"You Are" is a song by English pop girl group
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart K ...
. It was written by Paul Gendler,
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
,
Ali Tennant
Lorne Alistair Tennant, better known as Ali Tennant, is a British singer, songwriter and vocal producer/mentor[Ali Tenn ...](_blank)
, and
Steve Mac
Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...
and recorded for the 2001 reissue of the band's debut album, ''
Right Now'' (2000), while production was helmed by Mac. "You Are" is an uplifting midtempo ballad; the instrumental elements used on it include
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, strummy
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s, soft drums, and a prominent
string
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
. Lyrically, the song finds the female protagonist expressing her love and affection for a man who doubts whether he is the right one for her.
The song was released as the seventh and final single from ''Right Now'' on 26 November 2001. It peaked at number 13 on the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
and found success in several European countries, particularly in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, where it entered the top 40. In the United Kingdom, "You Are" was released as a promotional single only since
Innocent Records
Innocent Records was a pop record label created to cater to for EMI's Virgin Records more pop oriented acts. Following the success of the Spice Girls, Virgin Records decided to delve into the pop market. In doing so they poached Hugh Goldsmi ...
feared that the band would not be able to promote the single as intense as necessary to guarantee a top-10 entry due to overseas touring.
A
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
, directed by Phil Griffin, was initially planned to be in New York City but eventually scrapped in favor of a studio recording due to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
.
Background
"You Are" was written by Paul Gendler,
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
,
Ali Tennant
Lorne Alistair Tennant, better known as Ali Tennant, is a British singer, songwriter and vocal producer/mentor[Ali Tenn ...](_blank)
, and
Steve Mac
Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...
and originally intended to be recorded by Irish boy band
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
.
When Atomic Kitten recorded the song at Rokstone Studios in London, England,
it was introduced on the 2001 re-issue of their debut album ''
Right Now''. The album version of "You Are" differs from the single version, as the single version features newly recorded vocals and a new musical arrangement. On the album version,
Natasha Hamilton
Natasha Maria Hamilton (born 17 July 1982) is an English singer and a member of girl group Atomic Kitten. Hamilton has so far released 19 singles and three studio albums with the band including three number one singles, their biggest being the 2 ...
performs every solo in the song. However, for the single version,
Liz McClarnon
Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon (born 10 April 1981) is an English pop singer, songwriter, dancer, television presenter and actress. She is the longest serving member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, with whom she has scored three number-one single ...
performs half of the verses, whilst
Jenny Frost
Jennifer Frost (born 22 February 1978) is an English singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of girl group Precious before replacing Kerry Katona in the group Atomic Kitten from 2001 until they disbanded in April 2004. Frost re ...
performs the background vocals and responses.
British songwriter
Tracy Ackerman
Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina ...
provided backing vocals on the song.
Chart performance
"You Are" became a top-20 hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 13, staying in the top 50 for 15 weeks—a third of which were in the top 20;
[ it was the song's highest peak anywhere. The song also did well in Flemish Belgium, where it peaked at number 24. It stayed in the chart for 11 weeks.][ It was their fourth longest single in the chart over there, lasting eleven weeks in the top 50.][ In Wallonia, the song was less successful, only reaching number 9 on the Ultratip chart, which roughly corresponds to number 59 overall.][ In neighbouring Netherlands, the song debuted at number 84 and climbed to its peak of number 35 five weeks later, totaling 10 weeks on the chart.][ In Sweden, "You Are" peaked at number 52 on its second week in, but only stayed on the chart for three weeks.][
In German-speaking Europe, the song managed to peak at number 61 in Germany.][ In Switzerland, the song peaked at number 40 and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks—the longest out of any country it was released in.][ The song debuted and peaked at number 46 in Austria, and lasted seven weeks on the chart.][ In France, it attained a peak of number 86, subsequently lasting three weeks in the top 100.][ Although "You Are" was initially planned to be released in the UK, it was eventually not released as a single since Innocent Records feared that the band would not be able to promote the single as properly as necessary to guarantee a top-10 entry due to ongoing overseas touring with "]Whole Again
"Whole Again" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their debut studio album, '' Right Now'' (2000). It was co-written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, along ...
." However, the song did make it into the top 100 due to imports, peaking at number 90 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 ...
.[
]
Music video
An accompanying music video for "You Are" was originally planned to be filmed at Grand Central Station
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in early September 2001; however, plans had to be scrapped in the wake of the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
. While it was reported that Atomic Kitten were expected to film the video at railway stations in the United Kingdom instead, portions for the video were eventually filmed on a specially built stage set. Their fifth collaboration with director Phil Griffin, the visuals for "You Are" depict the group on a glass stage with a plain white background and two large speakers either side of the stage. The video starts off with the group in a line sitting on chairs. A basic dance routine accompanies the chorus. After the chorus, the group walk about on the stage at a non stylised pace, and doing the jog moves on the stage, and close-ups of the members' eyes, lips and faces conclude the video. Throughout the video, various scenes of a young couple are also spliced in.
Track listings
Notes
* denotes additional producer
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of '' Right Now''.
Studio
* Recorded and mixed at Rokstone Studios (London, England)
Personnel
* Tracy Ackerman
Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina ...
– backing vocals
* Atomic Kitten – lead vocals
* Paul Gendler – writing
* Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
– writing
* Friðrik "Frizzy" Karlsson – guitars
* Chris Laws – drums, engineering
* Steve Mac
Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...
– writing, production, arranging, mixing, instruments
* Daniel Pursey – assistant engineer
* Ali Tennant
Lorne Alistair Tennant, better known as Ali Tennant, is a British singer, songwriter and vocal producer/mentor[Ali Tenn ...](_blank)
– writing
Charts
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:You Are (Atomic Kitten Song)
2001 singles
2001 songs
Atomic Kitten songs
Innocent Records singles
Songs written by Ali Tennant
Songs written by Steve Mac
Songs written by Wayne Hector
Virgin Records singles