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Girls Aloud

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Girls Aloud
File:Girlsaloudpromo.jpg
Girls Aloud in a promotional image for their third album Chemistry. Clockwise from top left: Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, and Cheryl Tweedy
Background information
OriginUK
Years active2002-present
MembersNadine Coyle
Cheryl Tweedy
Nicola Roberts
Kimberley Walsh
Sarah Harding

Girls Aloud are a UK girl group who were created out of TV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Girls Aloud have achieved notable success, with twelve Top 10 hit singles (including two number ones) and three hit albums. They have also received unprecedented (for a pop group) praise from the 'serious' music press, with publications including the Observer [1] [2] and the NME [3] giving rave reviews to their music.

Formation

In 2002 a new UK talent search show called Popstars: The Rivals was launched, with the aim of creating a five-piece boy band and a five-piece girl band. Following the success of Hear'Say (winners of the original Popstars show), several thousand applicants attended auditions around the UK, hoping for a place in one of the groups. Ten men and ten women were selected from the auditions to go forward as finalists. However, before the first round of the finals two of the original female finalists were replaced: Hazel Kaneswaren was found to be too old to participate, whilst Nicola Ward refused to sign the contract. Two new finalists (Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts) were chosen, and the show continued.

During October and November, the finalists took to the stage every Saturday night, singing for their place in one of the two bands. One contestant was eliminated each week until the final line-ups emerged. The resulting female line-up became Girls Aloud, managed by Louis Walsh. The winning boy band was called One True Voice and was managed by Pete Waterman.

In Christmas 2002 the two bands competed for the symbolic number one position in the Christmas Week UK's singles chart. Girls Aloud won with their single Sound of the Underground which then stayed at number one for four weeks. Disney Channel viewers later voted this as best single of 2002-2003 at the Disney Channel Kids Awards. Originally tipped to be more successful than the girls, One True Voice released just two singles, achieved little success and quickly disbanded.

Subsequent career

Sound Of The Underground Era

Girls Aloud on stage in 2004.

Girls Aloud followed their debut single with the number two hit No Good Advice, proving that they weren't going to be one-hit wonders. This track went on to become one of the biggest of the year, and was also the first winner of the tongue-in-cheek Popjustice £20 Music Prize.

Girls Aloud's debut album, Sound of the Underground, was released in May 2003. Also released in 2003 were the singles Life Got Cold (charting at number three), and Jump (number two) – a cover of a Pointer Sisters song, which featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Love Actually. Both were popular and helped to increase sales of the album, which went platinum after a re-issue at the end of the year. The new version included You Freak Me Out (which appeared on the soundtrack of Freaky Friday) and a cover of Girls on Film.

In 2003 band member Cheryl Tweedy was convicted of assaulting a nightclub toilet attendant and sentenced to community service. The victim had claimed the attack was racially motivated, but the singer was acquitted of this charge.

What Will The Neighbours Say? Era

The group's first 2004 single, The Show, also entered the singles chart at number two, as did Love Machine – a track which became one of the year's most popular songs. Love Machine was nominated as ITV's Record Of The Year, but was beaten by Busted's Thunderbirds Are Go. They hit number one again with their next single, a cover of The Pretenders classic I'll Stand By You, released toward the end of November. This was the official single of the 2004 Children in Need appeal, helping to raise money for the charity. Love Machine went on to be used in advertisements for Homebase and was covered by the Arctic Monkeys on Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Their second album, entitled What Will the Neighbours Say?, was released on November 29th 2004 and entered the album charts at number 6, going platinum in under one month. What Will the Neighbours Say? featured the production and song writing work of Xenomania, a British production house. The success of the album led to the girls announcing a tour for the following year.

