Electric Avenue Lyrics
Oi
Oi
[Verse 1]
Now in the street, there is violence
And a lots of work to be done
No place to hang out the washing
And I can't blame all on the sun, oh no
[Chorus]
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
[Verse 2]
Working so hard like a soldier
Can't afford a thing on TV
Deep in my heart, I abhor ya
Can't get food for the kid, good God
[Chorus]
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Ho, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh, no
Oh, no
Oh, no
Oh, no
Oh, Lord
[Chorus]
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Ho, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
[Verse 3]
Who is to blame in one country?
Never can get to the one
Dealing in multiplication
And they still can't feed everyone, oh no
[Chorus]
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Ho no, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
[Bridge]
Ho, out in the street
Out in the street
Out in the daytime
Out in the night
Oh, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Ho, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
[Bridge]
Out in the street
Out in the street
Out in the playground
In the dark side of town
[Chorus]
Ho, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Hey, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue (Oh, yeah)
And then we'll take it higher
[Outro]
Rock it in the daytime (Electric Avenue)
Rock it in the night (Electric Avenue)
Rock it in Miami mama, meh (Electric Avenue)
Whoa, in a Brixton (Electric Avenue)
About
Guyanese-British singer Eddy Grant’s seminal response to the 1981 Brixton riot; riots that were themselves a response to police brutality, racial tension, and the high level of unemployment among the Caribbean immigrant population of Britain at that time.
Throughout the song, Grant goes against the demonized account of rioters popular in the British media, instead painting a picture of poor, jobless “warriors”, struggling to even feed their family.
“Electric Avenue”, the second single from Killer On The Rampage, was an international smash hit around the world, reaching the top 10 in at least a dozen countries, including a #1 peak in Canada. In the US, it reached #2 in the summer of 1983 – held from the top spot by “Flashdance…What A Feeling” and “Every Breath You Take”. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B song, but lost to “Billie Jean”.
While sometimes called a one-hit wonder, this is not the case. Grant had another top 40 in the US the following year with the title track to the film Romancing The Stone. In the UK, Grant had already had five top 40 solo hits prior to this song.
In 2020, President Trump used the song without authorization in a video during his failed re-election campaign, leading Grant to issue a cease-and-desist letter and sue the Trump campaign.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Grant explained to The Guardian:
On the way home one night from working in the Black Theatre of Brixton I saw Electric Avenue on a street sign, and thought: “What a fantastic song title.”
Several years later, by which time I’d returned to music, I left England for Barbados, but British Airways lost my bags, containing all my latest songs. I had to write a whole new set of material … Just before leaving England, I’d watched the Brixton riots unfold on television. I’d seen the Notting Hill riots starting a few years previously. I wrote down: “Now in the street there is violence,” and the song just flowed from there.
- 1.Electric Avenue
- 4.War Party
