the debut studio album by English recording artist Ellie Goulding. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records. Produced by Starsmith, Frankmusik, Fraser T. Smith and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics...
. Produced by Starsmith
Starsmith
Starsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
, it was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on 15 November 2009, peaking at number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on the issue dated 22 November 2009. It was also used to promote the second season of 90210
90210 (season 2)
The second season of 90210, an American television series, premiered in the U.S. on September 8, 2009 and ended on May 18, 2010. The season picks up at the end of summer after the events of last season's dramatic prom party...
on the UK channel E4. According to Goulding, the single was released on independent label Neon Gold Records
Neon Gold Records
Neon Gold Records is a New York City/London-based boutique record company founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger . Neon Gold specializes in 7" records, regularly releasing limited runs between 250 to 500 copies...
rather than Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
so that she would not be put under too much pressure.
Background
When asked what "Under the Sheets" was about, Goulding said:Critical reception
Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
music editor Nick Levine wrote that "Under the Sheets" is "that bit more magical than the average electropop tune, managing to sound twinkly and chunky at the same time, and the chorus is pretty much irresistible." He also went on to describe Goulding's voice as "pure, girlish and as fluttery as a butterfly trapped in a cupboard." Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Chart Blog called the track an "immaculate frostypop masterpiece" and stated that "[f]rom the first like all the boys, boys, boys, boys to the final go around on the pleading chorus, Ellie's voice dominates. There is barely a second of music which does not feature her vocal in some way, either as a muffled pixie choir, a lead instrument, or a soft, tumbledown wail in the background." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reviewer Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular and contributor to the magazine GQ.Petridis began his career writing for Varsity whilst a student at the University of Cambridge...
described it as "a mildly anxious relationship memoir made over with digitised strings, breeze-block synths and crashing 1980s drums." Mark Beaumont from the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
referred to the song as one of the album's "spangliest tracks" along with "Starry Eyed", further commenting that it sees Goulding "in more bruised and bitter mood as producer Starsmith feeds her vulnerable vocals through an Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
the size of the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
."
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Under the Sheets" was directed by the Lennox Brothers and released on 22 October 2009. It opens with Goulding leaving a bed occupied by an unknown male and walking though a brick building surrounded by different versions of herself. She can be seen sitting on the floor, playing guitar, riding a vintage bicycle and swinging in a hanging chair all simultaneously. She is also seen playing drums covered in glitter, and while sitting in a wicker chair a close shot of Goulding's hand with a heart drawn on the inside of her fingers is shown with her fingers opening and closing. Throughout the video Goulding wears a sequin top and high-top kicks.
Track listings
- UK iTunes EP
- "Under the Sheets" – 3:46
- "Fighter Plane" – 4:24
- "Under the Sheets" (Jakwob Remix) – 5:36
- "Under the Sheets" (Pariah Remix) – 4:50
- UK 7" limited edition single
- A. "Under the Sheets" – 3:46
- B. "Fighter Plane" – 4:24
- German CD single and iTunes single
- "Under the Sheets" – 3:44
- "Guns and Horses" (Live at Metropolis Studios) – 3:48
Personnel
- Ellie Goulding – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound... - Charlie Morton – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, additional acoustic guitar - Naweed – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- StarsmithStarsmithStarsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
Charts
| Chart (2009/2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Tip Chart (Flanders) | 3 |
| Danish Airplay Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
2 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
91 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
53 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9 November 2009 | Neon Gold Records Neon Gold Records Neon Gold Records is a New York City/London-based boutique record company founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger . Neon Gold specializes in 7" records, regularly releasing limited runs between 250 to 500 copies... |
7" single Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
| 15 November 2009 | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
|
| Belgium | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
||
| Germany | 3 September 2010 | ||
| 17 September 2010 | CD single |