Although Girls Aloud are often criticised for not writing their own songs – a common trend among pop artists – Girls Aloud have co-writing credits for five out of 14 tracks on their second album: Big Brother (Cheryl Tweedy), Hear Me Out (Sarah Harding), Thank Me Daddy (Kimberley Walsh), I Say a Prayer for You (Nicola Roberts), and 100 Different Ways (Nadine Coyle). They also co-wrote the B-sides History and Loving Is Easy.

By the start 2005, Girls Aloud were at the height of fame. Not only had they picked up a Glamour Award for 'Band of the Year' and been voted as some of the world's sexiest women, they were also nominated for a Brit Award alongside McFly and Natasha Bedingfield.

The girls' eighth single, Wake Me Up, was released on February 21st 2005 and charted at number four, continuing their string of top five singles. This was the final single to be taken from their second album. In September it followed in the footsteps of No Good Advice by picking up a second Popjustice £20 Music Prize.

Chemistry Era

In late 2005 the group worked on their third album, Chemistry, after a short break following their sell-out UK tour. The first single to be taken from the forthcoming album, Long Hot Summer (which charted at number seven), was the group's ninth consecutive top ten hit. Slightly before this a debut DVD release surfaced, which showed behind the scenes footage, videos, performances and various other things. It was followed by the release of a calendar, official book and tour DVD.

Chemistry was released on December 5 2005, and features the single Biology, plus Sarah's favourite track Swinging London Town, and Models, which appeared on their ITV2 documentary Girls Aloud: Home Truths. Kimberley and Sarah revealed that the girls were involved in co-writing songs for Chemistry – despite only one track (It's Magic) making the final release. Fortunately, some of the girls efforts did appear as b-sides on the albums releases with tracks such as Crazy Fool receiving great praise. The album charted on December 11 2005 at number 11 but with high sales that would have been worthy of number one for 22 weeks out of the year and went platinum soon after.

Biology entered the UK charts at number four in November 2005 making them the only girl group to ever match the Spice Girls record of ten consecutive Top 10 singles in the UK. It also reached number one on the iTunes Most Downloaded Chart, number one on the TV Airplay Chart and eventually number two on the Official UK Download Chart.

Their cover of Dee C. Lee's See the Day gave them another top ten hit in December 2005 in the all-important Christmas week, charting at number nine in that competitive week. With this single they became the first girl group in the UK to achieve 11 consecutive Top 10 singles in the UK from debut release to 11th single. See the Day is Girls Aloud's biggest hit on Radio Airplay since Sound of the Underground, peaking at number six on the Radio Airplay Chart and topping the TV Airplay Chart.

In an interview with POP Magazine published in February 2006, Girls Aloud said that their next album will be their fourth studio album rather than a Greatest Hits compilation as many articles have suggested and which most pop groups usually release after three studio albums.

The girls also promoted in Australia and New Zealand that month. Arriving on the last Thursday of the month in Australia, the girls reached number 26. Their visit is being filmed for a new E4 fly-on-the-wall series, due to be screened later this year.

Whole Lotta History became the fourth single from Chemistry, released on March 13th 2006. It entered the UK Singles Chart the week prior to it's release due to a new rule stating that singles could enter on the Sunday before release based on download sales. It became the 4th highest 'download only' entry at #80. The week after it officially debuted at number six - as the #80 position was outside the recorded Top 75, this became the weeks highest new entry. The single is accompanied by a video filmed in Paris, making it their first video to be filmed outside the UK.

The girls embark on their second UK Tour - and their first Arena Tour - in May 2006. Another tour DVD is expected to be released before Christmas.

In May 2006, Polydor Records launch Fascination Records - their dedicated pop music label. Girls Aloud will move over to this label to release the final single from Chemistry (rumoured to be Models) and record their fourth album.


Tours

Despite being the successful contestants of the supposedly talent show, Popstars: The Rivals, they tend not to sing live, with the majority of their performances on-stage done through miming. However, they proved their effectiveness as a live group through the "What Will the Neighbours Say" tour in 2005, in which all numbers were sung live. The girls also sang live during promotion in Australia and of the ballad singles.

