Rollerblades (Eliza Doolittle song) explained

Rollerblades
Cover:Rollerblades.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Eliza Doolittle
Album:Eliza Doolittle
B-Side:Doo Little
Released:17 October 2010
Recorded:2010
Length:3:06
Label:EMI
Prev Title:Pack Up
Prev Year:2010
Next Title:Skinny Genes
Next Year:2010

"Rollerblades" is the third single from British recording artist Eliza Doolittle, taken from her eponymous debut album. It was released on 17 October 2010 and peaked at 58. The track was added to BBC Radio 1's A-Playlist.[1]

Release and promotion

The song was released on 4 January 2011 on US iTunes Store as the 'Free Single of the Week'.

The song was recently used for a commercial for the Toyota Prius v.

Music video

The music video for the song appeared on Doolittle's YouTube channel on 21 September 2010. It was shot in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of New York City and shows Eliza cycling around the city.

Critical reception

Fraser McAlpine of BBC Chart Blog gave the song a positive review stating:

For an emotion we all yearn to feel, as much as we possibly can, light-hearted skippyfun can be very, very troublesome to capture in popular music. Too much sugar, as we all know, rots the teeth, and makes people feel sick. So it's often a good idea to leaven it with a bit of sourness, just to cleanse the palate.

It's a tough balance to strike though. Too much sour is even worse than too much sweet, cos it curdles the whole confection. Ideally, you'd want a song something like this, something which seems to be full of sunlight and happysighs; something which tumbles through your mind like a carrier bag lifted into the afternoon sky by a gentle breeze.

Unfortunately, the lighter and happier you sound, the more you risk annoying people, rather than carrying them along with your infectious giddiness, so it needs to also have some great big clumping clown feet, just to keep it from disappearing in a puff of twee. .[2]

Track listings

Digital download
iTunes EP

Chart performance

"Rollerblades" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 91 on 17 October 2010 before climbing to number 58 the following week; upon physical release.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BBC - Radio 1 - Playlist. 2010-10-21. 2018-03-21. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20101021084640/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/playlist. 21 October 2010. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Eliza Doolittle - 'Rollerblades'. BBC. bbc.co.uk. Fraser McAlpine.
  3. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00462TQ62
  4. Web site: Connecting to the iTunes Store. iTunes.