Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)
| "Love Machine" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Girls Aloud | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album What Will the Neighbours Say? |
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| B-side | "Androgynous Girls" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 13 September 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single, 7" picture disc | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Power pop | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Polydor | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, Lisa Cowling, Myra Boyle, Shawn Lee | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Xenomania | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Girls Aloud singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Love Machine" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their second studio album What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Known for its nonsensical lyrics and a backing track inspired by The Smiths, "Love Machine" was released as a single in September 2004. It continued Girls Aloud's string of hits by becoming their third consecutive single to chart within the top four on the UK Singles Chart.
The music video follows Girls Aloud on a night out, dealing with male affection at a fictitious nightclub. "Love Machine" was promoted through numerous live appearances and has since been performed on each one of Girls Aloud's concert tours. The song and its "bouncy drums, perky guitars and ditsy lyrics" received praise from contemporary music critics. Research carried out for Nokia showed "Love Machine" to be the second "most exhilarating" song ever.
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[edit] Background and composition
The song is written in C major with a time signature in common time and a tempo of 88 beats per minute.[1] The vocal range spans from F3 to B4.[1] The chord progression varies throughout the song, but chords used include G, F, E, D, Bb, and C.[2] The song loosely follows verse-chorus form. After each verse, there is a build, a slower-paced bridge, and then the chorus. The song ends with a middle 8 and an outro.
Xenomania came up with some of the song's lyrics by singing "nonsense lyrics" over a backing track, which eventually evolved into real songwords.[3] The backing track, created by Xenomania musicians Tim Powell and Nick Coler, was inspired by The Smiths. An early demo of "Love Machine" was included on the Popjustice compilation album Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music and later on an official Girls Aloud singles boxset; this version was sung by Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle and Sarah Harding and features radically different lyrics from the released versions, even excluding the phrase "Love Machine".[3]
The song's lyric "What will the neighbours say / This time?" lent itself to the album title What Will the Neighbours Say?.
[edit] Release
The single was released on three CD single formats, as well as an additional 7" picture disc, making it Girls Aloud's first single available on vinyl.[3] The first disc included a Flip & Fill remix of "The Show".[4] For the sleeve of the second CD, Artwork design group Form invented five fake magazines, one for each member, and used "Love Machine" lyrics as the headlines.[3] The disc included an exclusive previously unreleased b-side entitled "Androgynous Girls".[5] The song had been considered for the lead single from What Will the Neighbours Say?, but "The Show" was chosen.[6] The Gravitas Disco Mix of "Love Machine was also included. The maxi-CD also included a task-based game, created by design agency Holler.[7] The 7" picture disc included the radio edit and Tony Lamezma Remix of "Love Machine".[8]
Two live versions of "Love Machine" have also been released. A recording from the Hammersmith Apollo is included on the "Long Hot Summer" single, while a version from Girls Aloud's Live at the Local concert is featured on Girls A Live.
"Love Machine" appeared in television advertisements for Homebase from 2006-2009.
[edit] Critical reception
"Love Machine" was very well received by most music critics. The Guardian called the song a "perfect example of Xenomania's uniquely rousing approach to pop."[9] A reviewer for Virgin Media said that the song's "bouncy drums, perky guitars and ditsy lyrics will probably cause a seizure." They also added that "it sounds so unlike anything else in the charts right now...proving once again that they're still one of the most exciting bands in pop right now."[10] BBC Music, however, called it "upbeat but not particularly tuneful".[11]
According to research carried out for Nokia in 2006, "Love Machine" is the second "most exhilarating" song ever, after "Song 2" by Blur.[12][13]
[edit] Chart performance
"Love Machine" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number two, behind Eric Prydz's "Call on Me."[14][15] The single stayed at number two for a second consecutive week.[16] The song spent one further week in the top ten at number eight, and stayed in the top 75 for a total of ten weeks all together.[17] "Love Machine" also reached number six on the UK Downloads Chart.[18] On the Irish Singles Chart, "Love Machine" became Girls Aloud's first single to fail to enter the top five, instead placing at number nine for three weeks.[19][20][21] It spent one last week in the top ten at number ten.[22]
[edit] Music video
The video for "Love Machine" was directed by Stuart Gosling for Image Dynamic Pictures.[23] It was filmed at the Titanic restaurant on London's Brewer Street.[23]
The music video takes place at the fictitious nightclub, the Eskimo Club. Girls Aloud enter the club dressed for a night on the town. Though Cheryl initially sets her eye on a musician at the club, the girls make their way to a table. However, they are soon distracted by the men in the Eskimo Club and the tricks they pull to try to get the girls' attention. Girls Aloud also dance in a separate setting of a dark background with flashing lights, and eventually they release their inhibitions and begin dancing in the Eskimo Club as well. At the end of the video, Girls Aloud walk out of the club tired and barefoot.
The music video is available on Girls Aloud's 2005 DVD release Girls on Film and 2007's Style.
[edit] Live performances
"Love Machine" was performed for the first time live on CD:UK on 28 August 2004. The group wore summer dresses similar to those in the video. They performed on the show once more on 11 September, ahead of the single's release. Girls Aloud also performed on children's television programmes such as Diggin' It, GMTV, Ministry of Mayhem, Popworld, Simply the Best, and Top of the Pops. They have performed "Love Machine" on The Paul O'Grady Show twice - once in 2004 to promote What Will the Neighbours Say? and once in 2006 to promote their greatest hits. They also performed the song when it was nominated for ITV1's annual Record of the Year prize in December 2004, however they lost out to Busted who won with their track Thunderbirds.
