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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Girls Aloud _ Shouldn't have been a single
Posted by: Joe. 12th September 2016, 06:37 PM
Done in some other forums. Looking back on their career, what were the biggest single mistakes?
Let's just get BCYLM out of the way.
Posted by: JosephStyles 12th September 2016, 06:43 PM
BCYLM obviously, if they were gonna half-arse it like that, they shouldn't have bothered. If they were gonna put effort in, On the Metro should've been picked.
Honestly I'd say the only two that perhaps shouldn't have happened are Long Hot Summer and See the Day. The former was their lowest peaking single to that point so something didn't click with the public (although I have a huge soft spot for it these days). See the Day is NOTHING like the rest of the album and I find it sticks out like a sore thumb on there. It may have been a radio hit at Christmas but they could've released Whole Lotta History at that time instead and it would've fit the feel of Christmas just as much. Models could've been a single instead, and maybe we could've had Watch Me Go or Wild Horses as well?
Everything else went pretty much perfectly I think 
Posted by: Hayzayy 12th September 2016, 06:45 PM
I would say "See the day". Chemistry had so many amazing brillant tracks, releasing a lazy cover was not fitting at all.
Posted by: Jonjo 12th September 2016, 06:47 PM
'Long Hot Summer' I can't decide if it was ever a good single choice or not. I love the song, but I'm just not sure why they opted for that one in particular? I'm glad they did, but yeah. Always strikes me as an odd one and I can't place why!
'See The Day' was definitely a disastrous choice for me, too!
Posted by: AdamAloud 12th September 2016, 06:49 PM
SEE THE DAY AND WALK THIS WAY
Both inexcusable.
Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me shouldn't have happened FULL STOP
Posted by: JosephStyles 12th September 2016, 06:50 PM
Yeah Long Hot Summer is a difficult one I find! I listened last night and it sounded fantastic, I've always really underrated it, but something just seemed to be missing for the general public. Biology would've made more sense to lead with I think!
Adam, at least Walk This Way was a charity release only!!! (I have a huge soft spot for it anyway tbh)
Posted by: J▲hq 12th September 2016, 06:51 PM
BCYLM and See The Day are two of their best!!!
The Promise and Can't Speak French on the other hand are two awful songs that never should've been recorded 
Posted by: AdamAloud 12th September 2016, 06:52 PM
'Long Hot Summer' was originally intended for the soundtrack of some Herbie film that was released around that time but it didn't happen in the end.
Posted by: Joe. 12th September 2016, 06:53 PM
I'm going to say something controversial now that probably nobody will agree with.
I think Sexy!...No No No was a bad choice of single, especially lead single. I feel funny saying it because it's one of my favourite singles, I ADORE it. But I feel like it was a little too left of centre to fully connect with the GP and given the strength of Tangled Up, they could have lead with something more commercial. Like Girl Overboard, Close to Love or Black Jack. I feel like, even though the campaign did really well, it would have done even better with a different lead. SNNN should have been left as an amazing album track, or, like... 4th single or something.
Posted by: AdamAloud 12th September 2016, 06:56 PM
The Promise and Can't Speak French on the other hand are two awful songs that never should've been recorded
I think Sexy!...No No No was a bad choice of single, especially lead single. I feel funny saying it because it's one of my favourite singles, I ADORE it. But I feel like it was a little too left of centre to fully connect with the GP and given the strength of Tangled Up, they could have lead with something more commercial. Like Girl Overboard, Close to Love or Black Jack. I feel like, even though the campaign did really well, it would have done even better with a different lead. SNNN should have been left as an amazing album track, or, like... 4th single or something.
Posted by: liamk97 12th September 2016, 06:56 PM
'Long Hot Summer' is pretty well-remembered today I think. Obviously not in the same league as 'Sound of the Underground', 'Love Machine', 'The Promise' etc. but I noticed it on plenty of summer playlists on Spotify, it's had plays in the Radio 1 Summer Mixes and I hear it get referred to by my friends. In that sense, it was a good single. I can't remember what the reception to it at the time was but I don't think pointing out it being the first to miss the Top 5 necessarily means it wasn't well-received or anything.
