21ST DECEMBER 2003

 

Atomic Kitten feat. Kool and the Gang - "Ladies' Night"

Official UK Chart peak: #8

 

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Sugababes - "Too Lost in You"

Official UK Chart peak: #10

 

http://a4.mzstatic.com/eu/r30/Music/v4/a5/85/d3/a585d317-728c-f952-c62d-4bbfefc1abe2/cover600x600.jpeg

 

A year ago in this thread, Girls Aloud were top of the tree for your Christmas chart. A year on, and it was the almighty battle of comedy hair rock (The Darkness' "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)") versus a cover of a Tears for Fears hit that was beautiful but more depressing than Morrissey on a wet Tuesday ("Mad World" by Michael Andrews & Gary Jules). It was a very tight battle for both records, and one which "Mad World" ultimately went on to win despite flagging just a few hundred copies behind The Darkness all week.

 

In some ways, this is quite a poignant Christmas chart we're looking back on here, because it was one of the last proper festive chart battles that weren't, as we'll see in the years still to come, ruled by one Mr Simon Cowell. Even his rubber stamped cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)' by the final 10 of that year's Pop Idol contestants (as 'The Idols') only went as far as #5, which nowadays would be considered a relative failure given that most X Factor winners bag the Yuletide number one.

 

 

All this moody singer in hat vs. high pitched Norfolk man in spandex hype however, barely left little room for two of this threads' biggest acts to appear in 2003's festive top 10. Your higher charting - and criminally so - girls of that week were the Kittens v2.0, this time with some special guests. Disco legends Kool & The Gang were bringing out a greatest hits package with a twist - 'The Hits: Reloaded', where they re-recorded their old songs with current artists from the charts of that time.

 

This included dreadful so-so interpretations of 'Get Down on It' (Blue), 'Fresh' (Liberty X), 'Celebration' (Lulu) and, for our motley Liverpudlian bunch, 'Ladies' Night', which also provided the title of their third studio album which had become another platinum seller. I was kind-ish about 'The Tide is High', but I can't even pretend to like this cover now, let alone at the time.

 

Just like its video, its lame, tacky and tasteless but not even kitschly so, and with any other group attached to it (Lemonescent, for instance), this would have got a lot less higher than a #8 debut. As we touched on at the last Kittens entry, however, Tash was buckling under the pressure and was again, largely absent from promo, sparking the rumour mill as to the future of the Kittens - rumours which, as 2004 dawned, would prove to bear fruit...

 

And from the awful to the sublime, as we meet the second and final of two girl group hits from the soundtrack to 'Love Actually', this time from Sugababes v2.0. Even before Richard Curtis came-a-calling to use 'Too Lost in You', the second single from their now double platinum 'Three' album, this had been lined up for release and it's hard not to see why. This is often cited as one of the finest slower moments from this lineup of the 'Babes.

 

 

Even with a slightly dubious video (each of the girls locking eyes with, and then fantasizing about a variety of hapless airport staff hunks intercut with footage from the film), this Diane Warren penned beauty (she also of LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" and Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" co-writing fame) starts off pensive and quiet with Mutya's opening verse, before building into this lush, dramatic, string backed finale with some divine ad-libbing and riffing from Keisha and Heidi.

 

You get the impression that away from the Christmas rundown this would have charted a little bit better - and indeed, even as their next single was due for release the following spring, coincidentally, when the DVD of 'Love Actually' came out - this was still notching up the airplay and doing phenomenally well in Europe. Whilst 'Stronger' is their best ballad overall, 'Too Lost in You' along with another single from the 'Three' era we're yet to meet in 2004 challenge very convincingly for its crown even now.

Edited September 23, 20159 yr by ThePensmith

Girls Aloud - Jump (For My Love) = Actually loved this at the time, so fun and colourful and bouncy, although now don't love it as much as I did back then, due to the them having much better material as the years went on and very excited to see what you have to say on their other hits. Also I know sales back then were low, but how in the hell can a group who had 3 top 3 hits and a gold selling album, can be close to getting dropped, that's just ridiculous.

