"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" | ||||
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Single by Dead or Alive | ||||
from the album Youthquake | ||||
B-side | "Misty Circles" | |||
Released | 5 November 1984[1] | |||
Recorded | March–October 1984 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
Dead or Alive singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, Youthquake (1985). Released as a single in November 1984, it reached No. 1 in the UK in March 1985, taking 17 weeks to get there. It was the first UK No. 1 hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio.[11]
On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at No. 11 on 17 August of that year, becoming their highest-charting single there.[12] The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland[13] and in Canada,[14] while in Australia it peaked at No. 3[15] and it charted highly in numerous European countries.
In 2003, Q ranked the song at number 981 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever", Blender listed it at number 289 on its ranking of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005, and in 2015 it was voted by the British public as the nation's 17th-favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.
Background and composition
[edit]Dead or Alive's lead vocalist Pete Burns stated in his autobiography that he composed "You Spin Me Round" by using two existing songs as inspiration for creating something new:
How did I write "Spin Me"? I listened to Luther Vandross's 'I Wanted Your Love'. It's not the same chord structure, but then that's the way I make music – I hear something and I sing another tune over it. I didn't sit and study the Luther Vandross album – I heard the song and it locked. [...] I'm trying to structure the music and I know what I want. [...] It's like do this, do this, do this – and suddenly it hits. I don't want to do Luther Vandross's song, but I can still sing the same pattern over it. And there was another record, by Little Nell, called "See You 'Round Like a Record". [...] So I had those two, Van Dross [sic] and Little Nell and – bingo! – done deal.
— Pete Burns, Freak Unique (2007)
Desiring to move on from the sound of the band's debut studio album, Sophisticated Boom Boom (1984), Pete Burns wanted "You Spin Me Round" to be produced by the then little-known production team Stock Aitken Waterman, in the Hi-NRG style of their 1984 UK hits "You Think You're a Man" by Divine, and "Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)" by Hazell Dean.[11]
In a 2009 interview discussing the song, Burns disputed the Hi-NRG label, saying "to me it was just disco". He also described the song as "a pop hit, not a hi-NRG hit", and claimed Sylvester as a major influence.[16] Burns later said he had wanted to make a "glittery disco record", while Pete Waterman, asked to define the song's sound, said it was "techno-disco; without a question that's what it was. It was new technology playing Motown; that's all it was. Taking out the musicians and bringing in technology for the first time."[17]
Burns claimed the song was "completed" by the time the producers were then chosen to work on it, stating that "the record companies don't trust a band to go into the studio without a producer".[18] According to Burns, the record company was unenthusiastic about "You Spin Me Round" to such an extent that Burns had to take out a £2,500 loan to record it. After it was recorded, he recalled, "the record company said it was awful" and the band had to fund production of the song's video themselves.[19]
Interviewed for BBC Radio 4's The Reunion: The Hit Factory, in April 2015, Burns said that a confrontational attitude between the producers and band led to "quite a bad vibe" during production and "a time of intense friction".[20] Engineer Phil Harding, who mixed the track, said tensions were running so high between the band members and producers Mike Stock and Matt Aitken during mixing, that it almost escalated to violence.[11] Aitken has confirmed that tensions were high, with the producers clashing with band members over the latter's desire to keep adding new elements to the mix.[21] Stock has disputed the seriousness of studio tensions, alleging that Burns, Harding and Pete Waterman have all "exaggerated" what happened in their recounting of events.[22] "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is written in the key of F♯ minor.[23]
Re-releases
[edit]A remix version of "You Spin Me Round" was released in 2003 at the same time Dead or Alive's greatest hits album Evolution: The Hits was released. The song reached No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart. The original 1984 recording was re-released on 30 January 2006 because of lead singer Pete Burns's controversial time as a contestant on television series Celebrity Big Brother and reached No. 5. Earlier remixes were in 1996 and 1997 (some included on the releases of Nukleopatra). In 2000, new mixes appeared on Fragile and in 2001, on Unbreakable: The Fragile Remixes.