Maybe 'Biology' seems like the obvious choice for lead single in hindsight, but I reckon, at the time, it would have been seen as potentially a little risky due to its unconventional structure.
Posted by: missingyou 12th September 2016, 07:13 PM
See The Day could have and should have been Whole Lotta History, then released something like Wild Horses in the Spring.
I would have swapped Sexy! No No No and Girl Overboard too.
Beautiful Because You Love Me needs to comment haha.
Solo-wise I think Cheryl should have released Stand Up, Yeah Yeah and Screw You in addition to her other singles.
Posted by: Jonjo 12th September 2016, 07:23 PM
The Promise and Can't Speak French on the other hand are two awful songs that never should've been recorded
THAT ALBUM THOUGH. OMG.
Posted by: JosephStyles 12th September 2016, 07:30 PM
Can't Speak French was always a highlight and an obvious single for me! Very catchy and quotable, and the public agreed too as it was a big hit for a post-album single *.*
Posted by: Joe. 12th September 2016, 07:30 PM
THAT ALBUM THOUGH. OMG.
It did so well though! I think it was good because the likes of Radio 2 and Heart played it too.
Posted by: liamk97 12th September 2016, 09:31 PM
'Can't Speak French' sounds rather sophisticated/mature and calm but still with all the ingredients to make it a catchy pop song. I agree it was the right choice for a single at that point, because it captured older/Radio 2 or Heart audiences as well as the youngsters and helped to shift the album.
Posted by: jakewild 12th September 2016, 10:46 PM
i can't @ the see the day hate. ONE OF THEIR BEST
YES @ walk this way tho
Posted by: Ja˙ 13th September 2016, 01:10 PM
(For the skimmers, I've emboldened each song I feel "shouldn't have been a single" 
). I couldn't resist doing an essay. 
~~~
The major downside to Girls Aloud's singles discography is the fact that they resorted to covers a few more times than they really should have done. That tactic really should have ended after Jump and I'll Stand By You (both of which I'd consider as being essential releases).
I've always felt a bit conflicted regarding See The Day as a single. It did good things for them on TV & radio airplay, which could be seen as being a driving force behind Chemistry achieving strong sales over the Christmas period. However, like others have suggested, I think Whole Lotta History could easily have taken its place as their winter ballad moment and been just as well received at that point. Releasing it directly after See The Day was a big mistake; I feel that the fans and the public were a bit bored by the fact that GA released two ballads back to back, so Whole Lotta History suffered as a consequence. Also, it being released at Christmas would have left the fourth single free to be one of their amazing uptempo moments, a choice which would have better reflected what Chemistry had to offer... it could have been Models, Wild Horses, Watch Me Go, Waiting...! 
So See The Day is my first "shouldn't have been a single" decision.
I Think We're Alone Now was kind of pointless. I mean, it did serve its purpose by being another Top 5 hit, but beyond that I don't think it adds anything special at all to their singles run, so I wouldn't miss it if it'd never been a single.
Walk This Way... I liked it a lot at the time to be fair, but looking back I really wish Girls Aloud & Sugababes had come together for a storming original song, which they were both obviously capable of. A bit of a wasted opportunity!
When it comes to their original songs, obviously Beautiful Cause You Love Me is the main one that shouldn't have been a single. I like it (I probably should have put a disclaimer at the beginning of this post that I actually like all of the singles )... but it was a terrible way to end their singles run, with something so very un-Girls Aloud. It shouldn't have been anything more than a nice bonus on Ten.
Otherwise, I think all their other original singles were at the very least worthwhile choices, there were no real "oh my God what are they thinking!!!" moments imo. Even Long Hot Summer! It may have been a bit of a misfire commercially, and it's generally not regarded as one of their finest moments, but I find it underrated & a bit of a lowkey bop, so I enjoy it as a single.
P.S. 
@ you re: Sexy! No No No..., Joe!!
Posted by: JosephStyles 13th September 2016, 01:18 PM
Oh I agree with you on I Think We're Alone Now actually Jay! I enjoy it for what it is but it did feel kinda pointless, they only really needed Something Kinda Ooooh from the GH.
