"That's My Goal" is the debut single by British singer Shayne Ward, the winner of the second 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'' (2001–200 ...

''. It was released as his winner's single on 21 December 2005. Ward was the first ''X Factor'' winner to release an original song as his winner's single; all other winners released a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of another song, until

Matt Terry Matthew James Terry (born 20 May 1993) is an English singer and songwriter. In 2016, he was crowned as the winner of the The X Factor (British series 13), thirteenth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. His debut single ...

's " When Christmas Comes Around" in 2016. "That's My Goal" was later included on Ward's debut studio album, '' Shayne Ward'' (2006). The song sold 313,000 copies in its first two days of sales, making it the fastest-selling song of 2005. It sold a further 429,180 copies in this four-day period, which was more than enough to secure the 2005 Christmas number one. It remained at the top of the UK Singles Chart for a total of four weeks and stayed in that chart for five months. It has been certified platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

for sales of over 600,000 copies. "That's My Goal" remains the fastest-selling ''X Factor'' winner's single of all time and the third fastest-selling song of all time in the United Kingdom.

Background and release

"That's My Goal" was written by Jörgen Elofsson, Jem Godfrey and Bill Padley and produced by Per Magnusson and

David Kreuger David Kreuger is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. Career David Kreuger began at Cheiron Studios in the spring of 1993. During the period 1993-1997, he worked with Per Magnusson on several projects. Together, they produced and wrote s ...

. It was first heard in the final of the second series of ''The X Factor'', where it was performed by both Ward and eventual runner-up, Andy Abraham. The single was released via digital download straight after Ward won, but the

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

was not released until 21 December 2005, which was a Wednesday. This was unusual as most new singles are released on a Monday to gain maximum sales for the UK Singles Chart the following Sunday. The late release was because the CD single was not yet ready when Ward was announced as the winner on Saturday 17 December, and delaying the song's release until the next week would mean the song would not be a contender for the Christmas number one.

Chart performance

The song sold 313,000 copies in its first two days on sale, making it the third fastest-selling single of all time in the UK (behind

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's " Candle in the Wind 1997" and

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

's "

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

"). On 25 December 2005, after selling more than 742,000 that week, it debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and became the 2005 Christmas number one. This made Ward the first ''X Factor'' winner to achieve the Christmas number one spot, as Band Aid 20's version of "

Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...

" took the title in 2004. "That's My Goal" sold a further 132,000 the following week and stayed at number one. The song made it three weeks at the top on 8 January 2006, selling 54,192 copies that week. In its fourth week of release, the song was again top of the UK charts, selling 31,724 copies to bring its total to 960,360. On 22 January, "That's My Goal" was finally knocked off the top spot by

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...

' " When the Sun Goes Down". "That's My Goal" was the second biggest-selling single of 2005 in the UK, beaten only by " (Is This the Way to) Amarillo" by Tony Christie and Peter Kay. With first-week sales of over 742,000 copies, it is also the fastest-selling ''X Factor'' winner's single. As of 2015, it also is the third biggest selling winner's single, having sold 1,103,351 copies. In the Republic of Ireland, the song debuted at number three on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

on 22 December 2005, behind a novelty version of " Leave Right Now" by Mario Rosenstock (a parody of the original by

) and " JCB" by

Nizlopi Nizlopi were a British folk and alternative duo formed in Leamington Spa, England, by Luke Concannon on vocals, guitar, and bodhrán, and John Parker on double bass, human beatbox, and backing vocals. History Formation The duo grew up in ...

. The following week it rose to number two, with "JCB" rising to number two. In its third week, however, "That's My Goal" finally gained the number one spot and remained there for a total of seven weeks. The song also reached number 58 in Sweden.

Track listing

# "That's My Goal" – 3:40 # " If You're Not the One" (Live on ''The X Factor'') – 2:16 # " Right Here Waiting" (Live on ''The X Factor'') – 1:32

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2005 debut singles 2005 songs Shayne Ward songs Number-one singles in Scotland UK singles chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles The X Factor (British TV series) Sony BMG singles Syco Music singles Pop ballads Songs written by Jörgen Elofsson Songs written by Bill Padley Songs written by Jem Godfrey Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Song recordings produced by Per Magnusson Song recordings produced by David Kreuger