Hyperactive!

"Hyperactive!"
Single by Thomas Dolby
from the album The Flat Earth
B-side
  • "White City" (UK),
  • "Get Out of My Mix (Special Dance Version)" (US)
Released  9 January 1984 (1984-01-09)[1][2]
10 January 1994 (1994-01-10)[3] (re-release)
Recorded1983
Genre
Length4:46
Label
SongwriterThomas Dolby
ProducerThomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby singles chronology
"Get Out of My Mix"
(1983) 		"Hyperactive!"
(1984) 		"I Scare Myself"
(1984)
Music video
"Hyperactive!" on YouTube

"Hyperactive!" is a song by the English new wave and synth-pop musician Thomas Dolby, released on 9 January 1984 by EMI and Capitol Records as the lead single from his second studio album The Flat Earth. Backing vocals were provided by the American singer Adele Bertei.

According to Dolby, he initially composed the song for Michael Jackson, whom he had met in 1982. He decided to record it himself since he never got any feedback from Jackson after sending him a demo tape.[4] Dolby felt that "Hyperactive" deviated from the remaining material on The Flat Earth, which he described as a "late night album" and "smoochy".[5]

It was the first single to be taken from the album and peaked at number 17 on the UK singles chart and number 16 on the Canadian RPM charts,[6] In the US, it reached number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also charted on the publication's Dance Club Songs listing.[7][8]

Music video

A music video was also released on MTV in February 1984, where it later received medium rotation.[9][10] Cashbox noted the video's "hilarious special effects gimmickry in its take-off on psychiatry."[11] Dolby coordinated with Daniel Kleinman on the music video, who served as the director.[5][12] Later that year, it was nominated for the Best Computer Graphics and Most Innovative Music Video categories for the Billboard's Video Music Awards.[12] It was also nominated under the Best Pop Video category for the American Video Awards.[13]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Martyn Ware, as guest reviewer for Smash Hits, praised "Hyperactive!" as "another brilliantly-produced single from Thomas" with a "high originality factor". He added that it "deserves to be a success", but said that the lack of an "identifiable chorus" could impact its chart success.[14] Karen Swayne of Number One considered it a "winner" and an "unexpected treat". She summarised, "It's a furiously fast blast of choppy funk with some fearsome girl vocals [in the chorus]."[15] Lemmy, as guest reviewer for Record Mirror, called the song "a bit disjointed for me", but thought that it had a "great sound".[16]

In the US, Cashbox called the song "a nervous, audio leap-frog of a single which more than achieves the mood hinted at by the title."[11] Billboard characterized the song as "electronic dance pop".[17]

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 26
Canada RPM Top Singles[19] 16
New Zealand (RIANZ)[20] 41
UK singles chart[21] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 62
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks[22] 39
US Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80[8] 37

References

  1. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 January 1984. p. 10. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ "News - Chart Hyper". Record Mirror. 7 January 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via Flickr.
  3. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 8 January 1994. p. 15. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ Record Collector, Issue 366/2009
  5. ^ a b Sweeting, Adam (3 March 1984). "Thomas Dolby: Hyperaction". Melody Maker. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - April 7, 1984" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b "Thomas Dolby - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 81.
  9. ^ "MTV Adds & Rotation As of 2/8/84" (PDF). Billboard. 18 February 1984. p. 29. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  10. ^ "MTV Adds & Rotation As of 2/15/84" (PDF). Billboard. 25 February 1984. p. 30. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 25 February 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Billboard's Video Music Award Nominees" (PDF). Billboard. 3 November 1984. p. 49. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  13. ^ "'Weird Al' wins honors for 'Eat It' video spoof". The Oregonian. 4 April 1985. p. E6. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  14. ^ Ware, Martyn (19 January 1984). "Singles". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 2. p. 21. ISSN 0260-3004.
  15. ^ Swayne, Karen (14 January 1984). "Singles". Number One. No. 37. p. 33.
  16. ^ Lemmy (14 January 1984). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 14. ISSN 0144-5804.
  17. ^ "Billboard Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 3 March 1984. p. 57. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - April 7, 1984" (PDF).
  20. ^ "Hyperactive!". charts.nz. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  21. ^ "Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive!". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  22. ^ "Rock Albums & Top Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. 31 March 1984. p. 22. Retrieved 31 October 2025.

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