Bulletproof (La Roux song)

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"Bulletproof"
Single by La Roux
from the album La Roux
Released 21 June 2009 (2009-06-21)
Format CD single, digital download,
7" single
Recorded Elfin Studios
(Teddington, London, United Kingdom)
Genre Electropop, synthpop, bitpop
Length 3:25
Label Polydor
Writer(s) Elly Jackson, Ben Langmaid
Producer Elly Jackson, Ben Langmaid
La Roux singles chronology
"In for the Kill"
(2009)		 "Bulletproof"
(2009)		 "I'm Not Your Toy"
(2009)

"Bulletproof" is a song by British electropop duo La Roux from their eponymous debut album, La Roux (2009). Written and produced by members Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid, the song was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2009 and physically the following day as the album's third single. "Bulletproof" was met with both critical and commercial success, debuting at number one on the UK Singles Chart.[1] It was also a sleeper hit in the United States, where it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2010, following performances of the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Last Call with Carson Daly. The single has sold 2,049,000 downloads in the US as of March 2011.[2]

Contents

[edit] Critical reception

"Bulletproof" was well-received by music critics. Digital Spy music editor Nick Levine gave the song five stars and described it as "a bright, bouncy slice of Yazoo-ish electropop with a chorus every bit as immediate as 'In For The Kill'", adding that "Jackson's vocals are less shrill this time around, but she comes off just as formidable, informing a useless sod who's messed her about that she won't be letting him do it again."[3] Fraser McAlpine of the BBC Chart Blog, who also awarded the song five stars, stated that "the one sentence that crops up most often goes something like this: "...yes, 'Bulletproof' is brilliant, but...", hinting that this might be a song which possesses magical powers of persuasion." He went on to give five points on why the song is good: marvellous verses, marvellous chorus, the music serves the song brilliantly, less shrill to the singing, and the vocoder breakdown.[4] "Bulletproof" was listed at number twenty-five on Rolling Stone's list of The 25 Best Songs of 2009.[5]

[edit] Music video

Directed by The Holograms@UFO and Production Design by Alun Davies, the video starts with various retro patterns and abstract geometric designs in one scene. Then the camera shows Jackson sitting in a chair in a bright setting with her eyes closed. Then the song starts and Jackson leaves the chair and the camera pans to show random designs of La Roux which are shown behind her. She continues to walk, while singing the song itself. At the bridge of the song she stops and then the song starts to build to the chorus and she starts walking again, while 3D shapes (including polyhedra) are bouncing around her. The video ends with Jackson sitting back in dark setting with her eyes open. During the video, there is a variation of Jackson in the setting of bright and dark colours. Throughout the video Jackson is styled in high fashion clothes by House of Holland and others where references to Piet Mondrian's lozenge works can be seen.

[edit] Cover versions

[edit] Live cover performances

Natalia Kills performed an acoustic version on Germany's Radio Hamburg in late January 2011.[8]

[edit] Sampling

The song was heavily sampled by South Korean singer NS Yoon Ji in her single "Don't Go Back" released May 2010.[9]

[edit] Appearances in video games

[edit] Appearances in other media

  • "Bulletproof" was used on the pilot episode of the American television sitcom Cougar Town, which originally aired 23 September 2009.[11]
  • The song was heard on the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series Ugly Betty, titled "Plus None" and aired 6 November 2009,[12]
  • The song was sung as a lullaby by the character Annie (Lenora Crichlow) on the British supernatural drama-comedy series Being Human.
  • Korean figure skater Kim Yu-Na, the 2010 Winter Olympic champion in ladies' singles, debuted an exhibition program to "Bulletproof" in July 2010.[13]
  • It was used in the 2011 direct-to-video Honey 2.
  • Part of the song was used as background music to a shopping montage in Absolutely Fabulous's Christmas 2011 special.

[edit] Track listings

  • UK CD single
  1. "Bulletproof" – 3:25
  2. "Bulletproof" (Zinc Remix) – 4:49
  3. "Bulletproof" (Tepr Remix) – 5:36
  • UK 7" single
A. "Bulletproof" – 3:25
  • UK iTunes EP
  1. "Bulletproof" – 3:25
  2. "Bulletproof" (Zinc Remix) – 5:48
  3. "Bulletproof" (Tepr TsunAimee Remix) – 5:35
  • US CD single
  1. "Bulletproof" – 3:25
  2. "Bulletproof" (Tepr TsunAimee Remix) – 5:35
  3. "Bulletproof" (Zinc Remix) – 5:48
  4. "Bulletproof" (Lagos Boys Choir Remix) – 5:16
  • US iTunes remix EP
  1. "Bulletproof" (Dave Audé Cherry Radio Remix) – 3:55
  2. "Bulletproof" (Manhattan Clique Remix Radio) – 3:27
  3. "Bulletproof" (Tepr TsunAimee Remix) – 5:35
  4. "Bulletproof" (Zinc Remix) – 5:49
  5. "Bulletproof" (Lagos Boys Choir Remix) – 5:16
  • The Gold EP – digital
  1. "Bulletproof" (Live at Shepherds Bush) – 5:26
  2. "Bulletproof" (Tim Bran Remix) – 3:26
  3. "Bulletproof" (Tiborg Remix) – 3:27
  4. "Bulletproof" (Fred Falke Remix) – 7:48