Sexy! No No No... was the perfect Tangled Up lead I think 
it's bold and brashy, exactly what Girls Aloud were all about, and it basically said "bitches we're back" before launching the album with the more commercial and wider appealing Call the Shots!
Posted by: AdamAloud 13th September 2016, 01:46 PM
I'd have preferred the fabulous 'Count The Days' from their Christmas album if they absolutely HAD to release a ballad around Christmas 2005.
Posted by: Joe. 17th September 2016, 10:26 PM
@ you re: Sexy! No No No..., Joe!!Don't get me wrong. It's in my top 4 GA singles. But you can't deny that it wasn't the biggest of their hits, especially as a lead single. And I'd argue that the general public wouldn't remember it at all compared to the other 2 singles from the era. I just think that if Girl Overboard, Black Jacks or Close to Love were picked (all of which are infeiror songs to me personally but would have worked better on the radio) as a lead instead it would have been a bigger hit and could also have lead to the album selling even more.
Posted by: liamk97 17th September 2016, 10:35 PM
It's got an unusual structure/sounds like various songs in one, kind of like 'Biology', so I'm guessing that was the selling point for the record company choosing it as lead single, sort of avoiding making the same mistake twice.
Posted by: gooddelta 18th September 2016, 10:03 AM
If I were the record company I'd have gone:
Sound of the Underground
1. Sound of the Underground
2. No Good Advice
3. Life Got Cold/Some Kind of Miracle (Double A - these were still a thing in 2003 right? I think both would have been radio hits and I'm gutted the latter never got its chance to shine)
4. Jump
What Will The Neighbours Say?
1. Love Machine (just think this would have made an amazing early summer smash and lead single)
2. The Show
3. I'll Stand By You
4. Wake Me Up
5. Graffiti My Soul (maybe a Double A with Long Hot Summer but I think this would have connected better with the public, LHS was sort of GA on autopilot, it didn't even make it onto a NOW album like all the others oops)
Chemistry
1. Biology
2. Whole Lotta History (much better Xmassy ballad than See The Day, should have just been the December single really. I get that there were trying to recreate I Stand By You with the cover approach but it was not a great single choice)
3. Wild Horses (how did this not get a release?)
The Sound of Girls Aloud
1. Something Kinda Ooooh
2. Crazy Fool (I'd have saved this for a token new track spot on the hits album, far too good for a b-side and completely wasted as one. I certainly wouldn't have put out another pointless cover in I Think We're Alone Now, for me their covers are all their worst songs, why bother when their originals are SO good)
Children in Need single
(For this I'd have created a new song, I mean Xenomania were writing for both around this time weren't they, surely they could have come up with a great original collaboration track. Walk This Way was another poor cover and the basic production didn't sound like either GA OR Sugababes really)
Tangled Up
1. Girl Overboard (would have made an incredible lead)
2. Call The Shots (it came at a perfect time)
3. Black Jacks (it just has that classy sheen but right amount of personality that I feel would have fit in so well in early 2008, alongside Gabriella Cilmi and the post-Winehouse landscape)
4. Sexy! No, No, No (this would have been fantastic for May, and for the UK's Eurovision entry instead of Andy Abraham!)
Out Of Control
1. The Promise (It has its haters but I was blown away by this, they got the 2008 sound spot on while keeping their own quirks and hallmarks, amazing)
2. Untouchable (would have done marginally better coming earlier, plus it sounds like a winter single to me for some reason)
3. The Loving Kind
4. Miss You Bow Wow (they'd already blown their top ten run so why not end on a high with a cheeky summer single to flog some more albums around the time of the tour)
Ten
1. Something New (Don't think I'd have bothered with a second single, I don't think the public would have 'got' On The Metro either, and they clearly weren't bothered about promoting a second single whatever it was anyway.)
Posted by: jakewild 18th September 2016, 10:15 AM
you're right i barely even remember sexy no no no and probably wouldn't be able to name it as a single if asked. it's a good song sure but don't think it's that memorable at all.
Posted by: Cremey 18th September 2016, 10:20 AM
'Sexy! No, No, No' will always be my favourite song of theirs!
I loved it as a lead single, such a bold choice to return with and the video was perfect. I get Joe's reasoning though and Rich's suggestion of releasing it later in the campaign is a good one!
