"Music Gets the Best of Me" is a song by the British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released as the fourth and final single from her debut solo album, Read My Lips (2001). Written by Ellis-Bextor, Gregg Alexander and Matt Rowe, with Rowe and Alexander serving as producers alongside Steve Osborne, it was one of two new tracks that appeared on the re-issue of the album in 2002, along with previous single "Get Over You". Lyrically, "Music Gets the Best of Me" explores Ellis-Bextor's love of music, highlighting her commitment to music rather than a love life.
Following its release, the song peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Ellis-Bextor's first single to miss the top 10. Elsewhere, it peaked at number 15 in Italy and Romania. Prior to its release, the song received a radio edit for airplay, which reduced some of the backing vocals that were originally more prominent on the album version. Two music videos were made for the song: a "Day Version" and a "Night Version", with the night version of the music video being the one that was broadcast in the United Kingdom. The night version of the video attracted similarities for its production and style to that of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". "Music Gets the Best of Me" is Ellis-Bextor's ninth-best–selling single in the UK as of 2024.
Music video There are two different music videos for the song. Both are directed by Sophie Muller. The first shows Ellis-Bextor in a tropical seaside setting, singing, playing, and dancing in daylight, both on the beach and in the water; at the end, she is at a night carnival. In much of the video, she wears headphones, as if listening to music. This video was the one released for television. The second video shows Ellis-Bextor going in to a dinner party uninvited; she puts on a CD and begins to perform, going from room to room; and ends by claiming that she had fun and leaving. This version was featured as an extra on her home video Watch My Lips.
Track listings
UK CD1 "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Is It Any Wonder"
UK CD2 "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "Everything Falls into Busface"
UK cassette single "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"
European CD single "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Music Gets the Best of Me"
Australian CD single "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Music Gets the Best of Me" "Get Over You" "Murder on the Dancefloor" "Is It Any Wonder" "Everything Falls into Busface"
Credits and personnel Credits are lifted from the Read My Lips album booklet.
Studios Recorded at Mayfair Studios (London, England) Mastered at Sony Music Studios (London, England)
Personnel
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – writing Matt Rowe – writing, production Gregg Alexander – writing, production Stefan Skarbek – programming Steve Osborne – production Jeremy Wheatley – additional production and mix Rik Simpson – engineering John Davis – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2002–2003)PeakpositionEurope (Eurochart Hot 100)50Hungary (Editors' Choice Top 40)20Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)6Poland (PiF PaF)7Romania (Romanian Top 100)15
Year-end charts Chart (2003)PositionRomania (Romanian Top 100)61
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom4 November 2002PolydorAustralia11 November 2002CDNew Zealand9 December 2002
References