"About a Girl" is a song by English girl group

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

from their seventh studio album, ''

Sweet 7 ''Sweet 7'' is the seventh studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released on 15 March 2010 by Island Records. Production for the album began in April 2009 and was completed in January 2010. ''Sweet 7'' is the only Sugababes album to feat ...

'' (2010).

RedOne Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...

produced the song and wrote it in collaboration with

Makeba Riddick Makeba Riddick-Woods (also known as "Girl Wonder") is an American singer-songwriter who has been active since 2005. She is originally from West Baltimore, Maryland, US. Currently she is managed by Jay-Z's record label and production house, Ro ...

. It is an

uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

song with a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-inspired

middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

. The song was released on 8 November 2009 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as the album's second single. "About a Girl" is the first single to feature vocals by band member

Jade Ewen Jade Louise Ewen (born 24 January 1988) is a British singer, actress and a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She began her singing career in a girl group named Trinity Stone, which signed with Sony BMG in 2005 but disbanded in 2007 wit ...

, following the departure of

Keisha Buchanan Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (; born 30 September 1984) is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number on ...

, the last remaining original member, in September 2009. Critical response to the song was mixed. Some critics praised it as a standout track from ''Sweet 7'', although other criticised it as unoriginal and generic. The song peaked at number eight on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, number four on the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

, and inside the top twenty on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. It additionally charted in Poland and Slovakia. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was filmed in September 2009 amid the group's controversial line-up change. It was directed by Martin Weisz and filmed at

Vasquez Rocks Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a park located in the Sierra Pelona in northern Los Angeles County, California. It is known for its rock formations, the result of sedimentary layering and later seismic uplift. It is located near the town of A ...

, near Los Angeles. The video has a ''

Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins (Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) an ...

'' theme, and features stunt doubles fighting businessmen in a caravan. The Sugababes performed the song on

GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...

, at Children in Need, and at the

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Development and composition

The Sugababes travelled to the United States in April 2009, to commence work on their seventh studio album, ''

''. They signed a contract with Jay-Z's label,

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

, resulting in collaborations with high-profile producers. In late April 2009, the Sugababes revealed that they were working with

Nadir Khayat Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...

, known by his stage name

, on two songs. "About a Girl" was written and produced by RedOne, who wrote the song in collaboration with

. The song was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, California. It was mixed by Robert Orton. "About a Girl" is an

Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

and

song. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

s Alex Denney described it as a "slice of future-house". The song contains

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

synthesizers and a

with a "90s dance-inspired" feel. Nick Levine of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

noted that it is a departure from the group's previous sounds. The lyrical content makes references to Louboutins and

apple pie An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. The earliest printed recipe is from England. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream ("apple pie à la mode"), or cheddar cheese. It is generally ...

, the latter of which is sung by group member

Amelle Berrabah Amelle Berrabah (born 22 April 1984), also known as Amelle, is a British singer, best known for being a former member of the girl group the Sugababes, replacing founding member Mutya Buena, who left the group in December 2005. She achieved a so ...

during the bridge in a "gravelly" style. According to Fraser McAlphine from BBC, "About a Girl" rivals "Get Sexy" in terms of the overall noise levels.

Release

In August 2009, "About a Girl" was confirmed for release as the second single from ''Sweet 7''. The first version of the song, featuring Buchanan's vocals, premiered on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

on 6 September 2009. During the single release interval between "

Get Sexy "Get Sexy" is a song by British girl group Sugababes, taken from their seventh studio album, ''Sweet 7'' (2010). It was written by Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars and produced by the latt ...

" and "About a Girl", Buchanan was kicked out of the Sugababes. As a result of the group line-up change, "About a Girl" was immediately re-recorded to feature the vocals of new member

in replacement of former member Buchanan's. The new version of the song was released as a digital download on 8 November 2009 and a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

the following day.

Critical reception

"About a Girl" received mixed reviews from critics. Levine from Digital Spy described the song as a "europoppy club pumper with an ear-snagging chorus". He suggested it was the group's most infectious single since "

About You Now "About You Now" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, ''Change'' (2007). Written and produced by Dr. Luke along with Cathy Dennis and Steven Wolf, it was released on 24 September 2007 by Island Records as the ...

", but called it characterless along with the album's other tracks. Fraser McAlpine of

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

regarded the song as a "dancefloor-friendly tune with an insistent chorus that echoes around your head", and compared it to the group's music from previous years. Jon O'Brien of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described "About a Girl" as a "gloriously sassy uptempo

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

-esque number that stands up next to the best of their back catalog", and named it the "one saving grace" from the album. Caroline Sullivan of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' admitted that although ''Sweet 7'' was significantly

Americanised Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, tech ...

, the track "escaped with some quirky Britishness intact". ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' critic Andy Gill criticised the song as a "generic disco stomper" and regarded it as "vacuous".

