Released 28 July 2011 Genre Progressive house | Recorded 2010–11 Label Interscope | |
Format CD single
digital download Length 5:37 (Original version)
3:20 (Radio edit) | ||
"Levels" (stylized as "LE7ELS") is a progressive house piece by Avicii. An early instrumental version of the song was first played by Avicii during an appearance on Essential Mix in December 2010, while the final version with Etta James's vocals was first performed at the Ultra Music Festival in March 2011. "Levels" was officially released on 28 October 2011 and peaked at number one in Sweden and on the Dance music charts in United States and became a top ten hit in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Contents
"Levels" contains a vocal sample from the 1962 gospel-inspired song "Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James, as written by Leroy Kirkland, Pearl Woods and James. It is the same sample previously used in Pretty Lights's 2006 song "Finally Moving" from his debut album Taking Up Your Precious Time. Flo Rida's single "Good Feeling", which became a worldwide hit in late 2011, was primarily influenced by "Levels" and its Etta James sample.
Composition
"Levels" is a progressive house song containing elements of soul, EDM, and house, featuring heavy and high-pitched synths, a quiet bassline and beat. The song is set in common time with a tempo of 126 beats per minute. It was produced in the key of C♯ minor, with a simple chord progression of C#m-E-B-A. It samples lyrics from Etta James' 1962 single, "Something's Got a Hold on Me", only consisting of "Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah. I get a feeling that I never never never had before. No, no. I get a good feeling, yeah".
Remixes
The song has been remixed by several artists, including Cazzette and Skrillex. It has been used in a mashup with "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra titled "Levels That I Used to Know" and another mashup with "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida titled "Good Levels" which has been played on some club radio stations. George Monev made a popular edit to this song which reverses the track. The song was re-worked to feature vocals from South Korean K-pop singer Im Seulong of 2AM. The single was released in South Korea on 5 May 2013 via digital music outlets.
Usage in popular culture
"Levels" was featured in the pilot of Arrow.