 

It sounds ridiculous now, doesn't it? But you have to remember that in 2003 - and for much of the rest of the 00's certainly - single and album sales were at a low ebb and pop was almost certainly out of 'fashion' by this point so acts from that genre were worse off. I think I touched on it earlier anyway but Triple 8, a boyband who were signed to Polydor the same time the girls started (Justin from said band of course, has been with Kimberley for over 10 years and they have a son now) had two top 10 hits and quite a following and they were dropped. I think as well because there was still a lot of negative press towards them - Cheryl and Nicola in particular seemed to bear the brunt of it at the time, some of it to do with Cheryl's brush with the law and I know the girls have said that the outcome of her trial was playing heavily on Polydor's decision to potentially drop them.

 

And also without Louis being their actual, y'know, manager (except to occasionally turn up at their video shoots, tell them they didn't look fat anymore and forget their names), it was just Peter Loraine fighting their corner for them. I'll touch on this more when we get to our first GA entry of 2004, but if their first album campaign had been Polydor learning from the mistakes they made with Hear'Say, their second was them learning the mistakes from their own first album campaign if that makes sense. I'd say given we're still to meet - spoiler alert - four more cover versions from GA, this is the best they did and in some ways, set the template for what we're to meet next...

Mis-Teeq only entering at #13 required pretty low sales anyway*, and back then it would certainly have been regarded as a flop position to chart at (particularly because it was a brand new song). 2003 was a year of declining sales, still based on physicals of course, so it wasn't too hard for a pop group with a fanbase to go Top 15 with a single that seemingly wasn't striking a chord with the general public/not being supported a lot by the media.

 

* I can't find precisely how many, but the #10 that week sold 11,600, and the #9 sold 16,000. I would assume 'Style' sold less than 10k in its first week.

 

~

 

They ended prematurely. :( When 'Scandalous' smashed it seemed like their career was stepping up a level, so at the time I wouldn't have predicted that they were approaching the end of their UK chart life.

 

I think as well for Mis-Teeq, it sort of goes back to what I said earlier. When they were staying true (or at least partially so) to their roots, to that cool UK urban sound, that's when they really worked and if they'd kept along that same vibe they'd have lasted a couple more years, even taking the fact their label went into administration whilst they were promoting in America out the equation.

I really liked "Ladies Night" at the time, thought it was a fun cover, but looking at that video again, it does look tacky and the camera just loved Jenny Frost, it was kinda her featuring the other 2. I actually felt at the time that they were coming to an end when this came out, dunno why, but looking at it now, I think it was Natasha, she looks kinda bored to be there and just going through the motions. Also I think the formula was getting tired now = release mid-tempo/ballad>>cover>>album>>double a-side

 

What I mean by that is

 

Right Now era

Whole Again (ballad)

Eternal Flame (cover)

Album (release)

 

Feels So Good era

It's OK (mid-tempo)

The Tide Is High (cover)

Album release

The Last Goodbye/Be With U (double a-side)

 

Ladies Night era

If You Come To Me (ballad/mid tempo)

Ladies Night (cover)

Album release

Someone Like Me/Right Now '04

 

See what I mean, just constant repeating their selves, no wonder they lost their spark.

 

Sugababes - Too Lost In You = Such a wonderful song, just wonderful and so beautiful, I remember having the album for X-mas "Three", a great album one of their best, showed true growth and maturity, especially with songs like this and "Caught In A Moment". Shame there aren't any girl groups like this anymore, I've always liked them, even with their original line up and somehow always knew that they were destined for great things. As for this the song is great, but that video was just so generic and dire, come on the record label could have at least forked out a decent video, that didn't involve being so cliché.

 

Again thanks PenSmith, can't wait for 2004, I remember that both Girls Aloud and Sugababes released some great tunes that year. Girls Aloud had "The Show", "Love Machine" and "I'll Stand By You". Sugababes had "In The Middle" and "Caught In A Moment".