Chart performance
[edit]The song has been re-released three times since its original release in 1984. Each time of its release, it achieved success, but failed to match the success of the original. However, after Burns's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, the single was re-released and managed a Top 5 peak on the UK Singles Chart. According to Burns, 12-inch singles comprised over 70% of the original sales of "You Spin Me Round", and because these were regarded by the record label as promotional tools rather than sales, the band had to threaten legal action against the label before they received the royalties on them.[24]
Music video
[edit]The accompanying music video, which features a disco ball, waving gold flags and an evocation of the six-armed deity Vishnu, was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton.[25][26]
Impact and legacy
[edit]In 2003, British popular music magazine Q ranked "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" number 981 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[27] In 2005, Blender listed it at number 289 on its ranking of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[28] In 2014, Matt Dunn of WhatCulture ranked the song at number three in his "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles" list, stating that the song "has had an enormous presence in pop culture since its 1984 release", as it has been covered, sampled, bootlegged or remixed by many artists, and used in films, series and TV ads.[29]
In 2015, it was voted by the British public as the nation's 17th favourite 1980s number-one in a poll for ITV.[30] After the death of Burns in 2016, musician and actor Gary Kemp described the song as "one of the best white dance records of all time."[31] In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song number five in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1s".[32] In 2021, Classic Pop ranked it number-one in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs".[33]
In 2023, the song was covered by Netta as part of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 tribute to music from Liverpool.[34] In 2023, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian listed the song at number one in his "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!", describing it "a breathlessly exciting single... It's commercial pop music that captures a small-hours dancefloor's hedonism and hysteria".[35]
Track listing
[edit]
1985, Epic – 49-05208; 1989, Epic – 49H69181[36]
1997, Epic – 49-78588[36]
1999, Cleopatra – CLP 0533-2[37]
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2003, Epic 673578 2[38]
2006, Epic 82876 806212[39]
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Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[79] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[80] Sales since 2009 |
Gold | 35,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Physical |
Gold | 500,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[82] Digital |
Platinum | 600,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Dope version
[edit]"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" | ||||
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Single by Dope | ||||
from the album Felons and Revolutionaries | ||||
Released | 2000 | |||
Genre | Industrial metal, nu metal | |||
Length | 2:43 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Dope singles chronology | ||||
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Nu metal band Dope covered the song on their debut studio album Felons and Revolutionaries (1999); the cover also appeared on the soundtrack for the film American Psycho.[83] This version reached no. 37 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[84]
Charts
[edit]Chart (2000) | Peak position |
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US Active Rock (Billboard)[85] | 30 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[86] | 37 |
Jessica Simpson version
[edit]Jessica Simpson's version of the song was released as a promo single from her fifth studio album A Public Affair in 2006. Her version of the song failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100, though it did reach no. 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. Simpson's version has new lyrics and only preserves the chorus of the song.
Charts
[edit]Chart (2007) | Peak position |
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US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[87] | 21 |
US Pop 100 (Billboard)[88] | 95 |
Other cover versions
[edit]- Mexican singer Thalía covers the song on her 2002 self-titled album.[89]
- In 2007, Danzel released his version of "You Spin Me Round" which peaked at No. 32 in Belgium.[90]
- In 2008, French rock and new wave band Indochine released their version of "You Spin Me Round" as a stand-alone single, only included in the special edition of their 2009 album La République des Meteors.
- Flo Rida's 2009 single "Right Round" featuring Kesha, interpolates elements of the song.[91][92][93]
- In 2020, American industrial metal band 3Teeth released Guns Akimbo, a two-track set that included a cover version of "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". The song was previously featured in the 2019 action comedy film Guns Akimbo.[94]
- Netta performed the song during the intermission of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, as part of a tribute to the musical heritage of the host city of Liverpool.[95]
- In 2009, the song was covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks, for the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.[96]
See also
[edit]- List of number-one singles of 1985 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 1985 (Ireland)
- List of number-one hits of 1985 (Switzerland)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
References
[edit]- ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 3 November 1984. p. 28.
- ^ Barron, Lee (2010). "Camp Transitions: Genre Adaptation and the Hi-NRG/Dance Cover Version". In Plasketes, George (ed.). Play it Again: Cover Songs in Popular Music. Ashgate Publishing. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-7546-6809-1.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Dead or Alive – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead or Alive". Apple Music.
