FEATURE:
Crak the Bass…
Girls Aloud’s Sound of the Underground at Twenty
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I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say…
British Pop music might not have been at its peak in 2002. I think American artists were dominating but, here, maybe there needed to be a kick and revolution! I don’t think that too many artists who have appeared on reality T.V. shows have made a huge impact on the course of music or changed a genre. Girls Aloud were created during Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, and comprised Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. We lost Harding last year from cancer. I will come to that in a minute. The amazing debut single, Sound of the Underground, smashed Pop upon its released on 16th December, 2002. As it is twenty soon, I wanted to celebrate a huge song. The single later featured on the album of the same name. If the album itself did not positive reviews across the board, one cannot deny the impact and importance of the first single from it. Written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania, it is Pop music, but it is edgy and not what one might associate with a girl group. More in common with U.S. girl groups, it is a catchy and confident song that still sounds so fresh and captivating to this day! It became the year's Christmas number one in the U.K., spending four consecutive weeks atop of the charts in total. I will come to some critical reviews of the amazing Sound of the Underground. I think that the song did reshape British Pop at the start of the 2000s. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to the rather commercial and uninspired Pop that was around prior!
There is a special release of Sound of the Underground coming as CLASH reported. Given the fact Girls Aloud lost one of their members, it is fitting that an anniversary vinyl of their breakthrough debut sees proceeds going to charity to honour her memory and help fund important research:
“Girls Aloud are giving their iconic debut single ‘Sound Of The Underground’ a seven inch vinyl pressing for the very first time.
The song emerged from their Pop Idols roots, and went on to claim the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot. Remaining a central part of Girls Aloud mythology, ‘Sound Of The Underground’ is set to receive a seven inch vinyl pressing for the first time ever.
The no-doubt highly collective release is kept to just 5000 copies globally, accompanied by a never-before-released alternative vocal version of the song from the archives. In a neat touch, you’ll also get a sheet of “Buy Girls, Bye Boys” stickers.
Girls Aloud have joined with their record company Polydor to donate 100% of the profits from this vinyl release to The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. The weekend just passed saw Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine and Nicola hold The Primrose Ball, a charity gala event for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK.
Pre-order the vinyl release online now” .
I want to end up by sourcing from Wikipedia in terms of the success and reaction to Sound of the Underground. Undoubtably one of the best debut singles from a girl group, I think the song took a lot of people by surprise in December 2002. Twenty years after its release, and I do think that Girls Aloud created this explosion on their debut single:
“Critical response
"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." 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." The song was further described as "an enticing blend of spiky guitars and Fatboy Slim beats topped off with an irresistibly catchy chorus." Michael Osborn said that "Sound of the Underground" offers "a fresh tune that has no intentions of following the road to seasonal schmaltzville." An article from The Guardian called the song "an icy confection very different from the normal run of girl-band things."
"Sound of the Underground" and another Xenomania production, Sugababes' "Round Round", have been called "two huge groundbreaking hits", credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Peter Robinson wrote, "Instead of what would become the predictable 'victory lap' ballad, here was an upbeat attitude-soaked celebration of life, partying, and being young." In 2003, "Sound of the Underground" was voted Best Single at the Disney Channel Kids Awards. The Telegraph placed the song at number 15 on a list of 100 songs that defined the 2000s, while NME included it at number 39. Spinner.com named "Sound of the Underground" the eighth best British song of the 2000s.
Chart performance
"Sound of the Underground" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 22 December 2002. Girls Aloud sold just over 213,000 copies, while One True Voice's "Sacred Trust" sold only 147,000. Girls Aloud stayed at number one for a second and third week, the final chart of 2002 and the first chart of 2003. The single spent another week at number one, bringing "Sound of the Underground" to a total of four consecutive weeks at number one in the UK. It spent two weeks in the top five at numbers three and five respectively, before slipping to number nine. The single spent fourteen further weeks inside the UK's top 75. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in March 2003 for shipments of over 600,000 and sold over 653,000 copies. In December 2015, the Official Charts Company stated that "Sound of the Underground" had a chart sales tally of 679,770. In August 2017, the Official Charts Company updated the single's total sales figures to approximately 715,000. Following Sarah Harding's death in September 2021, the song had a resurgence in popularity with sales rising over 125%.
The song had similar success on the Irish Singles Chart. "Sound of the Underground" debuted at number two behind Eminem's "Lose Yourself", while One True Voice only managed to chart at number nine. They held on at number two for a second and thirdweek. In the song's fourth week on the Irish chart, "Sound of the Underground" managed to rise to number one, finally dethroning Eminem. It spent two weeks at the pole position. The song peaked inside the top twenty on Belgium's Ultratop Flanders chart and the Netherlands' Single Top 100 chart. The song also charted in Australia and various European countries”.
Even though Girls Aloud split in 2013, their music has endured and they remain a group that have this admiring fanbase. It was very sad when Sarah Harding died in 2021, as it would have been great to see them reform for a gig. I wanted to pay tribute to a remarkable song on its twentieth anniversary. This was a salute to Sound of the Underground. It is such an important single…
IN British Pop history.