"Life Got Cold" is a song by British girl group

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...

, taken from their debut album '' Sound of the Underground'' (2003). The song was written by

Miranda Cooper Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper (born 1975) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and television presenter. Miranda Cooper has worked in the music industry since 1996 when she gained her first recording contract. She wor ...

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2005. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 but as the 26th since 2013, includes Buffalo and N ...

and his production team

Xenomania Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenoman ...

, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania.

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...

of Oasis received a writing credit due to similarities with Oasis' " Wonderwall". Released as their third single in August 2003, "Life Got Cold" became Girls Aloud's third consecutive top-three hit 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 ...

. The song peaked at number two in Ireland and Scotland, and peaked at number 14 in Belgium. Set in an abandoned city, the music video suggests coldness and darkness with its blue hue. It portrays Girls Aloud moving in stunted movement. "Life Got Cold" was promoted through various live performances and has since been performed on three of Girls Aloud's concert tours. Described as "surprisingly poignant", the melancholic ballad received favourable reviews from contemporary music critics; however, it was criticised for its similarities with Oasis.

Background and composition

"Life Got Cold" is a ballad written in D minor. The

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

s vary throughout the song but the different chords include B, C, Dm, Gm, and Am. Following typical verse-chorus form, the song consists of a verse followed by a bridge and chorus. The verses are "talk-sung", while the bridge and chorus are sung over guitar

strum In music, strumming is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar, ukulele, or mandolin. A strum or stroke is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound. On most stringed instrumen ...

ming. The

middle 8 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. ...

is a slower version of the bridge. The song tells the tale of young love that ended "when summer slipped away". "Life Got Cold" was a late addition to ''Sound of the Underground'', completed by

shortly before the album's release. Producer

did not take the idea of a Girls Aloud version of the song seriously until he heard the group sing it, because a track working "has always got to be based on an artist's performance, not the music itself. But they sang it, and they really nailed the melancholic aspect of it, and it sounded beautiful." The lyrics focus on "the directionlessness of modern life." The song received attention because of similarities between the guitar riff of "Life Got Cold" and that of the 1995 Oasis hit " Wonderwall". A BBC review stated "part of the chorus sounds like it is going to turn into Wonderwall by Oasis."

Warner/Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

later credited Oasis songwriter

. Girls Aloud later made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in Oasis' 2007

rockumentary A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history Th ...

'' Lord Don't Slow Me Down''.

Release

"Life Got Cold" was not originally the choice for Girls Aloud's third single.

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

had originally chosen "Some Kind of Miracle" to be released, but the plan was dropped after an overwhelming fan response to "Life Got Cold". The single was released on 18 August 2003 in the UK, available as two different

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 ...

s and a

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

. The first CD featured a cover of the Duran Duran song "

Girls on Film "Girls on Film" is the third single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981. The single became Duran Duran's Top 10 breakthrough in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at Number 5 in July 1981. The band personally selected t ...

" as the B-side, which would later become the title for a Girls Aloud DVD, as well as a remix of "

No Good Advice "No Good Advice" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their debut album, '' Sound of the Underground'' (2003). The song was written by Aqua's Lene Nystrøm Rasted, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team ...

". The disc's enhanced section features the "Life Got Cold" music video and a photo gallery. The second disc included both the radio edit and album version of "Life Got Cold", as well as the 29 Palms Remix Edit and the Stella Browne Edit. It also came with a free fold-out poster. The cassette also featured an exclusive B-side, an original track entitled "Lights, Music, Camera, Action". The photos featured on the single's artwork were reshot at the last minute, following the group's request. In Australia, a CD single was issued on 29 September 2003.

Reception

Critical response

"Life Got Cold" received positive reviews from music critics, although it did receive criticism due to the similarities with the song " Wonderwall" by Oasis, to which the songwriters denied claims of plagiarism. BBC called the song a "charming ballad" that was "a sweet but slightly sad pop song."

RTÉ.ie RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely com ...

thought "Life Got Cold" was "surprisingly poignant".

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 databa ...

referred to it as "a solid ballad, suggesting a less intellectual

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

Chart performance

The song entered the

at number three, behind

Blu Cantrell Blu Cantrell (born Tiffany Cobb; March 16, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the US ''Billboa ...

's " Breathe" and

Lemar Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...

's "

Dance (With U) "Dance (With U)" is the second single released by British R&B singer Lemar and his first for Sony Music UK after coming third place in the BBC show ''Fame Academy''. The single became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two on the U ...

". It spent a second week in the top ten, slipping to number eight. The song spent a total of nine weeks in the top 75 overall, a far cry from the fourteen weeks "

" or the twenty-one weeks that " Sound of the Underground" spent in the chart. "Life Got Cold" also debuted at number three on the Irish Singles Chart, but managed to rise to number two the following week. It spent two further weeks in the top ten, then two weeks in the top twenty. The single barely missed the top ten of the Netherlands Top 40, instead peaking at number eleven. It has since become the group's 16th best selling single domestically.

