High Energy (Evelyn Thomas song)

"High Energy"
Single by Evelyn Thomas
from the album High Energy
B-side	"Instrumental dub"
Released	April 1984
Recorded	1984
Studio	Trident Studios, London[1]
Genre	Hi-NRG[2]
Length	3:48
Label	TSR Records Ariola Shack Nunk
Songwriter(s)	Ian Levine Fiachra Trench
Producer(s)	Ian Levine Fiachra Trench
Evelyn Thomas singles chronology
"Doomsday" (1976) "High Energy" (1984) "Masquerade" (1984)

"High Energy" is a song co-written and co-produced by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench, and performed by American dance singer Evelyn Thomas. The song was very popular in dance clubs around the world and topped the American dance chart in September 1984. It also spent four weeks atop the singles chart in West Germany^[3] and peaked at number 5 in the UK.^[4] It became one of the earliest successful songs within the genre of music that has come to be known as hi-NRG. On the SoBe Music compilation album Gay Classics, Volume 1: Ridin' the Rainbow, the liner notes describe the song as "...engagingly captur[ing] the spirit of the genre through uplifting lyrics tightly fused with dazzling synth work".

Music video

There are two different videos versions of the song. The original featured Thomas standing on a platform performing the song while everyone around her is dancing. The second, which was done for the American syndicated series New York Hot Tracks, featured Thomas with a different set of dancers that was filmed at a New York City nightclub, with two dancers acting out the song’s lyrics.

Impact and legacy

In 2022, American magazine Rolling Stone ranked "High Energy" number 177 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".^[5]

To 2015, the song has been extensively reinterpreted through extended mixes and re-recordings.^[6]

Track listings

• 7" single

1. "High Energy" – 3:48
2. "High Energy" (instrumental dub) – 3:30

• 12" maxi

1. "High Energy" (vocal) – 7:50
2. "High Energy" (instrumental dub) – 7:28

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 98 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 7 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 50 Denmark (Hitlisten)[11] 3 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[12] 3 France (SNEP)[13] 18 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 12 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 8 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 9 Spain (AFYVE)[18] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 5 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 85 US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard)[22] 1 West Germany (GfK)[23] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 11 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[25] 38 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26] 87 West Germany (Official German Charts)[27] 9

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• Number-one hits of 1984 (Germany)

References

1. High Energy at discogs (Retrieved June 22, 2013)
2. Jones, Alan; Kantonen, Jussi (2000). Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco. A Cappella Books. p. 173. ISBN 1-55652-411-0.
3. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Evelyn Thomas – High Energy (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
4. "Official Charts > Evelyn Thomas". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
5. Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
6. "Discogs: High Energy". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 308. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 12, 1988.
8. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
9. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8943." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
11. Danish Charts Archive. 31 August 1984.
12. "European Hot 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1, no. 23. September 3, 1984. p. 8.
13. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – High Energy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
16. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
17. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy". VG-lista. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
18. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
19. "Evelyn Thomas – High Energy". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
20. "Evelyn Thomas: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
21. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. October 20, 1984. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
22. "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. September 1, 1984. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Evelyn Thomas – High Energy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
24. "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
25. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1984". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
26. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984". MegaCharts. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
27. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1984" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 26, 2022.