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He's on the Phone
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = He's on the Phone
| cover = He's on the Phone.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Saint Etienne
| album = Too Young to Die
| B-side =
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Handbag house
| length = 5:10
| label =
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = Hug My Soul
| prev_year = 1994
| next_title = Sylvie
| next_year = 1997
| misc =
}}
"'He's on the Phone'" is a song by British pop group Saint Etienne in collaboration with French singer-songwriter tienne Daho. A fast-paced dance track, it is one of Saint Etienne's biggest hits, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, number 31 in Iceland, number 41 in Sweden and number 33 on the US 'Billboard' Dance Club Songs chart. The lyrics tell of an "academia girl" trying to escape from a relationship with a married man: "He's on the phone / And she wants to go home, / Shoes in hand, / Don't make a sound, / It's time to go." At the centre of the track is a spoken-word section by Daho.
The song is a remix by Motiv8 of "Accident", which appeared on the Saint Etienne/tienne Daho 'Reserection EP', released a few months previously in June 1995. "Accident" itself is a rewritten version of Daho's 1984 French-language hit single "Weekend Rome", with original English lyrics. Daho's spoken-word vocals are from the 'Reserection' opening track, "Reserection".
The single was credited to "Saint Etienne featuring tienne Daho". Daho also appears in the song's music video and joined the band in their performance of the song on 'Top of the Pops'. Daho would also go on to perform the original "Weekend Rome" lyrics with the instrumentation from "He's on the Phone" in a performance on the French edition of 'Star Academy'. The single also had the honour of being Pete Tong's essential tune on Radio One.
Production
According to producer Steve Rodway, the band had never intended to use "Accident" as single material, but had given it to him for remixing as it was "the only new track they had" at the time of the release of 'Too Young to Die'. Rodway retained an edited-down portion of Daho's vocals, and otherwise only kept the opening piano riff from the original instrumentation (both at the band's request).
'Sound on Sound' magazine describes "He's on the Phone" as characteristic of most of Rodway's "trademark" sounds:
A hard disk recorder was used to create backing vocals echoing the original through time stretching and pitch shifting.
Critical reception
Glenn Swan from AllMusic called the song "smart", adding that it "once again [are] showcasing the gorgeous voice of Sarah Cracknell and the plaintive Brit-pop songwriting skills of Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs, and Ian Catt." Christopher Burns from 'Associated Press' said it is "truly plastic, shameless Eurodisco with plenty of strings and horns. "The hotel life, forget your wife, you're on your own", they sing in "He's on the Phone". It's a contrast from the more experimental stuff Saint Etienne has done in the past." Larry Flick from 'Billboard' described it as a "twirlin' U.K. club smash", that with "its deliciously sweet pop hook and adorable girl-group vocals" is "ripe for pop radio picking." He also added that Motiv 8 "kicks a snappy hi-NRG beat on its jiggly remix". James Masterton for Dotmusic deemed it as a "fantastic single", noting that "this is the first time they have ever release an out-and-out pop stomper." He concluded, "One of Britain's most unique bands is finally a major chart force." Swedish newspaper 'Expressen' complimented the "lovely" disco mix by the remixer.'Expressen'. 11 December 1995. Tom Ewing of 'Freaky Trigger' ranked "He's on the Phone" number 29 in his list of "Top 100 Singles of the 90s" in 1999.
John Hamilton from 'Idolator' noted that the remixer had "painstaking rearranged Sarahs vocals into a more melodic chorus and injected the track with what can only be described as a high dose of poppers: a galloping bass line, bright keyboards and a relentless nu-disco beat, with Dahos spoken-word passage figuring powerfully in the breakdown." Ross Jones from 'The Guardian' stated, "Saint Etienne's marriage to Europop is now official. He's On The Phone has it all schlurping cymbals, swooping strings, pumping piano, forlorn chords, heartbroken lyrics, ramblings in a foreign tongue..."Jones, Ross (4 November 1995). "Reviews: Singles". p. 31. 'The Guardian'. Brad Beatnik from 'Music Week's 'RM' Dance Update rated it four out of five, saying that Motiv 8 "have given the single a very upbeat Euro feel that's both sassy and trashy." Another editor, James Hamilton deemed it a "sweetly enunciated tuneful gentle ditty". Jim Wirth from 'NME' called it "stunning", adding that the single, together with "Sylvie", are "a stellar amalgamation of handbag house and Bacharachian pop aesthetics." Rob Sheffield from 'Rolling Stone' declared it as a "perfect" U.K. hit.
Chart performance
"He's on the Phone" was a notable hit in Europe, peaking at number nine in Scotland and number eleven in the UK. In the latter, it peaked in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 5 November 1995, becoming the group's most successful single there. Additionally, it reached the Top 40 in Iceland and Sweden, as well as the Top 50 on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it went to number 44. Outside Europe, it was very successful in Israel, peaking at number three in 1996. In the US, the song made it to a respectable number 33 on the 'Billboard' Dance Club Songs chart.
Music video
A music video was produced to promote the single. It was later published on Saint Etienne's official YouTube channel in May 2012. The video has amassed more than 1,3 million views as of October 2021.
Track listings
All tracks were written and composed by Cracknell, Stanley, Wiggs, Daho; except where indicated.
'12-inch: Heavenly / HVN 50-12Pi (UK)'
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv 8 extended mix) 6:25
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv 8 dub)
'12-inch: Heavenly / HVN 50-12Pii (UK)'
# "Cool Kids of Death" (Underworld mix) (Stanley, Wiggs) 14:31
# "Like a Motorway" (David Holmes mix) (Stanley, Wiggs) 13:01
'12-inch: Heavenly / HVN 50-12Piii (UK)'
# "He's on the Phone" (Bungee Vocal Mix)
# "He's on the Phone" (Naked Bungee Dub)
'12-inch: MCA / MCA12-55268 (US)'
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv8 mix) 6:26
# "He's on the Phone" (Primax Bungee dub mix) 6:03
# "He's on the Phone" (Primax Bungee vocal mix) 5:05
'CD: Heavenly / HVN 50CD (UK)'
# "He's on the Phone" 4:09
# "Groveley Road" (Stanley, Wiggs) 3:39
# "Is It True" (Marc Bolan) 2:49
# "The Process" (Stanley, Wiggs) 3:11
'CD: Heavenly / HVN 50CDR (UK)'
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv8 mix) 6:25
# "Cool Kids of Death" (Underworld remix) (Stanley, Wiggs) 14:31
# "How I Learned to Love the Bomb" (Treacy) 3:05
'CD: MCA / MCADM-55268 (US)'
# "He's on the Phone" (radio edit) 4:08
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv8 mix) 6:26
# "He's on the Phone" (Primax Bungee dub mix) 6:03
# "He's on the Phone" (Primax Bungee vocal mix) 5:05
'MC: Heavenly / HVN 50CS (UK)'
# "He's on the Phone" 4:09
# "He's on the Phone" (Motiv8 mix) 6:25
Charts
References
Category:1995 singles
Category:1995 songs
Category:1996 singles
Category:English house music songs
Category:Heavenly Recordings singles
Category:MCA Records singles
Category:Macaronic songs
Category:Saint Etienne (band) songs
Category:Songs about telephones
Category:Songs written by Bob Stanley (musician)
Category:Songs written by Pete Wiggs
Category:Songs written by Sarah Cracknell
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