 

Don't really remember much about other girl groups that year, but do remember Nina Sky - Move Ya Body, which was quite fun and catchy, but can't remember if it was a group or solo artist. Not sure, but oh well keep up the good work.

I really liked "Ladies Night" at the time, thought it was a fun cover, but looking at that video again, it does look tacky and the camera just loved Jenny Frost, it was kinda her featuring the other 2. I actually felt at the time that they were coming to an end when this came out, dunno why, but looking at it now, I think it was Natasha, she looks kinda bored to be there and just going through the motions. Also I think the formula was getting tired now = release mid-tempo/ballad>>cover>>album>>double a-side

 

What I mean by that is

 

Right Now era

Whole Again (ballad)

Eternal Flame (cover)

Album (release)

 

Feels So Good era

It's OK (mid-tempo)

The Tide Is High (cover)

Album release

The Last Goodbye/Be With U (double a-side)

 

Ladies Night era

If You Come To Me (ballad/mid tempo)

Ladies Night (cover)

Album release

Someone Like Me/Right Now '04

 

I always found it strange how Someone Like Me/ Right Now '04 was used as the third single from Ladies Night and the lead single for The Greatest Hits.

 

2004

 

22ND FEBRUARY 2004

 

Clea - "Stuck in the Middle"

Official UK Chart peak: #23

 

http://eil.com/images/main/Clea-Stuck-In-The-Midd-498879.jpg

 

So for the third year running in this thread, it takes us until February for us to meet the first girl group entry of the year proper. So it kind of goes without saying, even taking the chart position of Clea's second single above out the equation, that pop as most of us knew it was on its knees. Even at that month's BRIT awards, where Busted and Justin Timberlake had picked up a few awards, the slogan they were running with was 'rock was back', with The Darkness taking home the majority of the prizes that year.

 

I'll try not to focus on the really big news that was of course sending shock waves through the girl group domain at that time just yet, because we'll meet it's accompanying entry very soon. But now more than ever, record companies really were struggling and they just couldn't afford to keep financing acts - and pop acts in particular - that they'd signed in a cloud of hype 18 months previously who were failing to make a return on investment. Clea were one such act.

 

 

And all told, the loss of their record deal couldn't have come at a worse time, for they'd just released what was, by all accounts, a much stronger offering than 'Download It' even was. 'Stuck in the Middle' was a big, soaring power ballad with rainstorm sound effects and big soaring strings about a two timing girl caught in the midst of two relationships. Not the most warming of topics for all the girl power themes we've encountered thus far true, but it was at least original, and I was quite happy to hear this one again.

 

The trouble is is that radio weren't touching them with a barge pole on account of being four girls who weren't Girls Aloud coming off a flop debut single. And the same was true of TV - only TOTP Saturday (the performance is above) and Des and Mel gave them any airtime, so the writing was on the wall once again. Their debut album 'Identity Crisis' was immediately shelved for UK release, only gaining a release in Russia as their label back in the UK quietly dropped them. It'll be a year later when we next meet Clea, this time a member short and radically changed image and sound wise...

7TH MARCH 2004

 

Fya feat. Smujji - "Must Be Love"

Official UK Chart peak: #13

 

http://chartarchive.org/artwork/36074-raw.jpg

 

Towards the end of 2003, one music genre that had really exploded - thanks in part to the phenomenal success of Sean Paul, not just with his own album 'Dutty Rock' but also on his chart smashing collaborations with Beyonce and Blu Cantrell - was reggae and dancehall. Three of the biggest singles of that year - Wayne Wonder's 'No Letting Go', Lumidee's 'Never Leave You' and Kevin Lyttle's 'Turn Me On' were all of that genre.

 

It was perhaps inevitable then, that we'd meet a girl group from within that genre, and thus we now make our first and only meeting with Tenza, Emma and Kizzi, otherwise known as West London based trio Fya. Featuring guest vocals from unknown session singer Smujji, 'Must Be Love' was their debut single and first after causing a sensation on the underground club scene with a cover of the Sly & Robbie track 'Boops (Here We Go)', which resulted in them being signed by Island/Def Jam for a six album deal.

