"Still on Your Side" is a song by British

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band

BBMak BBMak are an English band consisting of Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally. Formed in Liverpool in 1996, they sold over three million albums worldwide between 1999 and 2003. The band first achieved success when their single "Back He ...

. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, '' Sooner or Later'' (2000), in the US on 5 November 2000 and in the band's native UK on 14 May 2001. Having previously achieved success in the American market first with their single "

Back Here "Back Here" is the debut single by English pop rock band BBMak. It was written by the three members of the group ( Christian Burns, Mark Barry, and Stephen McNally) along with songwriter Phil Thornalley. It was originally released in August 1999 ...

", "Still on Your Side" was BBMak's second top 10 hit in the UK. In the US, the song charted in the number 54 position on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart, number 40 on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

chart, and 14 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

chart.

Background

Stephen McNally Stephen McNally (born Horace Vincent McNally; July 29, 1911 – June 4, 1994) was an American actor remembered mostly for his appearances in many Westerns and action films. He often played hard-hearted characters, criminals, bullies, and othe ...

said "Still on Your Side" sounds like an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

song, adding, "It's a song we wrote in Los Angeles and it's already been a big hit for us in America. You could imagine it being played at the World Cup with thousands of football fans singing along to it". The song is written by

Bridget Benenate Bridget Benenate is an American songwriter. She first found success in her song "Permission To Shine", which was performed by the band Bachelor Girl. The same year Bridget's song "Everything Changes" was featured on ''Dawson’s Creek''. In 2001 ...

, Bob Thiele Jr., and Dillon O'Brian, in addition to the three members of BBMak.

Release

The single was originally planned to be released in the UK on 6 December 1999, but its commercial release was cancelled. A remixed version of the song was released in the U.S. on 5 November 2000. This remix was then released in the UK on 14 May 2001 and reached number 8 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 ...

that same month.

Reception

''Billboard'' wrote the song is “a joyful all-out anthem” and “has a lyric to connect with the masses, the hooks to again reel in BBMak’s younger fans, and the elegance and credible instrumentation to draw the attention of adults”. Writing retrospectively about the song, ''Can't Stop the Pop'' said

Still on Your Side is a terrific follow-up that amply demonstrates BBMak's debut single was no fluke. The group was smartly pitched; they toured extensively with
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and *NSYNC, which neatly aligned them to the
bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
demographic. However, they had a rockier sound and played their own instruments, which is precisely where that market was heading. Thus, Still on Your Side was so right for the time and perfectly brought together all of those elements. There was enough
boyband A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many ...
appeal about BBMak to tap into that market, but their music was packaged in a way that could credibly appeal to mainstream and adult contemporary radio.

Additionally, the song is said to be "a welcome opportunity to cut loose with some triumphant ad-libs ('Don’t you know that I’m still on your si-i-i-ide') and screeching electric guitar riffs".

Music videos

The first music video was filmed in the USA. It is set in a New York City street and opens with two Italian-American moving men trying to lift a wardrobe up to an apartment. The camera pans into one of the apartments where BBMak is performing the song. Throughout the video, each member of BBMak are able to save a woman from accidental injury. Christian pulls a woman out of the way of the falling wardrobe, Mark pulls a woman from the path of a stray baseball from a neighborhood kids' game, and Ste jumps in front of a woman before she can walk into incoming traffic. The video ends with people from the neighborhood singing along to the song. The second music video is set in the UK, reflecting the band's roots. It was filmed in London and directed by

Dani Jacobs Dani Jacobs (born April 16, 1963) is a British music video director and editor. Background Jacobs was born in London, United Kingdom. He went to University of Manchester to study physics but left to pursue his interests in film. He worked at T ...

. The video opens with a montage of shots of the House of Parliament,

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

, and a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

sign. A woman named Mia leaves a message on an answering machine, saying she wants to meet as soon as possible. The intended recipient of Mia's message is not shown, but each member of BBMak is shown receiving the message and believing it is meant for each of them, respectively. Each member gets in a

Mini Cooper Mini Cooper may refer to: *Cars of the original Mini series called the "Mini Cooper", made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors 1961–1971, and 1990–2000 *Cars of the Mini (marque), including a number of different models produced ...

to drive to London and meet Mia in time. The three band members all reach their destination at the same time and have a laugh. This storyline is interspersed with footage of the band playing before a live audience inside a studio. The video had its world premiere on 20 November 2000 in an episode of MTV's ''

Making the Video ''Making the Video'' is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video (or treatment) and the show often includes light-hearted ...

''. It reached the number 4 spot on ''TRL'' that month.

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD1 liner notes.Still On Your Side (UK CD1 single liner notes).

Telstar Records Telstar Records was a British record label that operated from 1982 to 2004. Background Telstar was founded in 1982 by Sean O'Brien and Neil Palmer with a government loan of £120,00Telstar RecordsIt was launched as a specialist compilation mar ...

. 2001. Locations * Recorded at Hollywood Studios (

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

) * Mixed at Royaltone Studios (California) * Artwork designed at Blade BBMak *

Christian Burns Christian Anthony Burns (born 18 January 1974) is an English singer. He is the son of Tony Burns of The Signs, a Liverpool-based rock band signed to Decca Records in the 1960s. Career Burns was a member of the popular British band BBMak, ...

– writing * Mark Barry – writing *

– writing Other personnel *

– writing * Bob Thiele Jr. - writing * Dillon O'Brian – writing *

Chris Lord-Alge Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...

– mixing * Mark Jolley – A&R direction

Charts

Weekly charts

References

{{Authority control 2000 songs 2000 singles BBMak songs Hollywood Records singles Songs written by Christian Burns Telstar Records singles