“In for the Kill” by La Roux

by Amanda London· Published September 4, 2021· Updated September 4, 2021

La Roux’s “In for the Kill” centers on a couple of metaphorical expressions made in the chorus, where the vocalist exerts that she is “going in for the kill… doing it for the thrill”. And what the singer is actually speaking to, as made a bit clearer in the first verse, is swallowing her pride/fears and stepping to someone who she is physically attracted to – making a pass, put more simply.

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And as further implied in the second verse, Elly clearly understands that things may not go right. But she also knows that holding in her words/feelings will make them rot, if you will. And that actually brings us to what this song is about as explained by the vocalist.

The primary goals is not to actually make the addressee’s acquaintance. Rather, the narrator is the kind of person who would rather get her feelings out to definitively ascertain if the other party is also interested as opposed to keeping them bottled up.

So yes, in a way this entire piece can be interpreted as an elaborate pickup line. But at the same time, as revealed in the bridge, of course the vocalist is hoping for a positive response but is also cool if things don’t go there. Rather, what’s most important to her is not chickening out.

La Roux's Elly Jackson explains "In for the Kill"

“In for the Kill” Facts

Artist(s): La Roux
Album/EP: “La Roux”

Was “In for the Kill” a single release?

Yes. It was released as the “La Roux” album’s second single. March 15th, 2009 was its official date of release.

Credits

The song was written and produced by Elly Jackson in collaboration with Ben Langmaid.

Awards/Honors

“In for the Kill” was nominated for the award, “Best Dance Recording” at the Grammys in 2011. It lost the award to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)”. The following nominees completed the category:

Other Accolades

The film, music and culture website, NME placed “In for the Kill” at number 64 on their list of top 150 tracks of the past one and half decade.

Chart Performance

Australian – 5
Scotland – 10
UK – 2
US (Dance Club) – 1

Covers

Of the many singers and bands that have covered “In for the Kill” over the years, below are some of the most prominent:

Miike Snow (2010)
London Grammar (2013)
Tapestry (2014)

La Roux’s “La Roux” Album

In for the Kill, the synth-pop song was released in 2009 by British music duo La Roux. The track is the second single from their self-titled and debut studio album, La Roux.

The duo released the eponymous album internationally through Polydor Records on June 26, 2009. They wrote the majority of the lyrics for the twelve songs on the album’s original track listing. In addition, they produced the entire album with the help of executive producer Ben Hirst.

Many music reviewers and critics consider la Roux as a top and quality album. AllMusic, Rolling Stone, The Daily Telegraph, and The Irish Times have all scored the album a 4 out of 5-star rating on their platforms. The album also scored seventy-six percent on Metacritic and nine out of 10 scores on NME.

La Roux peaked at numbers 4 and 70 on the Billboard Top Electronic Dance Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 chart. It was also second on the UK Albums Chart (OCC) and third on the Australian Albums chart (ARIA).

The album helped the duo to secure a place in the shortlist of the 2009 Mercury Prize. In addition, it earned the Grammy Award for Best Electronic Album at the 2011 Grammys.

It has sold almost half a million copies in the UK and has received a silver certification from the BPI.