Jump (For My Love)
"Jump" | |
---|---|
Song |
"Jump (for My Love)" was the opening track (and third single) of the Pointer Sisters' 1983 album, Break Out.
Released prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics games, the song's video featured footage of athletes competing in track and field events. The song was the second of four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in a row for the sisters in 1984; it peaked at #3 in July. It also appeared on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and reached the Top 10 in the UK, peaking at number six.
The original title given to the song simply was "Jump." The title was modified to "Jump (for My Love)" prior to its release to avoid confusion with the Van Halen song Jump, which was released earlier the same year.
The song netted the group a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1985.
The song was featured in a gay-themed movie in 2002, "The Trip," an epic gay romance that traces the relationship between two men from their initial meeting in 1973 until 1984. In 2003, this recording was used in the movie Love Actually.
Chart positions
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada | 4 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
UK Singles Chart | 6 |
Australia | 8 |
Ireland | 2 |
Netherlands Top 40 | 10 |
Personnel
- Lead vocals by June Pointer
- Background vocals by Ruth Pointer and Anita Pointer
Links
Girls Aloud version
"Jump" | |
---|---|
Song | |
B-side | "Girls Allowed" "Grease" "Love Bomb" |
In 2003, the British all-female pop group Girls Aloud covered "Jump", produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania for the soundtrack to the film Love Actually. The track was released on 17 November 2003 and continued Girls Aloud's string of hits, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Their version appeared on the re-release of their debut album Sound of the Underground and was also included on 2004's What Will the Neighbours Say?.
The director of Love Actually, Richard Curtis, phoned Xenomania while they were in a taxi in Berlin to tell them he thought "Jump" would make a good Girls Aloud single.[2] Girls Aloud's version of "Jump" was not featured in the film itself. Love Actually uses the Pointer Sisters' original version due to international audiences being unaware of Girls Aloud, who feature in the end credits. Girls Aloud do, however, appear on the British soundtrack. The fourth single would have been the album track "Some Kind of Miracle" had the soundtrack opportunity not arisen.[2]
Reception
Critical
"Jump" received mixed reviews from music critics. The track was slated by The Times, which said it "takes whatever credibility they had left and runs off with it. Horrible bass, klutzy production and so-so singing put the girls at the bottom of the pop pile".[3] RTE.ie said that "fans of the group will love it, but the rest of us will just wonder why, particularly since the original is so much better."[4]
Commercial
The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, behind Westlife's cover of Barry Manilow's "Mandy".[5] Coincidentally, both bands were managed by Louis Walsh at the time.[6] "Jump" fell just two places the following week.[7] The single spent a total of fourteen weeks in the top 75.[8] On the Irish Singles Chart, "Jump" spent three weeks at its number two peak.[9] Along with "Sound of the Underground", "Jump" is one of the only Girls Aloud songs that received an international release outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland.[9]
According to Cheryl Cole in Girls Aloud's 2008 autobiography Dreams That Glitter - Our Story, the single "was the point when we realized everything we'd been doing was quite down and moody [...] and that's not what people wanted." Nicola Roberts further stated it "was meant to be. It was a turning point and everyone loved it."
Music video
The video for "Jump" was made to appear like it was intertwined with the film Love Actually. There is a version of the video without scenes from the movie that can be found on the Girls Aloud DVD Girls on Film. The premise of the video was that the members of the band were sneaking around the residence of the Prime Minister, played by Hugh Grant in the film. A Grant lookalike was hired for the music video. Girls Aloud initially entered the house by sneaking in through a bedroom window before tiptoeing down a set of stairs and looking around an empty unlit conference room. Girls Aloud eventually re-exit through the window.
Track listings and formats
- UK CD1 (Polydor / 9814103)
- "Jump" — 3:39
- "Girls Allowed" (Brian McFadden, J. Shorten) — 3:26
- "Grease" (Barry Gibb) — 3:25
- UK CD2 (Polydor / 9814104)
- "Jump" — 3:39
- "Love Bomb" (Betty Boo, M. Ward, S. Ward) — 2:52
- "Jump" (Almighty Vocal Mix) — 7:34
- UK cassette / European CD (Polydor / 9814531)
- "Jump" — 3:39
- "Girls Allowed" (Almighty Vocal Mix) — 6:15
- Australian CD
- "Jump" — 3:39
- "Girls Allowed" — 3:26
- "Grease" — 3:25
- "Jump" (Video)— 3:39
Versions and appearances
These are the official versions and remixes and the release they appear on, of:
- "Jump"
Version | Release appearance |
---|---|
Album Version | "Jump" single, Sound of the Underground [re-issue], What Will the Neighbours Say?, The Sound of Girls Aloud, Love Actually - OST |
Almighty Vocal Mix | "Jump" single, Mixed Up |
Almighty Remix | "Long Hot Summer" single |
Flip 'n' Fill Remix | "The Show" single |
Video | Girls on Film [DVD], Style [DVD] |
- "Girls Allowed"
Version | Release appearance |
---|---|
Album Version | "Jump" single, Sound of the Underground [re-issue] |
Almighty Vocal Mix | "Jump" single |
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart | 2 |
Australia Singles Chart | 23 |
Belgium Singles Chart | 6 |
Netherlands Top 40 | 8 |
Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 13 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 9 |
Romanian Singles Chart | 97 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 58 |
Greek Singles Chart | 2 |
Slovenia Singles Chart | 11 |
UK Singles Chart (2004 Year-End) | 42 |
References
- ^ [1]. Discogs: "Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love) (7", Promo) 1983; Style: Hi-NRG". Retrieved on August 2, 2009.
- ^ a b Robinson, Peter (2009). The Singles Boxset (Media notes). London, England: Fascination Records. p. 13.
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ignored (help) - ^ Lisa Verrico (2003-11-28). "Cover versions tend to be grim, but this crop really stinks". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Katie Moten (2003-12-10). "Love Actually OST - Various Artists". RTE.ie. Radio Telefís Éireann. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Singer Jackson tops album chart". BBC News. BBC. 2003-11-23. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Aloud to fight it out". The Mirror. Trinity Mirror. 2003-10-31. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Young back on top of the charts". BBC News. BBC. 2003-11-30. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Jump". ChartStats.com. Retrieved 2009-02-29.
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