"Promise This" is a song by English recording artist

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 '' Popstars: ...

, taken from her second studio album ''

Messy Little Raindrops ''Messy Little Raindrops'' is the second studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole, released on 29 October 2010 by Fascination Records. The project is the follow-up to Cole's multi-platinum debut solo album '' 3 Words'' (2009), following seven ...

'' (2010). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on 24 October 2010 by

Fascination Records Fascination Records is a United Kingdom-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in spring of 2006, and is managed by former TOTP Magazine editor Peter Loraine ...

(

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. ...

). The

up-tempo 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 ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

song was written by American songwriter Priscilla Renea Hamilton, British music producer

Wayne Wilkins Wayne Wilkins is a British record producer, songwriter, record engineer and record mixer. He has produced and written for artists such as Rick Astley ("Cry for Help"), Natasha Bedingfield (" These Words", "Single" and " Love Like This"), Beyon ...

, and Christopher Jackson and produced by Wilkins. The lyrics to "Promise This" reference Cole's personal life and relationships, as well as incorporating the French language. The single's release came in the aftermath of a public divorce from footballer

Ashley Cole Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is consi ...

, as well as a life-threatening battle with

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics. "Promise This" became Cole's second solo number-one single in the United Kingdom and Ireland. As of June 2012, "Promise This" has sold 427,262 copies in the United Kingdom. "Promise This" is accompanied by a

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

-directed music video featuring Cole dancing as a ballerina. It also features scenes including Cole dressed as a

flamenco dancer Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

and a black

leotard A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and lo ...

outfit. She performed the single live on the seventh series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' on 24 October 2010.

Background and composition

"Promise This" is an

song written by American songwriter Priscilla Hamilton, British music producer

, who was responsible for Cole's debut single "

Fight for This Love "Fight for This Love" is the debut solo single by English singer and Girls Aloud member Cheryl (singer), Cheryl Cole, recorded for her debut studio album, ''3 Words'' (2009). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on ...

", and Christopher Jackson. It is written in the music key of

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

with a

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

and a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 151 beats per minute. Cole's vocal range spans from G₃ to E♭₅. 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 ...

of the song is Cm, B♭, F in the intro, Cm, E♭, B♭, F in the verse and A♭, E♭, B♭, Cm in the chorus and bridge. The song sees Cole singing some of the lyrics in French, referencing the children's song " Alouette". It was recorded in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, California, and "finds her contemplating mortality with a cheerful morbidity, asking for prayers over a brutal march beat." Tabloids suggested that the lyrics were based upon her divorce from footballer

, and how her dancer friend

Derek Hough Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'', wi ...

nursed her to health while she was suffering from

. The '' Daily Star'' had also noted Cole's apparent affection in the song by her use of the French word ''alouette'', meaning "skylark".

Critical reception

"Promise This" received generally favourable reviews from music critics. 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, ...

gave the songs five stars out of five. Levine called the song "a proper bloody corker. 'Promise This' skips along thrillingly from video gamey verses to choruses that shimmer like Cheryl's Saturday night eyelids to, well, those alouettes. The reverby middle 8's pretty ace too." A

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'', and originally called ''John Craven's Newsround'' before his departure in 1989) is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. It was one of the world's first televi ...

review praised the "thumping dance track" and said "the X Factor judge has a major hit on her hands." Gavin Martin of the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' described the track as "modern electro-pop mash-up with a tribal chorus" and concluded, "A busy, catchy foretaste of Cheryl's forthcoming second album, this should lie comfortably in the Top Five." A reviewer from ''OK!'' magazine said "The upbeat, pop track has more of a dance feel than her previous releases but the songstress hasn't failed to impress with this one – we have it on loop!"

Chart performance

"Promise This" debuted at number one 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 ...

, becoming her second solo UK number one behind "

" (October 2009). It sold 157,210 copies in its debut week, which earned it the highest first-week sales of the year, for a non-charity single at that time. It is Cole's fourth solo consecutive top-five single in the United Kingdom and her second solo chart topper. The following week, Cole's second studio album ''

'' topped the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

while "Promise This" dropped to number two, "Promise This" was also successful in Ireland, where it also topped the charts. It had limited success elsewhere, reaching top-fifteen Hungary and top-twenty in Belgium. As of June 2012, Promise This has sold 427,262 copies in the United Kingdom.

Music video

Background

The video for the song was directed by

and choreographed by

Fatima Robinson Fatima Robinson (born August 29, 1971) is an American dancer, music video director and choreographer. Career Robinson has choreographed dance routines (for live performances and music videos) for several musical and pop artists, notably for th ...

debuted on 21 September 2010 on UK television channel

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...

. It incorporates scenes of "silhouetted shapes, cut-outs and projected imagery".

's Ryan Love described the theme of the video as "dark and glossy". ''The X Factor'' official magazine said the video for the song was "gothic ballet". Cole's close friend and bandmate from Girls Aloud,

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 ...

, used her '' OK!'' magazine column to say " ole'sgone ballerina theme this time – she used to be a great ballerina and went to the London

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

, so that's quite fitting."

