Read My Lips (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album)
| Read My Lips | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 September 2001 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:04 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer |
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| Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Read My Lips | ||||
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Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 3 September 2001 by Polydor Records.[1] After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, for which Ellis-Bextor served as lead vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music.
Critical response to Read My Lips was polarised, with music critics denouncing its content that was, according to one magazine, Q, of lesser quality than "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"—the singer's collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller and according to others, inherently malign simply on account of being chart pop. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It spawned four singles: "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", double A-side single "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "Music Gets the Best of Me".
Background
Following the disbandment of Britpop group Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller.[3] The song was a commercial success,[4] and Ellis-Bextor signed to Polydor. She was contacted by director Baz Luhrmann, who offered her a role in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist.[5] The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician Moby to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it.[2] He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour.[2] The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York City, which did not make the final cut of Read My Lips.[5][6] Furthermore, she also recorded with Blur bassist Alex James, as well as former frontman of the New Radicals, Gregg Alexander, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for his programming and keyboard work.[6]
The album's title was chosen due to the strong lipstick Ellis-Bextor used for the album artwork, the "Take Me Home" music video and "Read My Lips" is sung in the opening verse of the album track "The Universe Is You".[7] The album photography was shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot.[8]
Composition
An "eclectic" album, Read My Lips, is a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco.[5] The album opener and first single is a cover version of Cher's 1979 song "Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove".[9] Betty Clarke from The Guardian observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle (in the film My Fair Lady).[10] "Move This Mountain", co-written by Alex James, is a "vibrant" ballad with a trip hop-influenced sound.[9] Following track and second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", is a dance-pop and disco record, that utilises bass guitar and piano in its instrumental.[10][11][12] "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards",[10] while "Final Move" contains "tinny beats" and "electro swirls".[10] The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth".[13] "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding",[10] while "Leave the Others Alone" involves "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards".[10] "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent.[13] Re-release new song "Get Over You" is a "polite" Euro disco take on "I Will Survive".[14]
Singles and promotion
Promotion for Read My Lips launched with the release of "Take Me Home", a cover of the song by singer Cher, which was released on 13 August 2001.[15] Although its production and Ellis-Bextor's vocal performance in the song were heavily criticised,[16] the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.[17] After the release of the album, "Murder on the Dancefloor" was serviced as its second single on 3 December 2001.[18] It peaked in the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.[19][20] A double A-side single including new re-release song "Get Over You" and original album track "Move This Mountain" was released on 10 June 2002, in a set of two CD singles.[21][22]
Ellis-Bextor, who had previously felt uncomfortable with the idea of touring, confirmed a UK-only tour in January 2002, which took place from April to May.[23] Later, in July 2002, other dates of the tour were revealed for 2003.[24]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [13] |
| Entertainment.ie | [25] |
| The Independent | Mixed[26] |
| MTV Asia | [27] |
| Q | [28] |
| Yahoo! Music | [29] |
Toby Manning from Q cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with Spiller.[28] He also found that the album's music and the distinctive pronunciation of Ellis-Bextor's vocal delivery did not work to complimentary effect.[28] Betty Clarke from The Guardian described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had".[10] Kelvin Hayes from AllMusic dubbed it "a disappointing debut from Ellis-Bextor, fusing Human League synth with beats and cinematic strings", but described "Murder on the Dancefloor" as the "shimmering highlight" from the album.[13] A critic from entertainment.ie said "the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice", and said that "most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing".[25]
In contrast to the previous reviews, Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's Parallel Lines album", although he claimed that fans of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single".[9]
Commercial performance
Read My Lips debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 23,023 copies in its first week. Although the original ten-track edition dropped down and out of the charts over the next few weeks, a twelve-track UK edition, released in December 2001, peaked at number three in January 2002 following the chart success of "Murder on the Dancefloor". Finally, a fifteen-track edition with a considerably revised running order was released in summer 2002 and peaked at number two—41 weeks after the original edition first charted.[30] The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 21 June 2002.[31] As of December 2020, it had sold 842,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[32]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
| 2. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
| 4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 5. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 6. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
| 7. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
| 8. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 10. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
| 2. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
| 4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 5. | "Sparkle" (UK bonus track) |
|
| 4:31 |
| 6. | "Final Move" (UK bonus track) |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
| 7. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 8. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
| 9. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
| 10. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 12. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
| 3. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
| 5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 6. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
| 7. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 8. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
| 9. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
| 10. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 11. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
| 12. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
| 13. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley[a] | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" (Jewels & Stone Mix) |
|
|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
| 4:07 |
| 3. | "Lover" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
| 4:45 |
| 5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 6. | "Sparkle" (UK bonus track) |
|
| 4:31 |
| 7. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
| 8. | "I Believe" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 9. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
| 10. | "By Chance" |
|
| 4:13 |
| 11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 12. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
| 13. | "Final Move" (UK bonus track) |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
| 14. | "Everything Falls into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
| 15. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley[a] | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Never Let Me Down" (B-side of "Murder on the Dancefloor") |
|
| 3:43 |
| 16. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
| Wheatley[a] | 4:00 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2002 UK reissue of Read My Lips.