The song was also performed at the 2004 Disney Channel Kid Awards, the 2004 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, the 2005 TMF Awards, and the group's MTV special (as seen on Girls on Film DVD). Girls Aloud performed "Love Machine" at a number of live festivals and open-air concerts throughout 2004 and 2005, such as O2 in the Park, Pop Beach, CBBC's Junior Great North Run charity concert, Jetix Planet Live, and Dublin's 2005 ChildLine Concert, as well as the 2005 Children in Need telethon. "Love Machine" was later performed at V Festival and Twickenham Stadium in 2006, T4 on the Beach and Live at the Local (acoustic) in 2007, The Girls Aloud Party in 2008, and Wembley Stadium (opening for Coldplay) in 2009.
Girls Aloud have included "Love Machine" in all of their tours. For their debut tour, 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say? Live, Girls Aloud perform the song in schoolgirl uniforms. For 2006's Chemistry Tour, there was an interlude where the group danced to "1 Thing" by Amerie. There was a similar interlude during 2007's The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour, where a big band breakdown was included and Cheryl disrupted the routine by taking a swig of champagne. "Love Machine" was also performed on 2008's Tangled Up Tour and 2009's Out of Control Tour. For the latter, the song was given a brassier, retro arrangement and included a dance break.
[edit] Covers
- Arctic Monkeys on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge
- Tiffany on Hit Me, Baby, One More Time
- Blue Peter presenter Zöe Salmon on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
[edit] Track listings and formats
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[edit] Credits and personnel
- Drums: Stuart Wilkinson, Shawn Lee
- Guitar: Nick Coler, Shawn Lee
- Keyboards: Brian Higgins, Tim Powell
- Mastering: Dick Beetham for 360 Mastering
- Mixing: Brian Higgins, Matt Tatt at Metropolis
- Production: Brian Higgins, Xenomania
- Programming: Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler
- Songwriting: Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, Lisa Cowling, Myra Boyle, Shawn Lee
- Vocals: Girls Aloud
- Published by Warner/Chappell Music and Xenomania Music
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[24] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[25] | 52 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[26] | 2 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Girls Aloud - Love Machine sheet music". Music Notes. Alfred Publishing Company. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdVPE.asp?ppn=MN0075111. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ "Love Machine chords by Girls Aloud". eChords. eChords.com. http://www.e-chords.com/chords/girls-aloud/love-machine. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ a b c d Robinson, Peter (2009). "Love Machine", pp. 16–17 [Booklet]. Album notes for The Singles Boxset by Girls Aloud. London, England: Fascination Records.
- ^ "Girls Aloud - Love Machine (CD, Single)". Discogs. Zink Media Inc.. http://www.discogs.com/Girls-Aloud-Love-Machine/release/1660515. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Girls Aloud - Love Machine (CD, Maxi, Enh)". Discogs. Zink Media Inc.. http://www.discogs.com/Girls-Aloud-Love-Machine/release/1660513. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ Robinson, Peter (2009). "The Show", p. 15 [Booklet]. Album notes for The Singles Boxset by Girls Aloud. London, England: Fascination Records.
- ^ "Universal launches second game for Girls Aloud single". New Media Age (Centaur Media). 2004-08-26. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-13276225_ITM. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud - Love Machine (Vinyl)". Discogs. Zink Media Inc.. http://www.discogs.com/Girls-Aloud-Love-Machine/release/1660505. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2004-11-26). "Girls Aloud, What Will The Neighbours Say?". London: The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,11712,1359307,00.html. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud - Love Machine - Single reviews". Virgin Media. 2004-09-13. http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/singlereviews/girlsaloud_lovemachine.php. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ David Hooper (2003-11-29). "Girls Aloud, What Will The Neighbours Say?". BBC Music. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/bwqv/. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Verve are top of the sobs". Metro. Associated Newspapers. 2006-12-11. http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/28747-verve-are-top-of-the-sobs. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Verve song the saddest, says scientist". Irish Examiner. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. 2006-12-11. http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/cwididsnaugb/. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Call on Me hits number one spot". BBC News (BBC). 2004-09-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3671146.stm. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Girls Aloud held off the top spot". CBBC Newsround (BBC). 2004-09-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3671000/3671250.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud can't dopple DJ tune". CBBC Newsround (BBC). 2004-09-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3692000/3692094.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Love Machine". ChartStats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=339. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Natasha still number one download". CBBC Newsround (BBC). 2004-09-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3702000/3702340.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Top 50 singles, week ending 16 September 2004". Irish Singles Chart. GfK. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2004&year=2004&week=38. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Top 50 singles, week ending 23 September 2004". Irish Singles Chart. GfK. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2004&year=2004&week=39. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Top 50 singles, week ending 30 September 2004". Irish Singles Chart. GfK. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2004&year=2004&week=30. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "Top 50 singles, week ending 7 October 2004". Irish Singles Chart. GfK. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2004&year=2004&week=31. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ a b Danny Tull (2004-10-18). "Camden Post offlines new Girls Aloud music video". Camden Post. COP Communications Inc.. http://www.postmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=3D471FA58FBA49389394380D71237D96&nm=Departments&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=A628EB4952944A08A2ED45217ACC1FAE. Retrieved 2009-02-28.[dead link]
- ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Girls Aloud – Love Machine" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
- ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company.
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