"Me Plus One" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

from her debut studio album, ''

Anniemal ''Anniemal'' is the debut album by Norwegian singer Annie. It was first released by 679 Recordings in September 2004. Annie began recording music in 1999 with her boyfriend, Tore Kroknes, who died in 2001. She returned to recording later that ...

'' (2004). It was written by

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for arti ...

and

Hannah Robinson Hannah Robinson (born in Derbyshire) is a British songwriter. Her best-known compositions include Rachel Stevens's UK No. 2 hit "Some Girls", Ladyhawke's "My Delirium" and Annie's "Chewing Gum". Robinson began her career as a vocalist and in 2 ...

, and released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

. The song was written about former

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

member

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

. The lyrics refer to a "wannabe señorita" who needs to realise she has "got to let it go". The song received acclaim from music critics. The song appears on '' Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music''.

Background and writing

"Me Plus One" was written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson in response to former

member

. Richard X and Robinson had written another song called "

Some Girls ''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...

", later a hit single for

Rachel Stevens Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album ''Funky Dory'' in Sep ...

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, A ...

and

Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...

contacted Richard X by email to ask that he give the song to Halliwell or Stevens, respectively, to record. He agreed to have Stevens record the song after

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

asked about using the song for

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...

2004. When Halliwell found out that the writers were having Stevens record the song, she locked herself in her car in an attempt to change their minds, and she later wrote Richard X a love song. The aftermath of the decision for Stevens to record the song became the subject of "Me Plus One" from

's 2004 album ''

''. The lyrics of "Me Plus One" detail a girl who dreams of fame but cannot achieve it. She fails to be accepted into the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play ''Where the Rainbow Ends''. For ...

. The verse two says the "wannabe señorita met a group of likely girls ..but it didn't make her happy", referencing the half-Spanish Halliwell's rise to stardom with the

and her subsequent unhappiness with the group. The song's middle-eight references the "Some Girls" situation—"take a look at yourself, get out of the car, it's time to let go—it's gone."

Critical reception

"Me Plus One" received acclaim from music critics. Scott Plagenhoef's review for

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

named it "winking" and "seductive". '' The Stranger'' compared the track to

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

, while ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

'' referred to the song as a "gorgeous day-glo dance party." ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' described the song as "a tale of sulky pop princesses trying to be like the

Chewing Gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its te ...

queen and getting smashed on the rocks".

Track listings

*Norwegian promotional CD single #"Me Plus One" – 3:38 *US promotional 12-inch single :A1. "Me Plus One" (

The Rapture The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...

/Hush Hush Remix) – 5:40 :A2. "Me Plus One" (

James Iha (born March 26, 1968) is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the initial breakup in 2000. Among his musical projects of recent years ...

Remix) – 3:27 :B1. "

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

" ( MSTRKRFT Edition) – 6:31 :B2. "

Happy Without You "Happy Without You" is a song by Norwegian recording artist Annie from her debut album, ''Anniemal'' (2004). Written and produced by Annie and Timo Kaukolampi, the song was released as the album's third single in July 2005. Critical reception "Hap ...

" (

Riton Riton may refer to: * Riton (musician) (born 1978), recording name of electronic musician Henry Smithson * Riton (duet), a Bulgarian pop duet, * Riton Liebman (born 1964), Belgian comedian, actor and director * Lutfor Rahman Riton, Bangladeshi wr ...

Vocal Mix) – 5:48

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''. *

– lead vocals *

– backing vocals, songwriting *

– production, songwriting * Pete Hofmann – guitar

References

{{authority control 2004 songs Annie (singer) songs Song recordings produced by Richard X Songs written by Hannah Robinson Songs written by Richard X