 

 

I remember this record namely on account of the fact that it was on Now 57 - which I still think is one of the greatest volumes ever of that hallowed compilation series - and also that Radio 1 played it to death at the time, rotating between that and the 2Play/Raghav track 'So Confused' which had been a top 10 hit in January. Island must have obviously been hoping for the same with Fya, but in the end they were close but no cigar to starting off a career in the top 10. It's easy to see now why it was a non-starter.

 

After all, Fya struck you not as a group of ladies who were in it for the long run, or to even develop the kind of career Mis-Teeq had built from their roots as UK garage goddesses. They just looked and sounded like three minature but incompatible versions of Ms. Dynamite. A follow up single 'Too Hot' came out that July, but conked out at #49, thus leaving Island with no choice but to cut their losses and drop them. Proof then, that predicting big things from the off was an over ambitious move of many a record company exec even back then.

It's laughable how any label exec could think that Clea looked like a marketable girl group. That awkward single cover just says it all. :lol:

Major apols for no entries on Wednesday peeps...just to let you know this week coming we'll only be delivering new entries today and Wednesday as next Sunday we are off places - London, specifically. Back to 2004 though...

 

28TH MARCH 2004

 

Sugababes - "In the Middle"

Official UK Chart peak: #8

 

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We've managed six entries out of a possible ten from the v2.0 incarnation of Sugababes without touching on (or at least largely so) the simmering tensions and tabloid rumours of in-fighting that plagued them even beyond Siobhan Donaghy's departure, and would do so throughout the next 10 years. Now at their seventh entry, we have to touch on it a little bit if not for the purposes of hilarity.

 

But firstly, let's as always, focus on the music first, with the third single from the 'Three' album, 'In the Middle'. Another Xenomania collaboration, this is, I feel, probably a stronger record than 'Hole in the Head' even was. A full on, four to the floor stomper, this was the danciest their remit had got by this point, not less because of it's sample of German DJ and producer Moguai's underground club hit 'U Know Y' from two years previously.

 

 

This is by no means the first time Xenomania utilised an old track of his, and this in some ways rather like a blueprint for an entry we'll meet much later on in this thread also from the productive hand of Brian, Miranda and co, and Keisha's speed rapping is quite divine indeed on this. It was another easy top 10 hit, and found itself nominated for 'Best British Single' at the 2005 Brit Awards.

 

Around the time of this release though, rumours were abound that - Heidi and Keisha in particular - were at loggerheads and threatening the band's future. And what ruckus could have been causing all this? Believe it or not, it was whether or not they should cover Britney Spears' then massive hit 'Toxic' for a radio session they had lined up, whilst on the way to a gig. It makes Natalie Appleton and Shaznay Lewis' jacket rift in the All Saints days seem trivial by comparison...

4TH APRIL 2004

 

Atomic Kitten - "Someone Like Me / Right Now 2004"

Official UK Chart peak: #8

 

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'Ladies' Night' had only been inside the chart for a little under month when, in the first few weeks of this year, came the news that fans of the Kittens had been dreading with the rumour mill going into overdrive before this - that the ladies were in fact, calling it a day. Whilst the writing had admittedly been on the wall for a while though, this was not, in fact, being dubbed a 'split' as such.

 

Tash's battle with post natal depression had left her unable to balance life as a new mum and a member of one of Britain's biggest girl groups anymore. Just before Christmas the following year, and with a new arena tour set to get going the following February, she announced to Innocent Records that she was leaving the band. Jenny and Liz naturally persuaded her to stay, but with little success, and so a compromise was reached: for all to have a year's break from the band to pursue their own projects, and reconvene when things had calmed down again.