- ^ "Dead or Alive". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Chin, Brian (11 May 1985). "Dance Trax". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
The A-side, produced by the team behind Divine's European successes (also unreleased here), is proof positive that disco is commercial, whether on major or indie label, especially when combined with enough raunch to put it in the "rock" category...
- ^ Schiller, Rebecca (26 March 2017). "100 Best Songs Of The 1980s". NME.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1996). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-6797-5574-6.
Stock-Aitken-Waterman, the British schlock-disco maestros who took the trance-like beats of '80s synth-pop to their dancefloor extreme, most famously on Dead or Alive's drag opus "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)."
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s, No 5: Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "80's New Wave: New Wave Dance - Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via AllMusic.
- ^ a b c "Ep 3: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Podcasts. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "The Hot 100". Billboard. 17 August 1985. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 29 May 2003". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 13 June 2019.[dead link]
- ^ a b "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.
- ^ Pete Burns on the 1980s - From Punk to Pop and where he fit in (and didn't!) - Full length
- ^ Pete Burns & Pete Waterman discussing "You Spin Me Round" - The One Show 13th March 2012
- ^ Pete Burns Interview by Sveta Breakfast Radio Show 1997. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Burns, Pete (2007). Freak Unique: My Autobiography. John Blake Publishing. pp. 95–97. ISBN 978-1-8445-4438-7.
- ^ "The Reunion: The Hit Factory". BBC. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 41: Looking Back with Matt Aitken on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 9: Taking Stock with Mike Stock on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive – Digital Sheet Music". Alfred Music. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2021 – via Musicnotes.com.
- ^ Arena, James (2017). Europe's Stars of '80s Dance Pop: 32 International Music Legends Discuss Their Careers. McFarland & Company. pp. 24–35. ISBN 978-1-4766-7142-0.
- ^ "VIDEO OF THE WEEK: DEAD OR ALIVE – 'YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD)' – Spotlight Sony Music UK | Official Website – Official Website". Spotlight Sony Music UK | Official Website.
- ^ Welsh, Adam (20 June 2019). "Scansmiths – Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round – ScanSmiths". Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003)". Muzieklijstjes.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 251-300". Blender. October 2005. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
- ^ Dunn, Matt (16 January 2014). "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles". WhatCulture. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ Westbrook, Caroline (25 July 2015). "The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut". Metro. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Stanley, Bob (25 October 2016). "Pete Burns: too abrasive to be a national treasure, his talent made him immortal". New Statesman. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (5 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s: 100-1". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs". Classic Pop. August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Saunders, Emma (13 May 2023). "Special performances bring star quality". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (23 November 2023). "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (2010). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991 (7th ed.). Krause. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-4402-1131-7.
- ^ You Spin Me Round / Sex Drive (liner notes). Dead or Alive. Cleopatra. 1999. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round 2003". Officialcharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ "Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round 2006". Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 85. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0560." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 13. 1 April 1985. p. 2 (of PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Musiikkiarkisto. p. 59. ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Dead or Alive".
- ^ "Discography – Singles". Mikestockmusic.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 16, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". VG-lista. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Dead or Alive – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 24, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) ('96 Remix)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Dead or Alive". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 13th February 2006" (PDF). ARIA. 13 February 2006. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Spin Me Round". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 23 February 2006". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 13 June 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "End of Year Charts 1985". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 24 January 1987. p. 24.
- ^ "Jahrescharts – 1985". Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". Music Canada.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Mathis, Derrick. "Original Soundtrack – American Psycho". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Dope – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Dope Chart History: Active Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
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- ^ "Jessica Simpson Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "A Public Affair – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Thalia's 2002 Self-Titled Album Celebrates 20 Years: 'It Opened So Many Doors for Me'". Billboard. 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Danzel – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
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- ^ "3Teeth Releases Guns Akimbo Album feat. Covers of "Ballroom Blitz" and "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"". Rock'Load Mag. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ Netta - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) [Live from Eurovision 2023], retrieved 14 May 2023
- ^ Saunders, Emma (13 May 2023). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel you spin me round". YouTube Music. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
External links
[edit]- "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" at Discogs (list of releases)