Posted by: Joe. 18th September 2016, 10:26 AM
I loved it as a lead single, such a bold choice to return with and the video was perfect. I get Joe's reasoning though and Rich's suggestion of releasing it later in the campaign is a good one!
Yeah, I said that on the last page. 4th single would have been great. It needed he video treatment one way or another because that video is easily their best for me. I simply think it was a risk that didn't quite pay off as a lead single.
Posted by: Ja˙ 18th September 2016, 07:03 PM
I personally couldn't imagine Sexy! as being anything other than the introductory single from the album. Extreme example, but for me it'd be rather like if the Spice Girls had left Spice Up Your Life as the last single from Spiceworld. To me both of these songs sound like bold & brashy "first singles" through and through, very "we're back, bitches!" (description copyright: JosephStyles 
).
I wouldn't agree that it was a risk that didn't quite pay off either. It was another Top 5 for the girls, which was business as usual for them - and ultimately it started off what ended up being a successful album campaign for them, so I can't really see it as any kind of misfire, as a single choice.
Random fact: 'Sexy!' was released to download on Friday, so they effectively lost two days of sales there. 1,693 sales to be exact, which was enough to see them enter at #64. With a full week of sales after that, they sold 21,612 to climb to #5 - that was just 300 sales behind James Blunt at #4, and 600 sales behind Kanye West at #3.
Posted by: pippa 21st September 2016, 04:55 PM
Sexy! No No No is aa good song but was a wrong lead single considering what they followed it up with. From a chart perspective if i remember rightly it came and left very quickly and departed much quicker than the usual singles from them.
Walk This Way was their worst single, it was plainly awful.
Posted by: Ja˙ 22nd September 2016, 12:29 PM
Top 40 chart runs, in order of points (1 week at #1 = 40 points, down to 1 week at #40 = 1 point):
#01, 13 weeks | 372 points | 01-01-01-01-03-05-09-15-19-19-22-27-38 [Sound of the Underground]
#03, 15 weeks | 368 points | 09-03-03-05-09-07-07-11-16-20-23-29-33-38-34 [Call The Shots]
#01, 14 weeks | 361 points | 01-02-03-06-07-10-15-20-19-14-15-25-37-xx-xx-xx-xx-39 [The Promise]
#03, 12 weeks | 312 points | 05-03-03-07-12-09-14-18-28-32-21-28 [Something Kinda Ooooh]
#01, 09 weeks | 266 points | 01-01-04-05-09-09-12-22-40 [I'll Stand By You]
#02, 11 weeks | 247 points | 02-04-06-12-20-20-17-25-29-32-37 [Jump]
#09, 11 weeks | 228 points | 35-20-16-09-11-14-18-21-23-27-29 [Can't Speak French]
#04, 08 weeks | 184 points | 04-05-09-12-21-29-31-33 [Biology]
#02, 07 weeks | 170 points | 02-02-08-18-21-32-34 [Love Machine]
#02, 06 weeks | 162 points | 02-05-12-15-22-28 [The Show]
#02, 06 weeks | 149 points | 02-05-11-17-26-36 [No Good Advice]
#05, 05 weeks | 134 points | 05-07-12-21-26 [Sexy! No No No...]
#01, 04 weeks | 123 points | 01-02-14-24 [Walk This Way]
#04, 05 weeks | 120 points | 04-07-11-23-40 [I Think We're Alone Now]
#04, 05 weeks | 120 points | 04-10-14-23-34 [Wake Me Up]
#03, 05 weeks | 111 points | 03-08-16-31-36 [Life Got Cold]
#10, 08 weeks | 107 points | 38-xx-39-29-10-14-24-29-38 [The Loving Kind]
#09, 04 weeks | 089 points | 09-10-19-37 [See The Day]
#07, 04 weeks | 083 points | 07-14-24-36 [Long Hot Summer]
#02, 03 weeks | 077 points | 02-14-30 [Something New]
#11, 05 weeks | 073 points | 36-27-11-21-37 [Untouchable]
#06, 04 weeks | 072 points | 06-13-33-40 [Whole Lotta History]
So 'Sexy! No No No...' is mid-table when it comes to how decent its chart run was by their own standards.