 

 

And so the year's break, along with their 'Greatest Hits' set was announced, from which came what was to be their last release for an entire year. Taking a leaf out of S Club's 'we're splitting up' book from a year previously, their 'farewell for now' single was a double-a-side of a new remix of their debut single 'Right Now', and 'Ladies' Night' album cut 'Someone Like Me', a short but simple piano ballad written by Liz in a new mix which saw Tash and Jenny take on vocal turns.

 

Whilst the remix of 'Right Now' is so-so album filler, 'Someone Like Me' is just gorgeous even now, a classy and understated semi-swansong to a career that had been full of numerous ups and downs over the five years they'd been together. Hell, even Jenny doesn't do a bad job for once on the vocals. You could see in Tash's eyes though, that the fire had gone out of her all together and that she was just fulfilling obligations until she could have her much needed mum time.

 

 

That said, pop was now in such a different place to where it was when the Kittens started, and if anything you felt as if this would have been a perfect place to end on. The very week the Kittens bowed out for a year, McFly made their debut at the top of the charts with 'Five Colours in Her Hair', a cheeky, handclap-tastic 60's surf guitar anthem that bristled with the same spark and fire the Kittens had when they started.

 

They looked like old veterans by comparison now, and it felt like it was just a matter of waiting before the solo careers appeared. Alas, the year rolled on and not a single note was heard from any of the girls. And we have just one more encore to make with the Kittens - but largely Jenny and Liz - in a year's time from now, by which point they seemed like even more of a relic than they did here.

Atomic Kitten - Someone Like Me, yes short and sweet, such a beautiful and simplistic song that's often very overlooked in their back catalogue. I didn't really care for it at the time and didn't take the time to really listen to it, but now I can see that it's very beautiful and holds up quite well today. Especially more than some of their dire covers (Eternal Flame, Ladies Night & The Tide Is High), although the latter I actually did enjoy at the time and still do now (sometimes).

 

As for "Right Now 2004" , hate this version and was really angry when this was included on their Greatest Hits album over the far superior version. In it's original form it's a fun piece of pop music, with loads of energy and spirit. The remix has none of that and just takes away all the fun and spark. Okay it's far from a classic, but surely it's far more remembered than this dire version. The only reason it charted higher than the original was coz of "SLM". If this release was gonna be for the Greatest Hits, then at least they could have just remixed one of the other album tracks from "Ladies Night" and included the original "Right Now" instead.

 

 

Also I remember another girl group from this year The 411, they had some great tunes "On My Knees" and "Dumb", can't wait to read the write up's for them.

Someone Like Me has such a cheap video, but I think for such a nice/sweet song it really suits it.

 

It's a shame The Greatest Hits tour was really a Ladies Night tour in disguise, as nice as it was to see (on the dvd) the Ladies Night tracks live, it's a shame their Greatest Hits tour didn't include I Want Your Love or See Ya (or Cradle which had been a single in Japan and was on the Greatest Hits, or You Are, a European single and on the Greatest Hits) and it's a shame Follow Me wasn't on the album or done on the tour either.

Evening all...apologies for the delays in new posts. Had fully been my plan to do some last week before the forum out-age and then real life intervening took hold. Thankfully I'm back to bring more girl group retro goodness to your lives this week, so on we go...

 

18TH APRIL 2004

 

Bellefire - "Say Something Anyway"

Official UK Chart peak: #26

 

http://eil.com/images/main/Bellefire-Say-Something-Any-280440.jpg

 

Our third and final visit to camp Bellefire, almost two years after their last hit, was an interesting one. With one of their number gone, and with Virgin having hardly been registering a vote of confidence after two average charting top 20s, what possible interest could there have been to keep in a girl group who rightly shouldn't have still been registering hits beyond their second attempt?

 

The answer: some high profile support slots for Westlife and Blue, hence the - relatively so anyway - good top 30 placing for 'Say Something Anyway', the first single off their second album 'Spin the Wheel' which, as its predocessor, found itself released only in the Far East and Ireland. A bit more of a country inspired offering, this sounds like the sort of thing The Corrs could have done for their 'In Blue' or 'Borrowed Heaven' albums.