Chart performance

"About a Girl" debuted on the 21 November 2009 issue of the

at number eight, becoming the fourth-highest debut during that week. It lasted eight weeks on the chart. The song has sold 125,000 copies in the UK, ranking as the group's thirteenth best-selling UK single. Group member Berrabah commented upon their satisfaction with the song's performance in the UK, saying: "We didn’t do any promotion for the new single and it still came in at number eight. We are over the moon with that and our record label is as well." The single debuted and peaked at number four on the

, and was the second-highest debut for that week. It reached number 14 on the

. The single peaked at number 22 on the Polish Dance Top 50 chart. "About a Girl" charted at number 69 on the

Slovakian Singles Chart Slovak may refer to: * Something from, related to, or belonging to Slovakia (''Slovenská republika'') * Slovaks, a Western Slavic ethnic group * Slovak language, an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages * Slovak, Arka ...

. The single's performance throughout Europe allowed it to chart on the

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

chart, where it reached number 28.

Music video

The

for "About a Girl" was directed by Martin Weisz. Inspired by a ''

'' theme, the video was filmed at

, near Los Angeles, California on 22 September 2009, one day following the announcement that Buchanan was replaced by Ewen. Ewen had not met the remaining members of the Sugababes until two days before the video shoot for "About a Girl". Stunt doubles were used to portray the Sugababes members as they were unsure if the band would be together by the time of the song's release. The video begins with two businessmen in a caravan discussing a job. After the conversation has ended, a vehicle driven by the stunt doubles arrives in the desert. They leave the vehicle while group member

Heidi Range Heidi India Partakis ( Range; born 23 May 1983) is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, although she left the group before they released any materi ...

sings her verse as she dances around it. All three members of the group begin dancing during the chorus while a stunt double enters the caravan with a red briefcase. Following this, Berrabah sings her verse of the song while her stunt double is talking to the businessman. Sugababes begin dancing again while the stunt double attacks the businessman, who is drop-kicked out of the caravan. Another businessman begins attacking her, although he too loses the fight. Ewen's stunt double begins fighting with another man outside of the caravan, and he also is defeated. Later in the video, the businessmen are seen tied together on the ground and the stunt double throws the briefcase, which turns out to be a

jack in the box Jack in the Box is an American fast-food restaurant chain founded February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson (1916–1994) in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast ...

. At the end of the video, the stunt doubles re-enter the vehicle and drive out of the desert. David Balls of Digital Spy commended the video, describing it as an "action-packed affair that's nearly as dramatic as the group's own history" and praising its "plenty of slick dance moves and provocative pouting thrown in for good measure".

Live performances

The Sugababes premiered "About A Girl" at the Midlands Music Festival on 8 August 2009. The song was performed by Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in performance for

MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...

on 8 September 2009. Following Buchanan's departure from the group, promotion for "About a Girl" was halted when Amelle Berrabah was admitted to a private health clinic in Europe citing "nervous exhaustion"; this led to the cancellation of a scheduled appearance on German TV. The Sugababes were scheduled to headline the Scottish Royal Variety Performance, although this was cancelled due to "a number of legal issues to be finalised". Following Berrabah's return from the clinic, "About a Girl" was performed live for the first time by the new line-up on

. An acoustic version of the song was performed live on 11 November 2009 on Radio 1 from

Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, ...

. Sugababes also performed the song on 21 November 2009 for Children in Need, an annual British

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

appeal organised by the BBC. In March 2010, the band performed a "

Desi DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation * Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument See also * Desi (disambiguation) Desi or Deshi is a self-referential term used by South Asian people. Desi may al ...

" remix of the song at the

Track listing

* Digital EP #"About a Girl" – 3:28 #"About a Girl" (Martin Roth NuStyle Remix) – 6:26 #"About a Girl" (Martin Roth NuStyle Radio Edit) – 4:08 #"About a Girl" (K-Gee Remix) – 4:51 #"About a Girl" (K-Gee Radio Edit) – 3:30 * Digital Single #"About a Girl" – 3:28 #"About a Girl" (The Sharp Boys Radio Edit) – 3:47 * CD single #"About a Girl" – 3:28 #"About a Girl" (Martin Roth NuStyle Radio Edit) – 4:08 #"About a Girl" (The Sharp Boys Radio Edit) – 3:47 #"About a Girl" (K-Gee Radio Edit) – 3:30

Credits and personnel

Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

–

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

- RedOne, Johnny Severin *Instruments - RedOne *Vocal editors - RedOne, Johnny Severin *Vocal production - Makeba Riddick * Mixing - Robert Orton *Additional vocal production - Philip Lawrence Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Sweet 7''.

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2009 singles 2009 songs British house music songs Island Records singles Music videos directed by Martin Weisz Roc Nation singles Song recordings produced by RedOne Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Makeba Riddick Songs written by RedOne Sugababes songs