"Say Nothing" is a song by British singer

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, released on 16 September 2012 in the United Kingdom as the

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 ...

from his fourth studio album ''

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'' (2012). The song was written by Example,

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, and Dirty South, and was produced by the latter alongside Moám. The song features guitar work by

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. "Say Nothing" entered the

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at number 2, held off the top spot by

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's "

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", which spent a second week at number one.

Background and release

"Say Nothing" received its world premiere on 30 July 2012 on the Capital FM Breakfast Show.

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confirmed that the single would feature remixes from Roska, TC,

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, Foamo and

Hardwell Robbert van de Corput (; born January 7, 1988), known professionally as Hardwell, is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted the world's number one DJ by ''DJ Mag'' in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2022, he was ranked at number 43 i ...

. The interview also stated that "Say Nothing" and "

Perfect Replacement "Perfect Replacement" is a song by British recording artist Example. It was released as the third single from his fourth studio album, '' The Evolution of Man'', on 24 February 2013 following his UK arena tour. The song was written by Elliot Gl ...

" would receive their live debuts in August 2012 at the V Festival. On 30 July 2012, Example revealed the single artwork via Twitter and confirmed via a comment on Facebook that it features a photo of his younger self, around two years old layered over a photo he took in Austria on an aeroplane. In an interview, he revealed that the original photo won a 'Good Looking Baby' contest in his local paper, and he wanted the single artwork to be different from the popular 'boring' artwork, and just wanted it to look 'cool'.

Critical reception

The single has received mixed reviews. It was criticised for the double negative 'don't speak no more' by Popjustice, but generally getting good reception. Capital FM received many positive tweets from listeners after the world premiere and

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expressed their love for it, saying it was 'definitely worth the wait' with a 'humongous guitar riff and big stadium chorus'. Digital Spy rated it four stars, calling it "an

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anthem that's ready to take over the airwaves" and commenting that it "maintains a sense of depth, proving that despite his questionable celebrity jibes his talent still comes out on top".

Music video

The official video for "Say Nothing" premiered on Example's YouTube channel on 8 August 2012. The video was recorded in

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Track listing

Credits and personnel

Adapted from the parent album's

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. *

– songwriter *

– songwriter, backing vocals * Dirty South – songwriter, producer, keyboards and drum programming * Moám – additional production, keyboards and synthesizers * Wez Clarke – mixer, additional programming and drums * Jon Moon – vocal recording *

– guitars * Tom Goss – guitars

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs Example (musician) songs Ministry of Sound singles Music videos directed by Adam Powell Songs written by Example (musician) Songs written by Johnny McDaid