"Figure 8"
A closeup greyscale picture of a woman with an undercut hairstyle. She is looking upwards.
Single by Ellie Goulding
from the album Halcyon
Released14 December 2012 (2012-12-14)
Recorded2012
StudioThe Ballroom (London)
Genre
Length4:08
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
  • Ellie Goulding
  • Jonny Lattimer
Producer(s)Monsta
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 Spencer's work with Jamiroquai or Kylie Minogue "injects a scenic quality that bludgeons with cinematic density."[3] 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."[4]

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."[1] Scott Shetler of PopCrush wrote, "Built around piano and electronics, 'Figure 8' has a moody vibe that matches its heartbreaking lyrics", while comparing it to Alex Clare's "Too Close", a song co-produced by Spencer.[5] 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."[6]

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 82 the following week.[7] After jumping to number 49, the single peaked at number 33 in its fourth week on the chart.[8] The song fared better in New Zealand, where it peaked at number seven, her highest-charting single in that country at that point, and was later certified platinum by Recorded Music NZ.[9][10] "Figure 8" became Goulding's first song to chart in Finland, reaching number eight.[11]

Music video

The music video for "Figure 8", directed by W.I.Z., was filmed in a mansion outside London, and features freerunner Tim Shieff.[12] The video premiered on 19 November 2012.[13] Switching constantly between black-and-white and coloured shots, the video reflects on breaking up with an ex and then missing them.[14] It consists of intercut scenes of Goulding in the mansion 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

Digital EP – Remixes[15]
No.TitleLength
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

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Halcyon.[16]

  • Ellie Goulding – vocals
  • Rufio Sandilands – arrangement, all instruments
  • Rocky Morris – arrangement, all instruments
  • Monsta – production, additional vocal production, recording
  • Mike Spencer – additional production, mix, additional vocal production, all instruments, recording
  • Jonny Lattimer – vocal production
  • Naweed – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Figure 8"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[10] Platinum 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Figure 8"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia 14 December 2012 Digital download Universal [21]
Belgium [22]
Finland [23]
Ireland Polydor [24]
New Zealand Universal [25]
Netherlands 15 December 2012 [26]
France 16 December 2012 [27]
Norway [28]
Portugal [29]
Spain [30]
United Kingdom Polydor [31]

References

  1. 1 2 Lansky, Sam (9 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding's 'Halcyon': Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Meares, Joel (4 June 2014). "Ellie Goulding show felt a bit like being sober at Mardi Gras afterparty". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Roffman, Michael (9 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding's Halcyon is Catchy Catharsis". Time. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Corner, Lewis (4 October 2012). "Ellie Goulding: 'Halcyon' – Album review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Shetler, Scott (15 November 2012). "Ellie Goulding to Release 'Figure 8' as Next 'Halcyon' Single". PopCrush. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Hewitt, Ben (12 October 2012). "Review of Ellie Goulding – Halcyon". BBC Music. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Official UK Singles Top 100". Official Charts Company. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Ellie Goulding – Figure 8". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  10. 1 2 "New Zealand single certifications – Ellie Goulding – Figure 8". Recorded Music NZ. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Ellie Goulding: Figure 8" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  12. ↑ Podplesky, Azaria (4 February 2013). "Ellie Goulding Adds 'Director' to Her Resume After "Figure 8" Shoot". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  13. ↑ Lansky, Sam (20 November 2012). "Ellie Goulding's "Figure 8" Video: Watch The Surreal Clip". Idolator. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ↑ "Watch: Ellie Goulding Reveals New Video for 'Figure 8'". DIY. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Figure 8 (Remixes) – EP by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  16. ↑ Halcyon (liner notes). Ellie Goulding. Polydor Records. 2012. 3714241.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ "Ellie Goulding Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  19. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201305 into search. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". zdigital. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "Figure 8 van Ellie Goulding". 7digital (in Dutch). Belgium. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  23. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital. Finland. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital. Ireland. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital. New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  26. ↑ "Figure 8 van Ellie Goulding". 7digital (in Dutch). Netherlands. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "Figure 8 par Ellie Goulding". 7digital (in French). France. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital. Norway. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  29. ↑ "Figure 8 de Ellie Goulding". 7digital (in Portuguese). Portugal. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  30. ↑ "Figure 8 de Ellie Goulding". 7digital (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  31. ↑ "Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding". 7digital. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
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