In 2005, Girls Aloud performed at theatres throughout the UK on their debut tour - What Will The Neighbours Say? Live. They amazed fans and critics alike with energetic dancing and vocal talent. A re-working of 'Real Life' was one of the shows highs along with the unexpected rendition of 'Teenage Dirtbag' (by Wheatus).

May 2006 see's the girls take to the road again on their very first arena tour. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster UK by searching 'Girls Aloud.


Discography

Albums

File:Sotucover.jpg
Sound of the Underground original cover art, 2003.

Sound of the Underground

  1. Sound of the Underground
  2. No Good Advice
  3. Some Kind of Miracle
  4. All I Need (All I Don't)
  5. Life Got Cold
  6. Mars Attack
  7. Stop
  8. Girls Allowed
  9. Forever and a Night
  10. Love/Hate
  11. Boogie Down Love
  12. Don't Want You Back
  13. White Lies
  14. Love Bomb (UK Bonus)
  15. Everything You Ever Wanted (UK Bonus)
File:Cover GirlsAloud SoundOfTheUnderground.jpg
Sound of the Underground re-issue, 2004.

Sound of the Underground (Re-Issue)

  1. Sound of the Underground
  2. No Good Advice
  3. Life Got Cold
  4. Jump
  5. Some Kind of Miracle (New Version)
  6. All I Need (All I Don't)
  7. Mars Attack
  8. You Freak Me Out
  9. Girls Allowed
  10. Forever and a Night
  11. Love/Hate
  12. Boogie Down Love
  13. Stop
  14. White Lies
  15. Girls on Film (UK Bonus)
  16. Sound of the Underground (Enhanced Video)
  17. No Good Advice (Enhanced Video)
  18. Life Got Cold (Enhanced Video)

What Will the Neighbours Say?

File:WWTNS.jpg
What Will the Neighbours Say? cover art, 2004.
  1. The Show
  2. Love Machine
  3. I'll Stand By You
  4. Jump
  5. Wake Me Up
  6. Deadlines and Diets
  7. Big Brother
  8. Hear Me Out
  9. Graffiti My Soul
  10. Real Life
  11. Here We Go
  12. Thank Me Daddy
  13. I Say a Prayer for You (UK Bonus)
  14. 100 Different Ways (UK Bonus)

Chemistry

File:ChemistryGA.jpg
Chemistry cover art, 2005.
  1. Intro
  2. Models
  3. Biology
  4. Wild Horses
  5. See the Day
  6. Watch Me Go
  7. Waiting
  8. Whole Lotta History
  9. Long Hot Summer
  10. Swinging London Town
  11. It's Magic
  12. No Regrets (UK Bonus)
  13. Racy Lacey (UK Bonus)

Singles

Sound of the Underground

  • Release Date: 16th December 2002
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #1
  • Greece: #8
  • Australia: #31
  • Belgium: #13
  • Netherlands: #9
  • Ireland: #1
  • Poland: #27
  • Sweden: #39
  • France: #55
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 01-01-01-01-03-05-09-15-19-19-22-27-38
Sound of the Underground CD1, 2002.

CD1

  1. Sound of the Underground
  2. Stay Another Day
  3. Sound of the Underground (Remix)

CD2

  1. Sound of the Underground
  2. Stay Another Day (Instrumental Version)
  3. Exclusive Interview with Girls Aloud

Cassette

  1. Sound of the Underground
  2. Stay Another Day

No Good Advice

  • Release Date: 12th May 2003
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #2
  • Netherlands: #23
  • Poland: #43
  • Ireland: #2
  • Greece: #4
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 02-05-11-17-26-36
No Good Advice CD, 2003.

