“Electric Feel“ is a song by the American rock band MGMT, released as the s… Read Full Bio ↴“Electric Feel“ is a song by the American rock band MGMT, released as the second single from their debut studio album Oracular Spectacular on June 23, 2008. The single was released as a 7" and CD single, and later on 12" vinyl. The song was released to the radio on July 29, 2008. The song became MGMT's first Australian ARIA Top 50 hit as well as their first New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 hit. The song has also been remixed by the French electronic duo, Justice.

In the United States, the song originally peaked at number 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, but reached a new peak of number 14 almost three years after the original peak, due to a resurgence in sales from exposure on The Voice. (The version of “Electric Feel“ covered by The Voice contestant, Preston Pohl also debuted at number 21 in the same week) The song was ranked at number five on NME's list of the Best Singles of 2008 and came in at number two on Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 2008.

This classic by MGMT is centered on a certain female who has the titular “electric feel”, so to speak. Said attribute is tantamount to a superpower or special ability. And what it seems to amount to is she being able to “shock” the world, as in injecting a certain amount of energy into it. Moreover, this is a sensation that we can deduce if nothing else, that the singer thoroughly enjoys.

But the aforementioned description of this lady, as you probably already guessed, is more symbolic than literal. So for a listener to conclude that the singer is actually referring to, say a romantic interest is erroneous. In fact, he is not actually referring to a person at all. Rather as Andrew VanWyngarden has stately bluntly in front of the entire world, this song is actually substances that intoxicate.

And as such, the “electric” feeling being described throughout would be an allusion to what a person experiences when intoxicated. And the aforementioned female character would actually be a personification of the intoxicating substance itself.

Electric Feel
MGMT Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All along the Western front
People line up to receive
She got the power in her hand
To shock you like you won't believe
Saw her in the Amazon
With the voltage running through her skin
Standing there with nothing on
She gonna teach me how to swim

I said, "ooh, girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel"
I said, "ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel"

All along the Eastern shore
Put your circuits in the sea
This is what the world is for
Making electricity
You can feel it in your mind
Oh, you can do it all the time
Plug it in, change the world
You are my electric girl

I said, "ooh, girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel"
I said, "ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel"

Do what you feel now
Electric feel now
Do what you feel now
Electric feel now
Do what you feel now
Electric feel now
Do what you feel now
Electric feel now

Do what you feel now
Electric feel now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to MGMT's song "Electric Feel" paint a picture of an electrifying and sensual encounter with a woman who possesses the power to shock like an electric eel. The song describes a transformative experience where the singer meets this woman, who possesses an unusual and unusual power, and she teaches him to "swim" through the current.

The first verse describes the woman's powerful "shock" and juxtaposes it with her nudity, symbolizing her vulnerability and strength. The second verse moves on to describe the power of electricity in the world and encourages the listener to use it to change the world. The chorus repeats the desire to be shocked and turned on by the woman's electric feel, urging the listener to embrace their own electric feel.

Overall, the song explores themes of electricity, power, and transformation, both on a personal and global level. It encourages the listener to embrace their own power and harness the energy around them to make a positive change in the world.

Line by Line Meaning

All along the Western front
People are lining up on the Western front

People line up to receive
People are waiting to receive something

She got the power in her hand
She has power in her hand

To shock you like you won't believe
She can shock you in a way that you won't believe

Saw her in the Amazon
Saw her in the Amazon forest

With the voltage running through her skin
She has voltage running through her skin

Standing there with nothing on
She is standing there with nothing covering her body

She gonna teach me how to swim
She is going to teach me how to swim

I said, "ooh, girl"
I said 'ooh, girl'

Shock me like an electric eel
Shock me like an electric eel

Baby girl
Referring to the girl as a baby girl

Turn me on with your electric feel"
Make me feel good with your electric feel

All along the Eastern shore
People are also lining up on the Eastern shore

Put your circuits in the sea
Putting circuits in the sea

This is what the world is for
This is what the world is meant for

Making electricity
Generating electricity

You can feel it in your mind
You can feel it mentally

Oh, you can do it all the time
You can do it anytime

Plug it in, change the world
Plug in the circuit and change the world

You are my electric girl
Referring to the girl as my electric girl

Do what you feel now
Do what you feel now