 

 

It's pleasantly folksy, but is only let down by the surging sub-Westlife antics on the chorus. Still, the girl group and pop wasn't in the right place for them, and when their follow up single 'You Were Meant for Me' was pushed back several times, along with the album before eventually being cancelled, the spark had well and truly burned out of Bellefire. Only Paula has reappeared in the public in recent years, as a contestant on the third series of The Voice of Ireland, where she got no turns at her audition. Perfect bliss it wasn't...

23RD MAY 2004

 

The 411 feat. Ghostface Killah - "On My Knees"

Official UK Chart peak: #4

 

 

Time now for a group of ladies we'll be meeting in this year only and who burned bright with hope for their first two releases, but experienced a dramatic comedown to earth thereafter. So it's hello to Tisha, Tanya, Suzie and Carolyn, aka London based R&B quartet The 411. Named after their favourite Mary J Blige album, and formed after Tanya and Suzie had met whilst doing backup vocals for Sony labelmate and Fame Academy graduate Lemar, Tisha (who was best known before this as an actress on CBBC shows Basil Brush and Kerching) and Carolyn were found through auditions before Sony snapped them up for a four album deal.

 

'On My Knees' was their first single, and self penned by Carolyn, as well as featuring a guest rap from US hip hop titan Ghostface Killah. An interestingly structured and sonically brilliant single, it told the tale of a previously sweet relationship gone sour, with the protagonist in the throes of domestic violence from their lover. A highly controverstial topic of choice for any top 5 single at that point, let alone one by a brand new girl group, but one that was slowly gaining more coverage and awareness.

 

 

Contrasted with a quirky, glamorous burlesque style video, the single was actually dead on the mark thematically and musically at that time, particularly with the likes of fellow UK R&B divas Jamelia and Ms Dynamite having tackled the tough subject head on in 'Thank You' and 'Put Him Out' respectively. It's delivered strongly though, particularly on this section of the second verse: 'You didn't stop putting your hands on my face / You simply said you had to put me in my place / At the end of every tunnel, there's always a light / And the door, it sure looks right'. They show strength and resilience rather than victimisation.

 

With the Kittens now safely dispatched for a year, and Sugababes not looking likely to have another new album ready in time for that Christmas, a gap was open in the market for The 411 to grab, and for the first time since the start of the latter's career, it made sense for a girl group of their ilk to be breaking through, and they instantly garnered support from Radio 1 with this single, hence it's high chart debut. And with their next entry a bit later on, they were set to do even better still..

'On My Knees' is such a fantastic forgotten gem. 00s girl groups at their best in my opinion (along with SB and GA).

Edited October 22, 20159 yr by Scene

I loved The 411. It was a crying shame what happened! :snif: A very strong debut single (and it reminds me of the stressful time of my GCSEs :lol: )

The 411, so much potential, they were so fantastic "On My Knees" was one of top 10 faves from that year, and their follow up "Dumb" was also really good. I remember reading in the paper that one of their mother's ripped off a charity or something. Such a shame they were dropped so soon, why weren't they snapped up by another label straight away, they could have had such an immense career.

27TH JUNE 2004

 

Lemonescent - "All Right Now"

Official UK Chart peak: #37

 

http://www.rixrecords.com/IMG/9090030.jpeg

 

Our third - and thankfully final - visit to camp Lemonescent, as they were never called then or now, but only for the purposes of this thread. Their swansong to the charts of Great Britain (but mostly Scotland) was a cover of rock band Free's 70's #2 smash 'All Right Now'. Quite what the point of it was I'm not entirely sure.

 

 

It sounds exactly like a low budget Scottish girl group covering 'All Right Now', so is, in that respect, a success. But it's also clear evidence why, even on their first entry we encountered earlier on, they were going to struggle to sell records past Jedburgh. Jaded with a lack of success, they split to virtual indifference a year later, whilst a nation barely remembered them...