CD

  1. No Good Advice
  2. On a Round
  3. No Good Advice (Dreadzone Vocal Mix)
  4. No Good Advice (Enhanced Video)

DVD

  1. Sound of the Underground (Video)
  2. No Good Advice (Audio)
  3. Photo Gallery
  4. Behind the scenes footage from the No Good Advice video shoot

Cassette

  1. No Good Advice
  2. On a Round

"No Good Advice" won the inaugural Popjustice £20 Music Prize in 2003.

Life Got Cold

  • Release Date: 18th August 2003
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #3
  • Poland: #32
  • Ireland: #2
  • Greece: #3
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 03-08-16-31-36
Life Got Cold CD1, 2003.

CD1

  1. Life Got Cold
  2. Girls on Film
  3. No Good Advice (Double Funk Clean Vocal Mix)
  4. Life Got Cold (Video)
  5. Photo Gallery

CD2 (Poor distribution in 1st week)

  1. Life Got Cold (Album Version)
  2. Life Got Cold (Radio Edit)
  3. Life Got Cold (29 Palms Remix Edit)
  4. Life Got Cold (Stella Browne Edit)

Cassette

  1. Life Got Cold (Album Version)
  2. Life Got Cold (Radio Version)
  3. Lights, Music, Camera, Action!

Jump

  • Originally Recorded By: Pointer Sisters
  • Release Date: 17th November 2003
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #2
  • Ireland: #2
  • Australia: #23
  • Belgium: #6
  • Poland: #16
  • Netherlands: #8
  • New Zealand: #13
  • Sweden: #9
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 02-04-06-12-20-20-17-25-29-32-37
Jump CD1, 2003.

CD1

  1. Jump (for My Love)
  2. Girls Allowed
  3. Grease

CD2

  1. Jump (for My Love)
  2. Love Bomb (Album Version)
  3. Jump (Almighty Vocal Mix)

Cassette

  1. Jump (for My Love)
  2. Girls Allowed (Almighty Vocal Mix)

This single appeared on the Love Actually soundtrack.

The Show

  • Release Date: 28th June 2004
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #2
  • Poland: #97
  • Ireland: #5
  • Greece: #1
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 02-05-12-15-22-28
File:THESHOW.jpg
The Show CD1, 2004.

CD1

  1. The Show
  2. Jump (Flip and Fill Remix)

CD2

  1. The Show
  2. The Show (Gravitas Club Mix)
  3. The After Show (Interview)
  4. The Show (Instrumental)
  5. The Show (Enhanced Video)

Limited Edition 3" CD

  1. The Show
  2. Jump (Flip and Fill Remix)
  3. The Show (Ringtone)

Love Machine

  • Release Date: 13th September 2004
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #2
  • Netherlands: #15
  • Poland: #88
  • Ireland: #9
  • Ukraine: #8
  • Greece: #4
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: #6
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 02-02-08-18-21-32-34
File:Lovemachine2.jpg
Love Machine CD2, 2004.

CD1

  1. Love Machine
  2. The Show (Flip & Fill Remix)

CD2

  1. Love Machine
  2. Love Machine (Gravitas Disco Mix)
  3. Androgynous Girls
  4. Love Machine (Enhanced Video)
  5. Love Machine (Karaoke Video)
  6. Club Game

Limited Edition 7" Picture Disc

  1. Love Machine
  2. Love Machine (Tony Lamezma Mix)

I'll Stand By You

  • Originally Recorded By: The Pretenders
  • Release Date: 15th November 2004
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #1
  • Poland: #51
  • Ireland: #3
  • Greece: #5
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: #5
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 01-01-04-05-09-09-12-22-40
I'll Stand By You CD1, 2004.

CD1

  1. I'll Stand By You
  2. Real Life

CD2

  1. I'll Stand By You
  2. I'll Stand By You (Tony Lamezma's Club Romp)
  3. Medley (What Will The Neighbours Say Medley)
  4. I'll Stand By You (Enhanced Video)

This was the Official Children in Need 2004 charity single.