Synopsis

In the video Cole wears several outfits, described as "gorgeous" by

ITN Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...

, including a low-cut red dress, a ballerina's leotard, to a short embellished mini-dress. Cole plays a dominant role in part of the video, waiting for a man in a darkened room in one scene and pushing him to the floor with her foot in another. ITN commented on the second part of the film, "We see a softer side to the 27-year-old though, as she dances in a floaty dress, showing off some of her skills which, as a child, won her a sponsorship to study at London's Royal Ballet Summer School." In one of music video's main outfits, Cole is seen wearing 'Wolford Bondage Tights'. "In one scene she is dressed in a

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

-styled black leotard and black jacket with her hair pushed back in a high ponytail. Another scene shows her dressed as a ballerina, and there's another one where she wears a red flamenco dress, all in all she looks spectacular."

Reception

''Promonewstv'' commented positively upon the direction marking that "Sophie Muller delivers this sympathetically earnest promo with both graceful and muscular choreography all adding to the drama". A reviewer from ''ITN News'' said remarked that Cole was "looking as sexy as ever" in the video. ''Stop Press News'' agreed with earlier reviews commenting that the video is "hot, but is not x rated" comparing it to other female music artists. The review added, "it is sexy, but not something that you would be embarrassed to watch with your family".

Promotion

The single was premiered on

Chris Moyles Christopher David Moyles (born 22 February 1974) is an English radio and television presenter, author and presenter of ''The Chris Moyles Show'' on Radio X. Previously he has presented ''The Chris Moyles Show'' on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 20 ...

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, ...

breakfast show on 14 September, where it was introduced as the lead single from Cole's second studio album, ''

''. In addition to her role as a judge on ''

'', Cheryl Cole made a high-profile appearance on ''

Piers Morgan's Life Stories ''Kate Garraway's Life Stories'' (formerly known as ''Piers Morgan's Life Stories'' until 2021) is a British television chat show on ITV1, presented by Kate Garraway and was formerly presented by Piers Morgan. Recorded in front of a studio audi ...

'', in which she discussed her marriage and divorce with

and her life-threatening battle with

. The show's ratings reached an all-time high. On 24 October, Cole performed "Promise This" on ''The X Factors results show. She donned a white tuxedo jacket, "frilly black knickers," knee-high zebra print tights, and leather boots and was joined by multiple back-up dancers. She "showcased her vocal and dancing skills with an energetic, raunchy routine that earned a standing ovation from her fellow judges." Similar to her 2009 performance of "

" on ''The X Factor'', the media speculated whether Cole

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

ed or not. * ''

'' – 24 October 2010 * ''

Children in Need 2010 Children in Need 2010 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. 2010 marked the 30th anniversary of the appeal which culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One and ITV1 which began on the evening of Friday 19 N ...

'' – 19 November 2010 * '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' – 20 December 2010 *

A Million Lights Tour The A Millions Lights Tour was the debut concert tour by English recording artist Cheryl Cole. It promoted Cole's third studio album, ''A Million Lights''. The tour marks Cole's first solo venture, touring extensively from 2005 to 2009 with pop ...

– October 2012 * ''

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Li ...

'' – 8 December 2012

Covers

British recording artist

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

covered "Promise This" on 27 January 2011 for

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

Track listing

; CD single # "Promise This" – 3:23 # "Promise This" (

Digital Dog Digital Dog are an English remix/production duo consisting of Steve Cornish and Nick Mace. The duo also produce under the aliases Jack Rokka and Elek-Tro Junkies. Digital Dog's 2007 collaboration with Betty Boo, "Take Off", topped the UK Indie ...

Remix Edit) – 3:47 ;Digital remix – Exclusive to Nokia Store # "Promise This" (Nu Addiction Dub Mix) ;Digital EP # "Promise This" – 3:23 # "Promise This" (Nu Addiction Radio Edit) – 3:31 # "Promise This" (Almighty Radio Edit) – 4:04 # "Promise This" (Digital Dog Remix Edit) – 3:47 ;Digital EP – The Remixes # "Promise This" (Mayday's Club Mix) – 4:10 # "Promise This" (Nu Addiction Club Mix) – 7:52 # "Promise This" (Almighty Club Mix) – 8:39 # "Promise This" (Digital Dog Remix) – 6:03 # "Promise This" (Funkagenda Remix) – 6:47 ;Digital 'Christmas' EP – Exclusive Free Download in iTunes '12 Days of Christmas' Promotion # "Promise This" (Mayday's Drum & Step Mix) – 3:59 # "Promise This" (Digital Dog Remix Edit – Video) – 3:55 # "On The Road With Cheryl Cole" (Edit – Video) – 4:09

Credits and personnel

*Songwriting – Priscilla Hamilton,

, Christopher Jackson *Production, keyboards and programming – Wayne Wilkins *Backing vocals – Priscilla Renea, RaVaughn Brown * Mixing –

Mark Stent Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

* Mastering –

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...

Source:

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Cheryl Cole Cheryl (singer) songs Songs written by Wayne Wilkins Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Polydor Records singles 2010 singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Muni Long 2010 songs Franglais songs