The track is a holdover from defunct Wirral group the Id (who were led by McCluskey and Humphreys), and features a melodic synthesizer break as opposed to a sung chorus.

[8] After OMD's first concert, opening for Joy Division in a 1978 appearance at Eric's Club in Liverpool, McCluskey was inspired to send a demo of the song to Factory Records founder Tony Wilson.

[13] In a review of 1980 single "Enola Gay", Jonathan Green of The Canberra Times described both it and "Electricity" as a "super pop song".

[15]) David Hepworth, who re-assessed the track in the same publication, wrote that OMD's sound "commands your attention" and lauded the single for being "packaged with as much taste as it's played".

[17][18] In a retrospective article, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "pure zeitgeist, a celebration of synth pop's incipient reign".

[22] John Earls of Classic Pop called the track "groundbreaking",[23] as did AFI and Blaqk Audio frontman, Davey Havok.

[24] Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

[26] The track has also impacted artists such as Alphaville,[27] No Doubt,[28] Ministry's Al Jourgensen,[29] Take That's Gary Barlow,[21] and Nation of Language, whose formation it directly inspired.

[30] "Electricity" and its cover art were highly influential on the parallel music and graphic design careers of Brett Wickens (co-founder of the groups Spoons and Ceramic Hello).

Ted Ottaviano of Book of Love, a band heavily influenced by OMD, said, "I've never heard anything so simple and sophisticated all at the same time... [It's] one of my all-time faves.

"[33] Mute Records founder Daniel Miller wrote, "I remember thinking, 'My God, that's an amazing pop song'.

"[34] Philip Oakey of the Human League called it a "brilliant single",[35] while Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr commented, "I bought it and played it nonstop...

The limited edition release is pressed on clear vinyl and the sleeve is an adaptation of the original Peter Saville design.