4TH JULY 2004

 

Girls Aloud - "The Show"

Official UK Chart peak: #2

 

http://a1.mzstatic.com/eu/r30/Music/v4/bb/d0/a0/bbd0a0d9-383d-4013-0303-9d0dc7676c89/cover600x600.jpeg

 

After a rollercoaster first year in pop, which, to the great surprise of many, given the dire straits the singles market was collapsing into, they had finished on as Britain's biggest girl group of 2003, with combined single sales topping the 1 million mark in the UK alone, it is perhaps little wonder that at the start of 2004, all in Camp Girls Aloud needed a brief lie down to recover.

 

Still, they had reason to lie down. What with their start run of top 3 success, Cheryl's court case, record label dramas we've already touched on and a manic promotional schedule, any sane person would need a breather from it all. Still, 'Jump' had done the trick of pushing their album sales up and thus granting them the opportunity to make a second album that they and their MD, Peter Loraine at Polydor had fought so hard for.

 

So if the first album campaign had been all about rectifying the wrongs made with Hear'Say, Girls Aloud's second album campaign was to be all about righting their own wrongs, reinventing themselves and moving forward as a band. With Atomic Kitten now dispatched for a year, there was less competition at stake in the market. The girls and Polydor understood this, and so numerous changes were afoot by the time they returned to the studio to start work on the second album in the late spring of 2004.

 

Firstly, at the label's insistence, Brian Higgins and Xenomania were to take full creative control of the music from this album onwards. Brian in turn, made the move to ensure the girls were in shape and looking their best by hooking them up with a personal trainer during recording sessions. And by the end of this album's campaign a year later, Louis Walsh would also be firmly dispatched once and for all from managerial duties (not that he did much, but still - we'll go into this later).

 

The new and improved vision for Girls Aloud in 2004 was to begin establishing them as a girl group in their own right, rather than a bunch of scruffy teenage girls in shellsuits. It'd been two years since 'Popstars: The Rivals' and Polydor wanted to make sure that this was the campaign where their own identities and personalities within the band began to come to the fore, starting with this campaign's first single - 'The Show'.

 

 

One of several options put forward as the first summer single, along with 'Deadlines & Diets' (the band's preferred favourite), 'Androgynous Girls' and another song which we'll get to the eventual entry of later, the campaign for 'The Show' was trailed with a teaser shot of five empty director's chairs, each with the girls' names on. When the single artwork was eventually revealed, in the empty spaces were five newly tanned, saucily dressed and more glamorous looking girls. The fun elements of what had made 'Jump' such a roaring success had been developed upon further.

 

And it even showed in the video, with the girls all playing staff at a fictional beauty salon 'Curls Allowed' in a respectful nod to Spice Girls' "Say You'll Be There' clip from 8 years previously. Nicola became Chelsea Tanner, whilst Nadine was Frenchie, Sarah was Supa Styler, Cheryl was Maxi Wax and Kimberley was The Boss, as they playfully tormented male customers through all manner of hair and beauty treatments.

 

The lyrics and music matched it perfectly too, as over a naggingly catchy and gritty 80's hi-NRG meets techno punk beat they half sung/rapped 'Shoulda known, shoulda cared / Shoulda hung around the k!tchen in my underwear / Acting like a lady, you shoulda made me, oh / Shoulda jumped a little higher / Shoulda fluttered my mascara like a butterfly / Instead of being lazy, it would saved me'.

 

It was delivered with a dash of Carry On era Barbara Windsor sauce but knowing wit, and the critics were, even with a new change of image, singing their praises once again. And so too, in kind, were the public, as their run of top 3 hits extended to five, as well as becoming their third #2 hit - the best start for any girl group's chart career since the heady days of Spicemania. Girls Aloud mania was now in full swing, and make no mistake about it...

Edited October 25, 20159 yr by ThePensmith

'The Show' really is a forgotten pop gem in GA's discography. It's very light-hearted, fun pop with an entertaining video to match. Unfortunately, for me personally, their standards slip for their next two entries but rise again for the final single of the WWTNS campaign.

Edited October 26, 20159 yr by Scene