Music video

The music video for "Life Got Cold" was directed by Phil Griffin, who previously directed the videos for " Sound of the Underground" and "

". The band members are seen in stunted movement, wandering around an abandoned city setting. Both group and individual shots are shown in various scenes.

Nadine Coyle Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle (born 15 June 1985) is an Irish singer, actress and model. In 2002, Coyle was selected as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud, with whom she has been successful in achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top te ...

is seen in front of an abandoned building, while

Sarah Harding Sarah Nicole Harding (; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV reality series '' Popstars: The Rivals'', during which ...

is next to a car and a phone booth.

Nicola Roberts Nicola Maria Roberts (born 5 October 1985) is a British pop singer. She rose to prominence in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstars: The Rivals''. The group's success helped them win the ...

is alone in a kitchen as pouring rain can be seen on the window.

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...

is shown in an alleyway, while

Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Scott (née Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, fashion designer, model, variety performer, television presenter, actress and dancer. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series '' Po ...

is alone on a street curb. The group are shown together on an abandoned bus, in an alley at night, and sat in front of the abandoned building. The video has a slightly blue hue to it, suggesting coldness and darkness. It also makes use of

lens flare A lens flare happens when light is scattered or flared in a lens system, often in response to a bright light, producing a sometimes undesirable artifact in the image. This happens through light scattered by the imaging mechanism itself, for ex ...

s. The video can be found on two of Girls Aloud's official DVD releases, ''

'' (2005) and ''

Style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

'' (2007).

Live performances

"Life Got Cold" was first performed live by Girls Aloud at two summer festivals in 2003, Pop Beach and Live & Loud. The first televised performance occurred on '' CD:UK'' on 19 July 2003. The group performed in black-and-white

business casual Business casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear, adopted for white-colla ...

attire, as seen in the music video and on the single's artwork. They performed on ''CD:UK'' once more the following month, although Cheryl was absent due to illness. Girls Aloud also appeared on '' Diggin' It'', ''

Popworld ''Popworld'' is a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the T4 strand, featuring pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from contemporary artists. The show bega ...

'', ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'' and '' Top of the Pops Saturday'' (twice). Girls Aloud performed "Life Got Cold" on three of their concert tours. For 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say...? Tour, Girls Aloud were positioned at the top of a staircase as they sang the song in colourful, simple

evening gown An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening ...

s. The song was given a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

reworking for 2007's The Greatest Hits Tour. The song was also included on the band's reunion tour, Ten: The Hits Tour.

Track listings and formats

UK CD1 (Polydor; 9810656) # "Life Got Cold" (album version) – 3:29 # "

" ( Duran Duran) – 3:41 # "

" (Doublefunk clean vocal mix) – 7:30 # "Life Got Cold" (video) – 3:29 # "Life Got Cold" (photo gallery) UK CD2 (Polydor; 9810657) # "Life Got Cold" (album version) – 3:29 # "Life Got Cold" (radio edit) – 3:57 # "Life Got Cold" (29 Palms Remix edit) – 6:54 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne edit) – 5:26 UK cassette single (Polydor; 9810658) # "Life Got Cold" (album version) – 3:29 # "Life Got Cold" (radio version) – 3:57 # "Lights, Music, Camera, Action" (Steve Lee, Nigel Lowis, Paul Meehan) – 3:09 ''The Singles Boxset'' (CD3) # "Life Got Cold" (album version) – 3:32 # "Girls on Film" – 3:43 # "No Good Advice" (Doublefunk clean vocal mix) – 7:30 # "Life Got Cold" (radio edit) – 3:29 # "Life Got Cold" (29 Palms Remix edit) – 6:55 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne edit) – 5:27 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne original mix) – 7:02 # "Lights, Music, Camera, Action" – 3:09 # "Life Got Cold" (29 Palms Club Remix) – 8:46 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne Dub) – 7:34 # "Life Got Cold" (video) # "Life Got Cold" (photo gallery) ''Life Got Cold Digital EP'' # "Life Got Cold" – 3:55 # "Girls On Film" – 3:40 # "Lights, Music, Camera, Action" – 3:08 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne edit) – 5:25 # "Life Got Cold" (29 Palms remix edit) – 6:52 # "Life Got Cold" (edit) – 3:29 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne vocal mix) – 7:00 # "Life Got Cold" (29 Palms Remix) – 8:44 # "Life Got Cold" (Stella Browne dub) – 7:34

Personnel

– co-lead vocals *

Cheryl Tweedy Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...

– co-lead vocals *

– co-lead vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2000s ballads 2003 singles 2003 songs Girls Aloud songs Polydor Records singles Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Xenomania Songs written by Brian Higgins (producer) Songs written by Lisa Cowling Songs written by Miranda Cooper Songs written by Nick Coler Songs written by Noel Gallagher