"See the Day" is a song by English singer

Dee C. Lee Diane Catherine Sealy (born 6 June 1961), known as Dee C. Lee, is a British singer. Born to Saint Lucian parents, she grew up in south east London. Early in her career, she was a member of the British band Central Line under the aliases Dee Sea ...

, released as a single on 21 October 1985. On 2 December it peaked at number 3 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 ...

where it stayed for two weeks. The single sold in excess of 250,000 copies, receiving a silver certification, and became Lee's biggest hit single and her only UK top-40 hit, peaking at number three. "See the Day" also charted in Australia, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The B-side of the single, "The Paris Match", features Lee's future husband

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

and his band

the Style Council The Style Council were a British band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/ new wave/ mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

, of which Lee was a part-time member. "See the Day" was covered by

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 ...

in 2005, where it reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart.

Track listings

7-inch single :A. "See the Day" :B. "The Paris Match" 12-inch single :A1 "See the Day" :A2 "The Paris Match" :B1 "Luck" (live version) :B2 "Don't Do It Baby" (remix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Girls Aloud version

In 2005, British all-female pop group

recorded a cover of "See the Day" for their third studio album '' Chemistry''. Their version was produced by

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 ...

. A contender for the

Christmas number one In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...

, the single was released just five weeks after the group's previous single, "

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

". The single became Girls Aloud's lowest charting single at that point, but continued their string of top ten hits on the

and received extensive

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

. The music video, which had the feel of a

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, featured Girls Aloud in the scenic landscape of a

snow globe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sph ...

. "See the Day" was promoted through numerous live appearances and was featured on 2006's

Chemistry Tour Chemistry: The Tour was the second concert tour by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It supported their third studio album, ''Chemistry (Girls Aloud album), Chemistry''. Following the success of 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say...? T ...

. Although the track was "given a glossy 21st century refurb," contemporary music critics criticized the song for its lack of creativity and similarities to Girls Aloud's 2004 cover of "

I'll Stand by You "I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, '' Last of the Independents'' (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy ...

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 ...

later said she hates "See the Day" and regrets releasing it.

Background and release

Much like Girls Aloud's 2004 cover of

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

' "

", Brian Higgins and Xenomania felt "See the Day" needed to stick closely to the original in terms of tone. The song, described as "the obligatory Christmas ballad", was "given a glossy 21st century refurb." The song was released on 19 December 2005 as a contender for the

of the year. It was available on two

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 ...

formats and as a digital download. The first disc included "It's Magic", an album track from ''Chemistry'' co-written by Girls Aloud and sung solely by

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 ...

. The second CD format included a previously unreleased track entitled "I Don't Really Hate You", as well as a ''Chemistry'' album medley and the Soundhouse Masterblaster Mix of "See the Day". The artwork of the second disc features Girls Aloud lying on the ground, positioned to create a snowflake.

stated in January 2008 that the song was only put out because they were stuck for ballads. "I wish we hadn't released See The Day. I absolutely hate that track, I don't think it's us at all, it's really old fashioned."

Reception

Critical response

Girls Aloud's version of "See the Day" received generally negative reviews from contemporary music critics. The cover was largely slated for its lack of creativity and similarities to their 2004 cover of

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

' "

" (although some critics preferred it). John Murphy of musicOMH stated that "See The Day should wipe away all memories of I'll Stand By You" and that while it's "not in the same league as the Girls' Xenomania compositions, but it's still by far the best cover version they've done."

Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...

said that "coming so hot on the heels of the still-charting Biology and taken from an album chock-full of corking tracks, it seems more than a little cynical." Girls Aloud won the Heart Award for "See the Day" at the O2 Silver Clef Lunch, an annual awards ceremony honouring songwriting and performance in aid of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, members of the band, attended the awards presentation ceremony.

Chart performance

"See the Day" became Girls Aloud's lowest charting single to date when it entered the

at number nine, behind other new entries by

Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 an ...

and Eminem at numbers one and five respectively. The single fell just one position the following week, rounding out the top ten. It then swiftly fell down the charts, falling to number nineteen in its third week. The song spent a total of just six weeks in the UK's top 75. "See the Day" made Girls Aloud the first girl group to achieve eleven consecutive top ten singles. The song was also an airplay hit. It was, however, less successful on the official

UK Download Chart The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The main chart co ...