[edit] Charts

[edit] Weekly charts

Chart (2009–10) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[14] 5
Austrian Singles Chart[15] 3
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[16] 5
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[17] 20
Canadian Hot 100[18] 45
Czech Airplay Chart[19] 21
Danish Singles Chart[20] 25
Dutch Top 40[21] 29
European Hot 100 Singles[18] 6
German Singles Chart[22] 13
Hungarian Airplay Chart[23] 28
Irish Singles Chart[24] 5
Japan Hot 100[25] 89
New Zealand Singles Chart[26] 7
Norwegian Singles Chart[27] 18
Polish Airplay Chart[28] 2
Slovak Airplay Chart[29] 16
Swedish Singles Chart[30] 47
Swiss Singles Chart[31] 42
UK Singles Chart[32] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 8
US Adult Contemporary[34] 30
US Adult Pop Songs[35] 15
US Heatseakers Songs[36] 1
US Hot Dance Club Songs[18] 1
US Pop Songs[37] 6

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification
Australia Platinum[38]
Canada Platinum[39]
New Zealand Gold[40]
United Kingdom Silver[41]
United States 2× Platinum[42]

[edit] Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
Australian Singles Chart[43] 47
Austrian Singles Chart[44] 28
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[45] 67
Dutch Top 40[46] 213
German Singles Chart[47] 61
UK Singles Chart[48] 24
US Hot Dance Club Songs[49] 42
Chart (2010) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[50] 42

[edit] Release history

Country Date Label Format
United Kingdom 21 June 2009[51] Polydor Digital EP
22 June 2009[52][53] CD single, 7" single
United States 21 July 2009[54][55] Cherrytree, Interscope CD single, digital EP
11 May 2010[56] The Gold EP (digital)

[edit] References

  1. ^ "British Artists Increase Share of US Music Market in 2010". British Phonographic Industry. 11 February 2011. http://www.bpi.co.uk/press-area/news-amp3b-press-release/article/british-artists-increase-share-of-us-music-market-in-2010.aspx. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
  2. ^ Grein, Paul (16 March 2011). "Week Ending March 13, 2011: Spears' Second Act". Chart Watch. Yahoo!. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74342/week-ending-march-13-2011-spears-second-act/;_ylt=ArpGtOTmQFBiO8DtF1Iyv_sPwiUv. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
  3. ^ Levine, Nick. "La Roux: 'Bulletproof'". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a160195/la-roux-bulletproof.html. Retrieved 18 June 2009. 
  4. ^ McAlpine, Fraser (15 June 2009). "La Roux – 'Bulletproof'". BBC Chart Blog. BBC Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2009/06/la_roux_bulletproof.shtml. Retrieved 18 June 2009. 
  5. ^ "The 25 Best Songs of 2009". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 December 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20091222090149/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31364221/the_25_best_songs_of_2009. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  6. ^ "Aston by Aston". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/aston/id398442669. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 
  7. ^ http://www.almightyrecords.com/product/ALMYCD068/
  8. ^ "Natalia Kills Unplugs, Covers La Roux For Radio Hamburg". Idolator. Buzz Media. 23 January 2011. http://idolator.com/5747921/natalia-kills-covers-la-roux-for-radio-hamburg. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 
  9. ^ lawlietta (12 May 2010). "NS Yoon Ji returns with MV for Don't Go Back, a… plagiarized track?". allkpop. http://www.allkpop.com/2010/05/ns-yoon-ji-returns-with-mv-for-dont-go-back-a-plagiarized-track. Retrieved 21 June 2011. 
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  23. ^ "Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista – 2010. 18. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=archivum&lista=radios&ev=2010&het=18&submit_=Keres%E9s. Retrieved 13 May 2010. 
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  25. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan. Hanshin Contents Link. 17 August 2009. http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.billboard-japan.com/system/jp_charts/hot100/51-100/page:107&sl=ja&tl=en. Retrieved 13 November 2010. 
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  27. ^ "La Roux – Bulletproof". Verdens Gang. Hung Medien. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=La+Roux&titel=Bulletproof&cat=s. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 
  28. ^ "Poland TOP 5". Nielsen Music Control. http://www.nielsenmusiccontrol.com/index_pol. Retrieved 27 November 2009. 
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  56. ^ "The Gold – EP by La Roux". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-gold-ep/id370634257. Retrieved 13 November 2010. 
Preceded by
"When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
28 June 2009		 Succeeded by
"Evacuate the Dancefloor" by Cascada
Preceded by
"Sweet Dreams" by Beyoncé		 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs number-one single
19 September 2009		 Succeeded by
"Celebration" by Madonna
La Roux
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