"Twist" is a song by English

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

duo

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp were an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consisted of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, thei ...

from their second studio album, ''

Black Cherry ''Prunus serotina'', commonly called black cherry,World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub in the r ...

'' (2003). It was released on 3 November 2003 as the album's third single. The song received positive reviews from music critics and was a minor success in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single reached number 18 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s

Hot Dance Singles Sales The Dance Singles Sales was a record chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling dance singles in the United States. Its previous names include Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles Sales (1985–1987), Hot Dance Mu ...

chart.

Composition

In an interview with ''New Beats'',

Alison Goldfrapp Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Early life and education Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp was born on 13 Ma ...

described the genesis of the song:

It's a sort of sexual fantasy that I had about a boy who worked at the fairground, who I lusted after. He was in control and I wasn't cause I was sat on the waltzer and he was the one that was spinning it around and—I don't know—it's sort of lust, adolescent, awakening, smells and noise and dirt. That's what "Twist" is about.

"Twist" has been described as electropop and dance-pop, and features a "danceable groove" with "operatically orgasmic vocals". The song has been noted for its overly sexual theme, showcasing the duo's change of direction following '' Felt Mountain''.

Release

"Twist" was released as the third single from ''Black Cherry'' on the 3rd November 2003. Despite being a single, it was omitted from the duo's 2012 compilation album '' The Singles.''

Critical reception

"Twist" was generally received well by critics. Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Alexis Petridis stated that the track "boasts such a winning chorus it's impossible not to be impressed." ''AllMusic'' was more mixed, with Heather Phares writing that the song "overplays its hand by adding too many buzzing synths", though praised the song's groove and Goldfrapp's vocal range.

Track listings

* CD1 # "Twist" (Single Mix) – 3:33 # " Yes Sir" – 3:57 # "Deer Stop" (Live at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

)* – 4:20 * CD2 # "Twist" (

Jacques Lu Cont Stuart David Price (born 9 September 1977) is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His acts include his own band Zoot Woman (with Adam Blake and Johnny Blake), Les Rythmes Digitales (, literally "The Digital ...

's Conversion Perversion Mix) – 6:48 # "Forever" (

Mountaineers Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

Remix) – 3:54 # "Twist" (

Dimitri Tikovoï Dimitri Tikovoï is a French, Grammy-nominated record producer and DJ who has worked with bands including Placebo, Purple Disco Machine, Ghost, The Horrors, Charli XCX, TWICE, Black Honey, Mikky Ekko, Marianne Faithfull, Becky Hill, Blondi ...

Remix) – 6:30 * DVD single # "Twist" (Live in London – Short film feat. Interview) # "

Train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

" (Live in London)* – 5:10 # "

Strict Machine "Strict Machine" is an electronic dance song written by British electronic music duo Goldfrapp and Nick Batt for Goldfrapp's second studio album, ''Black Cherry'' (2003). It was produced by Goldfrapp and describes laboratory rats in neuroscience ...

" (Live in London)* – 4:55 * Digital single (2018) # "Twist" (Single Mix) – 3:31 # "Yes Sir" – 3:57 # "Deer Stop" (Live at Somerset House)* – 4:20 # "Train" (Live in London)* – 5:10 # "Strict Machine" (Live at Somerset House)* – 4:55 # "Twist" (Jacques Lu Cont's Conversion Perversion Mix) – 6:46 # "Twist" (Jacques Lu Cont's Conversion Perversion Dub) – 6:43 # "Yes Sir" (Extended Mix) – 8:31 # "Forever" (Mountaineers Remix) – 3:52 # "Twist" (Dimitri Tikovoï Remix) – 6:30 * *Recorded at

, 13 July 2003.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2003 singles 2003 songs Goldfrapp songs Mute Records singles Songs written by Alison Goldfrapp Songs written by Will Gregory