, where "See the Day" debuted at number 29. On 16 June 2006,

Lucy Benjamin Lucy Benjamin (born Lucy Jane Baker; 25 June 1970) is an English actress. After appearing in various television series including '' Close to Home'' (1989–1990), ''Press Gang'' (1989–1993) and '' Jupiter Moon'' (1990, 1996), she was cast in ...

performed a version of "See the Day" on '' The X Factor: Battle of the Stars'' that was credited to Girls Aloud rather than Dee C. Lee. Following the final and Benjamin's victory, the single briefly re-entered the top 200. "See the Day" entered the Irish Singles Chart at number sixteen. It fell to number seventeen the following week, before rising to number fifteen in its third week. "See the Day" reached its peak of number fourteen in its fourth week on the Irish Singles Chart. The single spent eight weeks in Ireland's top fifty.

Music video

The music video for "See the Day" was directed by Harvey & Carolyn, filmed one day after the video for "

" during

' 20th birthday on 5 October 2005. The video starts with a stage curtain being drawn back, similar to the opening for the video for "Biology". The girls are revealed to be in a snowy realm wearing white dresses. Throughout the video, various close-up glamour shots are shown, as well as group shots of the girls standing in a line and sitting around a pond reflecting the night sky. At one point, the girls can seen within a snow globe, perched upon a human hand. The video ends with the girls seated around the pond, while the song title glitters in the sky. The curtain then closes. The video can be found on the DVD release of 2006's

, as well as 2007's ''

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 ...

'' DVD.

Live performances

Girls Aloud performed "See the Day" live for the first time at Children in Need's ''Great Big Bid''. The band appeared on '' Blue Peter'', '' CD:UK'' (twice), '' Hit40UK'', ''

Ministry of Mayhem ''Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown'' (previously titled ''Ministry of Mayhem'' and ''MoM'') was a British children's entertainment programme, which was broadcast on ITV (later CITV) from 10 January 2004 to 1 July 2006. Overview ''Ministry ...

'', ''

The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, a ...

'', ''

Today with Des and Mel ''Today with Des and Mel'' was a British television chat show hosted by Des O'Connor ('' Des O'Connor Tonight'') and Melanie Sykes. The show featured celebrity guests, phone-in competitions and chat between the hosts. It was produced by Car ...

'', ''

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 Reloaded ''Top of the Pops Reloaded'' (''TOTP Reloaded''), is a weekly children's music show broadcast as part of the Saturday morning CBBC schedule on BBC Two. It was based on the show, ''Top of the Pops'', and was originally known as ''Top of the Pops ...

''. It was also featured on 2006's

. As one of the group's least favourite singles, as well as one of the worst-performing, "See the Day" has rarely been performed live since its release.

Track listings

UK CD1 (Polydor / 9875964) # "See the Day" – 4:04 # "It's Magic" – 3:52 UK CD2 (Polydor / 9875965) # "See the Day" – 4:04 # "I Don't Really Hate You" – 3:38 # "See the Day" (Soundhouse Masterblaster Mix) – 5:02 # "'' Chemistry'' Album Medley" – 3:08 # "See the Day" (video) – 3:29 # "See the Day" (karaoke video) – 3:29 # "See the Day" (game) # "See the Day" (ringtone) ''The Singles Boxset'' (CD11) # "See the Day" – 4:04 # "It's Magic" – 3:52 # "I Don't Really Hate You" – 3:38 # "See the Day" (Soundhouse Masterblaster Mix) – 5:02 # "'' Chemistry'' Album Medley" – 3:08 # "See the Day" (video) – 3:29 # "See the Day" (karaoke video) – 3:29 # "See the Day" (game)

Credits and personnel

* Saxophone: Ian Ritchie * Guitar: Nick Coler * Keyboards:

, Tim Powell, Jon Shave * Mastering: Dick Beetham for 360 Mastering * Mixing: Brian Higgins, Tim Powell * Production: Brian Higgins,

* Programming: Brian Higgins, Tim Powell * Vocals:

* Published by

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. ...

and Xenomania Music

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

performed a version of "See the Day" (credited to Girls Aloud rather than Dee C. Lee) on '' The X Factor: Battle of the Stars'' in 2006. * The song was recorded by British musical theatre performer

Louise Dearman Louise Dearman (born 13 March 1979) is a British actress and singer, perhaps best known for playing Glinda and Elphaba in the West End production of the musical '' Wicked.'' Notably, she is the only actress to have played both witches in any prod ...

for her 2012 album ''

Here Comes the Sun "Here Comes the Sun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was written by George Harrison and is one of his best-known compositions. Harrison wrote the song in early 1969 at the country house o ...

''. * Leanne Dobinson performed a version of ''See the Day'' during her time on '' How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:See The Day 1985 singles 2005 singles 1980s ballads Girls Aloud songs Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Xenomania 1985 songs