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Elevator Girl (song)

"Elevator Girl"
Single by Babymetal
from the album Metal Galaxy
Language
  • English
  • Japanese (original version only)
ReleasedMay 10, 2019 (2019-05-10)
Genre
Length2:44
Label
Composer(s)Ryu-metal
Lyricist(s)
  • Ryu-metal
  • Joemetal (English version only)
Producer(s)Kobametal
Babymetal singles chronology
"Starlight"
(2018) 		"Elevator Girl"
(2019) 		"Pa Pa Ya!!"
(2019)
Music video
"Elevator Girl" (English ver.) on YouTube

"Elevator Girl" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released as a digital single on May 10, 2019 worldwide by Babymetal Records, and the third single released for the band's third album Metal Galaxy. An English version of the song had a release on August 16, 2019, sent to active rock radio with a music video.

Background and release

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"Elevator Girl" was first performed on the Babymetal World Tour 2018, on May 8, 2018.[1][2] On April 23, 2019, the song was announced for release as a digital single worldwide on May 10, 2019,[3] in conjunction with the reveal of several shows to be performed later in the year.[4][5]

According to Su-metal, "Elevator Girl" symbolizes the band's evolution of kawaii and metal fusion as the band members mature into adults,[6] and is planned to appear in the band's next album, Metal Galaxy.[7] The song shows the "mature" side of Babymetal, as quoted.[8]

Composition

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"Elevator Girl" gets inspiration from drum and bass, containing elements of the genre in the intro, and transitioning into a heavier sound. With lyrics such as “No matter what you say, or what you do / You’re going d-d-d-d-d-down”,[9] the song is sung mainly in English. The song is composed of "riffy undertones" and "cutesy vocal harmonies" in a major key,[10] and, as described by Joe Divite of Loudwire, switches between "fast beats with delicate, minimalist piano bits" and "crunching metallic distortion that embraces the frantic nature of the electronic elements".[11]

Reception

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Axl Rosenberg of MetalSucks described "Elevator Girl" as "unusual", calling the song "the first-ever metal song about a mentally unstable elevator operator", but noting the song doesn't "[lack] any of the elements which made us fans in the first place", even after the departure of Yuimetal.[12]

"Elevator Girl" peaked on the Oricon Digital Singles daily chart on May 10, 2019, at number two, with digital sales of 6,284 units.[13] The song peaked on the weekly chart on May 20, 2019 at number 13, with first-week sales of 8,414 equivalent units.[14] "Elevator Girl" debuted at number 42 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on May 20, 2019, with 1,069 equivalent units in the first week,[15] later peaking at number 38 the following week.[16] The song also peaked at number four on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart on the week of May 25, 2019.[17]

Music video

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The music video for "Elevator Girl" was released on August 16, 2019.[18] In the video, members Su-metal and Moametal, along with support dancer Kano Fujihira,[18] can be seen dancing to the song on a raised and illuminated platform, dressed in dazzling costumes.[19] It was released ahead of the band's 2019 US headline tour, which would begin in September.[20]

Track listing

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Digital download[21]

UK Digital EP[22]

  1. "Elevator Girl" – 2:44
  2. "Starlight" – 3:37
  3. "Distortion" – 3:05

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Japan (Billboard)[16] 38
Japan Digital Singles (Oricon)[14] 13
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[17] 4

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan May 10, 2019
  • Digital download
  • streaming
[21]
Europe
  • Amuse, Inc.
  • earMusic
 [23]
Various
[24]
United States August 16, 2019 Active rock (English version) [25]

References

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  1. ^ "Watch Babymetal Debut Two New Songs Live as Duo in Kansas City". Revolver. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  2. ^ "BABYMETAL drop new song, announce U.S. tour dates". Alternative Press. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  3. ^ "Digital Single "Elevator Girl"". 2019-04-23. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  4. ^ "BABYMETALアメリカ初のアリーナ単独公演開催決定、5月に新曲配信". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  5. ^ "BABYMETALイギリス公演、AmarantheとSleep Tokenがゲスト出演". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  6. ^ "BABYMETAL at Glastonbury 2019: on Billie Eilish, working with Bring Me The Horizon & 'Metal Galaxy'". YouTube. 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  7. ^ Trendell, Andrew (2019-06-30). "BABYMETAL on their Glastonbury debut, Billie Eilish, working with Bring Me The Horizon and new album 'Metal Galaxy'". NME. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  8. ^ "BABYMETAL Talk 'Metal Galaxy', 'PA PA YA!!', Metallica & Glastonbury 2019 - Videos". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  9. ^ Lavin, Will (2019-05-11). "Listen to BABYMETAL's new drum 'n' bass-inspired single, 'Elevator Girl'". NME. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  10. ^ Sievers, Alex (2019-05-10). "Babymetal officially release 'Elevator Girl' // Killyourstereo.com". Killyourstereo.com. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  11. ^ DiVita, Joe (2019-05-10). "Babymetal Release New Song 'Elevator Girl'". Loudwire. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  12. ^ Rosenberg, Axl (2019-05-10). "Babymetal Release New Song "Elevator Girl"". MetalSucks. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  13. ^ "オリコンデイリー デジタルシングル（単曲）ランキング 2019年05月10日付". ORICON NEWS. Archived from the original on 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  14. ^ a b "オリコン週間 デジタルシングル（単曲）ランキング 2019年05月06日～2019年05月12日 11～20位". ORICON NEWS. 2019-05-20. Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  15. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 | Charts". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  16. ^ a b "Billboard Japan Hot 100 | Charts". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). 2019-05-27. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  17. ^ a b "Chart Search | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  18. ^ a b "BABYMETAL『Elevator Girl』MVに藤平華乃、サマソニ大阪の"アベンジャーズ"は鞘師里保". Techinsight. 2019-08-17. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  19. ^ "BABYMETAL sends you straight to hell in English version of "Elevator Girl"". Jrock News. 2019-08-23. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  20. ^ "BABYMETAL「Elevator Girl」英語バージョンのライブMV公開". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 2019-08-17. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  21. ^ a b "BABYMETALの"Elevator Girl"". BABYMETALの"Elevator Girl"をiTunesで (in Japanese). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  22. ^ "Elevator Girl - Single by BABYMETAL". Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  23. ^ "Elevator Girl - Single by BABYMETAL on iTunes". Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  24. ^ "Elevator Girl - Single by BABYMETAL". Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  25. ^ "BABYMETAL releases new live music video for 'Elevator Girl'". Down The Front Media. 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
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