Musicians
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor – vocals
- Yoad Nevo – programming, percussion (track 1); guitars (tracks 1–3); keyboards, drum programming (tracks 2, 3)
- Guy Pratt – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2)
- John Themis – guitars (track 1)
- Nick Franglen – programming (track 1)
- Wired Strings – strings (tracks 1, 12)
- Rosie Wetters – string leader (tracks 1, 12)
- Damian LeGassick – programming, keyboards, guitar (track 2)
- Jake Davies – additional programming (track 2)
- Marco Rakascan – programming (tracks 3, 7, 10, 12–14); guitars (track 12)
- Ross Newell – lead guitar (track 3); guitars (tracks 6, 7, 12, 13); keyboards (tracks 6, 7, 13, 14); bass (track 7)
- Juliet Roberts – backing vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Sylvia Mason-James – backing vocals (tracks 3, 7)
- Ben Hillier – all instruments, programming, piano (track 4); drums (track 8)
- Alex James – bass guitar (track 4), guitars, bass (track 8)
- Stefan Skarbek – programming (track 5)
- Aidan Love – original programming, original arrangement (track 6)
- Saphena Aziz – backing vocals (track 8)
- Jennifer John – backing vocals (track 8)
- Korpi & Blackcell – arrangement (track 9)
- Nina Woodford – background vocals (track 9)
- Emma Holmgren – background vocals (track 9)
- Mathias Johansson – guitar, bass, all keyboards, programming (track 9)
- Henrik Korpi – all keyboards, programming (track 9)
Technical
- Matt Rowe – production (tracks 1, 5)
- Gregg Alexander – production (tracks 1, 5)
- James Loughrey – engineering (track 1)
- Laurence Brazil – engineering assistance (track 1)
- Jeremy Wheatley – additional production (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15); mixing (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 12, 15); remix (tracks 2, 6, 8, 10)
- Marco Rakascan – vocal recording (track 1); additional production (tracks 3, 11); production (tracks 6, 7, 10, 12–14); engineering (tracks 7, 12, 14); remix (track 11); mixing (track 13)
- Damian LeGassick – production (track 2)
- Jake Davies – mix engineering, sound design (track 2)
- Bacon & Quarmby – lead vocals recording (track 2)
- Gary Wilkinson – production (track 3)
- Ben Hillier – production (tracks 4, 8)
- Alex James – production (tracks 4, 8)
- Darren Nash – recording assistance (track 4)
- Steve Osborne – production (track 5)
- Rik Simpson – engineering (track 5)
- Andrea Wright – remix assistance, additional production assistance (track 8)
- Korpi & Blackcell – production, recording (track 9)
- Niklas Flyckt – mixing (track 9)
- Göran Elmquist – mix assistance (track 9)
- Richard Hall – production, recording (track 11)
- Ben Thacker – engineering (track 13)
- John Davis – mastering at Sony Music Studios
Artwork
- Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot – photography
- Michael Nash Associates – design
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[63] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[64] | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[66] | Gold | 20,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | 2× Platinum | 854,282[67] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[68] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notes
References
- ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting September 3, 2001: Albums". Music Week. 1 September 2001. p. 22. ISSN 0265-1548.
- ^ a b c "Moby Seeks Audience with Sophie". NME. 22 November 2000. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". NME. 26 September 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing – Sophie Ellis-Bextor". BBC One. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b c "Read Her Lips – Sophie's a Singer!". NME. 6 June 2001. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Sophie So Good..." NME. 20 March 2001. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ Cronin, Wayne (29 April 2002). "Sophie talks to ShowBiz Ireland..." ShowBiz.ie. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Read My Lips – Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ a b c Arora, Andrew (May 2002). "Review: Read My Lips – Sophie Ellis Bextor". Blue Coupe. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Clarke, Betty (31 August 2001). "Chill of the ice maiden". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor "Murder on the Dancefloor" Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ Read My Lips (Media notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Polydor Records. 2001.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d Hayes, Kelvin. "Read My Lips – Sophie Ellis-Bextor". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Robinson, John (7 June 2002). "Ellis-Bextor, Sophie : Get Over You". NME. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Take Me Home". Amazon. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ Carlson, Dean. "Take Me Home [US CD] – Sophie Ellis-Bextor". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Five Earns Another No. 1 in the U.K." Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Murder on the Dancefloor". Amazon. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Murder on the Dancefloor". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Get Over You [CD 1]". Amazon. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Get Over You [CD 2]". Amazon. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Bextor Takes to the Dancefloors". NME. 11 January 2002. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "Read My Lips Live!". NME. 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". entertainment.ie. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Price, Simon (2 September 2001). "Review: Album: Sophie Ellis Bexter (sic)". The Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ "Read My Lips, Sophie Ellis-Bextor". MTV Asia. Archived from the original on 19 February 2002. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Manning, Toby. "Review: Sophie Ellis Bextor – Read My Lips". Q. No. Q181, September 2001. p. 109.
- ^ Crossing, Gary (3 September 2001). "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – 'Read My Lips'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ Jones, Alan (27 January 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Goulding reclaims No.1 album spot with 21,000 sales". Music Week. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
Ellis-Bextor's first and most successful solo album after a spell as vocalist with theaudience, Read My Lips debuted at number four in 2001 (23,023 sales) and peaked 41 weeks later at number two.
- ^ a b "British album certifications – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". British Phonographic Industry. 21 June 2002. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Albums turning 20 years old in 2021". Official Charts Company. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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- ^ "Read My Lips". Plastic Pop Records. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
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- ^ "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 22nd July 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 647. 22 July 2002. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
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- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums". Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 29. 13 July 2002. p. 8. OCLC 29800226.
- ^ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Read My Lips" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Sophie Ellis-Bextor". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 20/1/2002 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 23/6/2002 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2001". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Dance Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ "Year in Review – European Top 100 Albums 2002". Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 2/3. 11 January 2003. p. 15. OCLC 29800226.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2002" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ "French album certifications – Sophie Ellis Bextor – Read My Lips" (in French). SNEP. 9 April 2003. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Recorded Music NZ. 27 October 2002. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Read My Lips')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ Fielding, Anna (11 September 2025). "Pause For Thought: Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Saltburn, success and new album Perimenopop". Music Week. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2002". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2010.