I can't even at Something New's 3 weeks!
Posted by: Joe. 22nd September 2016, 12:32 PM
Yeah Sexy! No No No, was by no means a flop, they could have done a lot worse. I just do think they could have gone in with something that may have possibly been as big a hit as Call The Shots and Can't Speak French, rather than a business as usual minor hit.
This is a different story though - it was still a good idea for charity and got them a number 1, even if it did fall into oblivion after that.
Posted by: JosephStyles 22nd September 2016, 12:36 PM
The Something New run makes me SICK
But yeah, Sexy! did great, it set up the campaign well enough! Definitely don't think it shouldn't have been a single.
Posted by: AdamAloud 22nd September 2016, 01:41 PM
I can't at 'See The Day' getting TWO weeks top 10, yet 'Chemistry' got NONE
Posted by: pippa 22nd September 2016, 08:22 PM
Something New deserved such a more superior chart run than it achieved, one of their strongest singles.
Posted by: inyourroom 23rd September 2016, 06:19 PM
A few comments on what's been discussed here earlier:
Long Hot Summer - I never thought of this as the lead single from Chemistry, because it was originally written for a movie soundtrack (as someone had already mentioned it), it wasn't the real start of the next album campaign. To support this argument, I'd say I'm pretty sure no one has ever called Jump the lead single from What Will The Neighbours Say?
Crazy Fool - This would have been an awful choice for a single for the band, because it's basically a Cheryl solo track. Although I like it more than anything from her actual solo catalogue, it's not really a stand out track for me in the GA songbook, and it's obviously not a band effort.
Sexy! No No No... - I don't really think you can have Girls Aloud as the kind of band they were without having a song like this and releasing it as the lead single. Not doing the obvious and taking risks were essential parts of who they were.
Beautiful Cause You Love Me - I still don't count this as a single. I know it was planned, but it wasn't released properly, it didn't even have its own artwork, ending up charting - as low as it did - as an album track on individual downloads.
Posted by: gooddelta 24th September 2016, 04:27 PM
I'm not suggesting the version we got of Crazy Fool should have been a single but maybe a beefed up edit with the other girls sharing vocals. That would have been 100 times better than I Think We're Alone Now.
Also I agree that LHS wasn't the lead single from Chemistry but Jump is a different situation because it was released on the new version of the Sound of the Underground album prior to What Will The Neighbours Say being released.
Posted by: Jonjo 24th September 2016, 06:21 PM
Posted by: JosephStyles 24th September 2016, 06:51 PM
Get OUT 
Posted by: vidsanta 16th December 2016, 10:31 AM
Both inexcusable.
Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me shouldn't have happened FULL STOP
But since it only reached #97, virtually no-one remembers it fortunately.
I was never keen on Jump.
Posted by: Lukuzz 16th December 2016, 10:47 AM
Long Hot Summer, Beautiful Cause You Love Me and See The Day are the obvious ones
I also personally would have liked original songs over Jump and I Think We're Alone Now
Posted by: Hide&Seek 27th June 2017, 10:48 PM
I wish the cover versions had never happened. I love a good cover version, but I don't think theirs are any good. Their covers (of songs I love) probably stopped me becoming a fan of Girls Aloud before now.
I only bought The Sound of Girls Aloud a few weeks ago. I uploaded the non-covers to my ipod , and found myself liking their other hits more than I'd expected.
And so, I went back to Poundland last week and bought What Will The Neighbours Say, Chemistry, and Out of Control.
Today, I bought Sound of The Underground, and Tangled Up from a second hand shop. So, I'll vote in the Albums Rate thread once I've become more familiar with what feels like a lot of songs that are new to me.
Posted by: Good Old Days 28th June 2017, 02:27 PM
Jump
Love Machine
Long Hot Summer
Something Kinda Ooooh
Posted by: SeanGrey 28th June 2017, 04:37 PM
Love Machine
Long Hot Summer
Something Kinda Ooooh
Even they didn't want Love Machine at first! I think it was in their ten year documentary Nadine said her reaction at first was that it was career suicide!
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