Song · Electronic
“Getting Away With It” by Electronic
“Getting Away With It” by Electronic appears on 18 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 1989 and 2023. Its best result is #21 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #33 alternative song of 1990 and #2,268 alternative song of all time.
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"Getting Away With It" was Electronic's first single, released in 1989 by the team-up of New Order's Bernard Sumner and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, with Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys guesting on vocals. Sumner wrote the verse, Marr the chorus, and Tennant and Sumner wrote the words together: a sly lampoon of Morrissey, Marr's former partner in the Smiths, and the gloomy, self-punishing image he wore in public. Morrissey was not charmed, dismissing it in 1991 as "totally useless" and joking that the title was very apt.
The three of them produced it, and it's synth-pop at its plushest: a full orchestra conducted by the Art of Noise's Anne Dudley, drums programmed by David Palmer of ABC and The The, a rare Marr guitar solo and, as Marr revealed in 2021, a bassline from Chris Lowe.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 74 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989 | 107 |
| 1990 | 63 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990 | 107 |
| 1990 | 66 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990 | 91 |
| 1990 | 21 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990 | 105 |
| 1990 | 37 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990 | 90 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) | 299 |
| 1991 | 80 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) | 302 |
| 1991 | 303 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) | 500 |
| 1991 | 619 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1992 | 272 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) | 299 |
| 1994 | 246 | Live 105 | Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) | 500 |
| 1999 | 778 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 2000 | 476 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) | 500 |
| 2002 | 1914 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 2034 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2022 | 714 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2022 | 281 | X96 | X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time | 500 |
| 2023 | 363 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
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