Figure 8 (song)

"Figure 8"
Single by Ellie Goulding
from the album Halcyon
Released 14 December 2012 (2012-12-14)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2012; The Ballroom (London)
Genre
Length 4:08
Label Polydor
Writer(s)
  • Ellie Goulding
  • Jonny Lattimer
Producer(s)
Ellie Goulding singles chronology
"Anything Could Happen"
(2012)		 "Figure 8"
(2012)		 "Explosions"
(2013)

"Figure 8" is a song by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding from her second studio album, Halcyon (2012). It was released on 14 December 2012 as the album's second single. The song was written by Goulding and Jonny Lattimer and produced by MONSTA, with additional production by Mike Spencer. The accompanying music video was directed by W.I.Z. and released on 19 November 2012.

Critical reception

"Figure 8" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Michael Roffman of Time called it "a defensive track that finds [Goulding] reasoning with her scorched paths", adding that Mike Spencer's work with Jamiroquai or Kylie Minogue "injects a scenic quality that bludgeons with cinematic density."[1] Digital Spy's Lewis Corner noted the song "continues to explore Ellie's ascent into womanhood, centering around her experience of being left heartbroken by a former love over a buzzing dubstep bassline that vibrates with a gentle nod to the album's namesake."[2]

Sam Lansky of Idolator opined that "Figure 8" "gives the obligatory concession to dubstep, with production by MONSTA serving as effectively, if not more so, than [...] Skrillex himself would have done."[3] Scott Shetler of PopCrush wrote, "Built around piano and electronics, 'Figure 8' has a moody vibe that matches its heartbreaking lyrics [...] The song was co-produced by Mike Spencer, who also co-produced Alex Clare's 'Too Close,' which has a similar dubstep-inspired chorus beat."[4] However, in a review of Halcyon, BBC Music's Ben Hewitt expressed, "Far from showing off her talents, the likes of 'Figure 8' and 'Atlantis' become bottomless pits filled with heavy-handed knob-twiddling."[5]

Commercial performance

"Figure 8" debuted at number 121 on the UK Singles Chart dated 8 December 2012, ahead of its single release, entering the top 100 at number eighty-two the following week.[6] After jumping to number forty-nine, the single peaked at number thirty-three in its fourth week on the chart.[7] The song fared better in New Zealand, where it peaked at number seven and was certified Platinum by Recorded Music NZ.[8][9] "Figure 8" became Goulding's first song to chart in Finland, reaching number eight.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Figure 8", directed by W.I.Z., was filmed in a mansion outside London, and features freerunner Timothy Shieff.[11] The video premiered on 19 November 2012 on Goulding's official YouTube channel.[12] Switching constantly between black-and-white and coloured shots, the video reflects on breaking up with an ex and then missing them.[13] It consists of intercut scenes of Goulding in a flat in several different situations, such as lying on a mattress as she clutches a red piece of cloth, lying in bed with her on-screen boyfriend, dressed in a red, flowing gown while covered in a red veil, blindfolded, and breaking dishes. Towards the end of the video, Goulding's lit-up body is shown levitating off the bed, as she lets go of the red cloth.

Track listing

  1. "Figure 8" (Radio Edit) – 3:39
  2. "Anything Could Happen" (Radio 1 Live Lounge Version) – 3:03
  3. "Figure 8" (Breakage's Crenshaw & Adams Mix) – 4:26
  4. "Figure 8" (French Fries Club Mix) – 5:23
  5. "Figure 8" (Xilent Remix) – 4:30

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Halcyon.[15]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2012–13) Peak
position
scope="row"Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 8
scope="row"Japan (Japan Hot 100)[16] 97
scope="row"New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 7
scope="row"Scotland (Official Charts Company)[17] 33
scope="row"Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[18] 26
scope="row"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 33

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 50

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
New Zealand (RMNZ)[9] Platinum 15,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Australia[20] 14 December 2012 Digital download Universal
Belgium[21]
Finland[22]
Ireland[23] Polydor
New Zealand[24] Universal
Netherlands[25] 15 December 2012
France[26] 16 December 2012
Norway[27]
Portugal[28]
Spain[29]
United Kingdom[30] Polydor

References

  1. ↑ Roffman, Michael (9 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding's Halcyon is Catchy Catharsis". Time. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Corner, Lewis (4 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding: 'Halcyon' – Album review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Lansky, Sam (9 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding's 'Halcyon': Album Review". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Shetler, Scott (15 November 2012). "Ellie Goulding to Release 'Figure 8' as Next 'Halcyon' Single". PopCrush. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Hewitt, Ben (12 October 2012). "Review of Ellie Goulding – Halcyon". BBC Music. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Official UK Singles Top 100". Official Charts Company. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Archive Chart: 2012-12-29" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Charts.org.nz – Ellie Goulding – Figure 8". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  9. 1 2 "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Ellie Goulding: Figure 8" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Podplesky, Azaria (4 February 2013). "Ellie Goulding Adds 'Director' to Her Resume After "Figure 8" Shoot". Seattle Weekly. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  12. ↑ Lansky, Sam (20 November 2012). "Ellie Goulding's "Figure 8" Video: Watch The Surreal Clip". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "Watch: Ellie Goulding Reveals New Video for 'Figure 8'". This Is Fake DIY. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ↑ "Figure 8 (Remixes) – EP by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store UK. Apple. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Halcyon (CD liner notes). Ellie Goulding. Polydor Records. 2012. 3714241.
  16. ↑ "Ellie Goulding – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for Ellie Goulding. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2012-12-29". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201305 into search. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  19. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". zdigital Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  21. ↑ "Figure 8 van Ellie Goulding" (in Dutch). 7digital Belgium. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital Finland. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  23. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital Ireland. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital New Zealand. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "Figure 8 van Ellie Goulding" (in Dutch). 7digital Netherlands. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  26. ↑ "Figure 8 par Ellie Goulding" (in French). 7digital France. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital Norway. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "Figure 8 de Ellie Goulding" (in Portuguese). 7digital Portugal. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  29. ↑ "Figure 8 de Ellie Goulding" (in Spanish). 7digital Spain. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  30. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital UK. Retrieved 27 April 2014.

External links

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