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Sound Bodies through Sound Therapy, Dorinne Davis, Sound Therapy Books, aitinstitute.org | Sound Therapy: School for INNER SOUND - Introduction to Sound Therapy ardenwilken.com | Sound Therapy: INNER SOUND Tuning Fork Sound Therapy inner-sound.co.uk |
"Sound of the Underground" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, written and produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania. It was released on 16 December 2002 in the UK, just 16 days after the group was formed on Popstars: The Rivals, and became the year's Christmas number one. The single spent four consecutive weeks at number one, achieving a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry.[1] It also served as the title track of Girls Aloud's debut album, Sound of the Underground. Irish artist, Samantha Mumba, was due to record this as her comeback song in 2002 but she opted for I'm Right Here instead.
[edit] Background and release"Sound of the Underground" was one of sixty songs that Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper had written with the aim of launching their own girl group.[2] The song was originally recorded in 2001 by London girl group Orchid, who disbanded before gaining a firm record deal.[3] It was chosen by Girls Aloud's manager Louis Walsh as their debut single.[3] The six finalists of the ITV1 programme Popstars: The Rivals rehearsed the song a week before the finals.[2] Girls Aloud were formed through the show by a public vote on 30 November 2002.[4] The concept of the programme was to produce a boyband and a girlband who would be "rivals" and compete for the Christmas number one single in 2002. Girls Aloud competed against One True Voice, managed by music producer Pete Waterman. Both groups were sent on huge promotional tour. They used a combative "Buy girls, bye boys" slogan to persuade the public to buy their single.[5] A cover of One True Voice's single "Sacred Trust" appears on the special edition bonus disc of Girls Aloud's greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud. Pete Waterman caused a media frenzy after accusing Girls Aloud of being unoriginal and not singing on "Sound of the Underground" (after they claimed it was better to release a new song than a cover as the A-side) .[6] Many articles falsely claim that this track was then "stolen" from Orchid by Girls Aloud. The track was actually owned by Xenomania (the producers) and the original version was used as a "session singers" version, making it Girls Aloud's and not a cover as some articles suggested. This is not uncommon in the music industry.[3] Due to the press attention, the members of Orchid are credited on the single release and remain backing singers on the single. Sarah Harding explained that this just pads out the track and is not uncommon in the industry. Girls Aloud also sang "Sound of the Underground" live throughout promotion to prove it was them singing and rubbish Pete Waterman's attempt to sabotage the release. [edit] Critical reception"Sound of the Underground" received a positive response from most music critics. It "proved a first: it was a reality pop record that didn't make you want to do physical harm to everyone involved in its manufacture."[7] A review for Girls Aloud's debut album stated that the song has "become a pulsating pop classic with a modern, metallic beat, catchy chorus and just the right amount of sleaze."[8] The song was further described as "an enticing blend of spiky guitars and Fatboy Slim beats topped off with an irresistibly catchy chorus."[9] Allmusic praised the song, calling it "a mechanistic sashay of twangy surf guitar and sultry gang vocals — Girls Aloud explodes like a five-headed Kylie Minogue."[10] Michael Osborn said that "Sound of the Underground" offers "a fresh tune that has no intentions of following the road to seasonal schmaltzville."[11] An article from The Guardian called the song "an icy confection very different from the normal run of girl-band things."[5] In 2002, "Sound of the Underground" was voted Best Single at the Disney Channel Kids Awards.[12] "Sound of the Underground" and another Xenomania production, Sugababes' "Round Round", have been called "two huge groundbreaking hits",[13] credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s.[14] The Telegraph placed the song at number 15 on a list of 100 songs that defined the noughties, while NME included it at number 39.[15] Spinner.com named "Sound of the Underground" the eighth best British song of the 2000s.[16] [edit] Music videoThe video for "Sound of the Underground" was shot in a London warehouse just days after Girls Aloud's formation on the last week of competition of Popstars: The Rivals. It features the band members in various scenes "underground". In the group scene, they perform the song backed by a band in a large metal enclosure. As the song progresses, each band member also incorporates a tall microphone stand into the choreography, echoed in many live performances in the song. In the solo scenes, each member is shown sitting or standing in the "underground" setting while various other shots, such as a light bulb spontaneously cracking open and catching on fire, are shown. [edit] Track listings and formats
[edit] Versions and appearancesThese are the official versions and remixes and the release they appear on, of:
[edit] Chart performance"Sound of the Underground" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on December 22, 2002. Girls Aloud sold just over 213,000 copies, while One True Voice's "Sacred Trust" sold only 147,000.[17] The song spent four consecutive weeks at number one.[18] and was certified platinum in March 2003.[1] The song had similar success on the Irish Singles Chart. "Sound of the Underground" debuted at number two, while One True Voice only managed to chart at number nine.[19] They held on at number two for a second week,[20] and later rose to number one.[21]
[edit] Live performancesThe song has been performed live at the following events:
[edit] Cover versions
[edit] References
Categories: Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom | 2002 singles | Debut singles | Girls Aloud songs | UK Singles Chart number-one singles | Irish Singles Chart number-one singles | Songs produced by Xenomania | Songs written by Brian Higgins | Songs written by Miranda Cooper | Songs written by Xenomania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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