Wake Me Up

  • Release Date: 21st February 2005
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #4
  • Poland: #12
  • Ireland: #6
  • Greece: #15
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: #17
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 04-10-14-23-34
File:Wmucd2.jpg
Wake Me Up CD2, 2005.

CD1

  1. Wake Me Up
  2. I'll Stand By You (Gravitas Vocal Dub Mix Edit)

CD2

  1. Wake Me Up
  2. Wake Me Up (Tony's Lamezma's "Love Affair")
  3. History
  4. Wake Me Up (Video)
  5. Wake Me Up (Karaoke Video)
  6. Motorbike Game

7" Picture Disc (Limited Edition)

  1. Wake Me Up
  2. Loving is Easy
  3. Wake Me Up (Gravitas Club Mix)

"Wake Me Up" won them their second Popjustice £20 Music Prize in 2005.

Long Hot Summer

  • Release Date: 22nd August 2005
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #7
  • Poland: #90
  • Ireland: #16
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: #16
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 07-14-24-36
Long Hot Summer CD2, 2005.

CD1

  1. Long Hot Summer
  2. Love Machine (Live from The Hammersmith Apollo)

CD2

  1. Long Hot Summer
  2. Long Hot Summer (Benites Beats)
  3. Real Life (Live From The Hammersmith Apollo)
  4. Long Hot Summer (Video)
  5. Long Hot Summer (Karaoke Video)
  6. 'GA Autos' Garage Game

12" Vinyl

  1. Long Hot Summer
  2. Long Hot Summer (Tony Lamezma Rides Again)
  3. Jump (Almighty Vocal Mix)

iTunes Download (iTunes Exclusive)

  1. Long Hot Summer (Live From G-A-Y Version)

Biology

  • Release Date: November 14th 2005
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #4
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: #2
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 04-05-09-12-21-29-31-33
  • Poland: #66
  • Australia (Top 50): 26-30-36
File:Biologycd2.jpg
Biology CD2, 2005.

CD1

  1. Biology
  2. The Show (Tony Lamezma Club Mix)

CD2

  1. Biology
  2. Nobody But You
  3. Biology (Tony Lamezma Remix)
  4. Biology (Video)
  5. Biology (Karaoke Video)
  6. Butterfly Game

iTunes Download

  1. Biology
  2. Nobody But You
  3. Biology (Tony Lamezma Remix)

See The Day

  • Release Date: December 19th 2005
  • Originally Recorded By: Dee C. Lee
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #9
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position: 27
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 09-10-19-37
File:Seetheday.jpg
See The Day CD2, 2005.

CD1

  1. See the Day
  2. It's Magic

CD2 (with FREE Signed Christmas Card)

  1. See the Day
  2. I Don't Really Hate You
  3. See the Day (Roundhouse Mix)
  4. Album Medley
  5. See the Day Video)
  6. See the Day (Karaoke Video)
  7. Game

iTunes Download

  1. See the Day
  2. I Don't Really Hate You
  3. See the Day (Roundhouse Mix)
  4. Album Medley

Whole Lotta History

File:Girlsaloud wholelottahistory.jpg
Whole Lotta History CD2, 2006.
  • Release Date March 13th 2006
  • Highest UK Chart Position: #6
  • Highest UK Download Chart Position:
  • Chart Run (Top 40): 06-

CD1

  1. Whole Lotta History
  2. Crazy Fool

CD2

  1. Whole Lotta History
  2. Teenage Dirtbag [Live At Carling Academy London]
  3. Whole Lotta History (Tony Lamezma Mix)
  4. Whole Lotta History (Video)
  5. Whole Lotta History (Karaoke Video)
  6. Game

'Download Only'

  1. Whole Lotta History - Live Acoustic Version

'Whole Lotta History' entered the UK Charts at number 80 the Sunday before its release. This is due to a new chart rule which states that songs can enter the chart the week before their physical CD's hit the shops through download only sales. Girls Aloud were the fourth highest entry with only downloads to contribute to their entry.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Girls Aloud.
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