Can't Speak French
Encyclopedia
"Can't Speak French" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud
, taken from their fourth studio album Tangled Up
(2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper
, Brian Higgins
and his production team Xenomania
, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as "a swirling, slower cut with great jazzy guitar changes," Higgins said it was "the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." Upon its release in March 2008, "Can't Speak French" charted within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart
, continuing their five-year streak of top ten hits.
The music video sees Girls Aloud seduce guests at a dinner party in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette
and 18th century French fashion
s. "Can't Speak French" was promoted through numerous live appearances and has since been performed on all of Girls Aloud's subsequent tours. The "sultry" song received praise from most contemporary musics, cited as an example of Xenomania's creativity.
pop song with a number of influences. It juxtaposes jazz guitar
and a swing beat against a 1980s-inspired synthesiser. The lyrics "find[s] the girls at their glummest, desperately trying to impress a guy who turns their "dust to gold
" but doesn't realize it." Producer Brian Higgins said it was "perhaps the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." The song begins with a first verse, a bridge, and a chorus. It then leads to a middle 8 sung by Cheryl Cole
and an instrumental
section before repeating the chorus. "Can't Speak French" was slightly remixed by Jeremy Wheatley for single release.
Promotion for "Can't Speak French" was initially put on hold, so that Cheryl Cole
could sort through her marital problems with Chelsea
and England
player Ashley Cole
, but later resumed. Their new television series, Passions of Girls Aloud
, also premiered on 14 March, with the Passions Mix of "Can't Speak French" being used as the programme's theme.
The single was released as a digital download
on 14 March 2008 and on two CD single
formats on 16 March 2008. The first disc included a previously unreleased track entitled "Hoxton Heroes", co-written by Girls Aloud. The second disc included the French version of the track, "Je Ne Parle Pas Français", as well as an acoustic cover of Robyn
's "With Every Heartbeat
" from the BBC Radio 1
programme Live Lounge
and the Tony Lamezma Passions Mix. A shortened radio edit of the Tony Lamezma remix was released as a digital exclusive.
Girls Aloud also held a competition on their official website for a signed poster. Fans submitted their own original verse for "Can't Speak French", with five winners being announced throughout the week of the single's release.
. Miranda Cooper
, a songwriter and member of the Xenomania
production house, said "We've written a song called Hoxton Hero[es]. Me and the girls got on an amazing rant, taking the piss out of the whole indie scene." Kimberley Walsh
stated, "They say we're a manufactured band, but they're just as manufactured." The song was considered too controversial to go on the album. However, Nicola Roberts
said the song "wasn't aggressive enough."
On 31 January 2008, it was confirmed on Girls Aloud's official website and in Daily Star that "Hoxton Heroes" would appear as a B-side, alongside a French version of the single. A 30-second clip of "Hoxton Heroes" was posted on Girls Aloud's official MySpace
on 6 February. Some indie music fans have attacked Girls Aloud for the song. Heatworld.com exclusively streamed a clip of "Je Ne Parle Pas Français" on 26 February.
called the song "a prime example of Xenomania's ability to throw wildly disparate musical elements together." According to allmusic, the song "achieves the kind of effortlessly sultry cool which the Sugababes
have spent a career striving for." Talia Kraines of BBC Music
also called the song "sultry" and described it as "mid-tempo fun." John Murphy of musicOMH
relentlessly praised the song: "The tempo is taken down a slight notch, a swing beat kicks in backed by some squelchy synths, and there's yet another chorus that stays in your head forever, aided by the gloriously silly lyric of "I can't speak French, so I'll let the funky music do the talking". It's possibly the best thing they've ever done." Another reviewer for musicOMH
felt that the "mid-paced groove isn't all that funky," but "creeps up when you're not looking, lodging itself in your head." Less impressed was Sarah Walters of the Manchester Evening News
, who stated that she was "undecided whether this is a bad joke or a stroke of genius" and described the chorus as "pure idiocy."
on 24 February 2008, four weeks before the single's physical release. It rose to number 35 the following week, before entering the top twenty in its third week and climbing to number sixteen in its fourth week on the chart. After the CD formats and digital bundles were released, the song peaked at number nine, becoming the band's eighteenth consecutive top ten single. Overall, the single spent ten weeks in the UK's top forty and a total of twenty-five weeks in the UK's top 75, the longest time in the chart for any Girls Aloud single at that point. Digital sales also helped the song debut on the Irish Singles Chart
at number thirty-five. It rose two spots the following week, and three more to number thirty the week after. Two weeks later, it climbed to number thirteen. Despite falling to number fifteen, it rebounded and achieved a new peak of number twelve.
The video for "Can't Speak French" was shot towards the end of January 2008 in London
. American
director
Petro directed the music video for the production company
Draw Pictures
. It premièred on Yahoo! Music
on 14 February, with the TV premiere on Channel 4
's "Freshly Squeezed" on 16 February. However, the music video appeared on some music channels such as The Box on 13 February.
The music video features Girls Aloud in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette
and 18th century French fashion
s. They crash a sophisticated dinner party and seduce the male guests. They dance provocatively and flirt with the men. Throughout the video, individual shots of each girl in front of a coloured wall are interpolated.
The "Can't Speak French" music video is available on iTunes
as well as Girls Aloud's live DVD Tangled Up: Live from The O2 2008
.
Christmas special on 21 December 2007, which was co-hosted by Girls Aloud. During promotion for the single, Girls Aloud appeared on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, BBC Switch
's Sound
, The Paul O'Grady Show
, and T4
. The song was performed at a number of live concerts such as a set at London
gay nightclub
G-A-Y
, 96.4FM BRMB's Live at the Local, and the 2008 V Festival
.
The song was showcased on 2008's Tangled Up Tour
, featured in a cabaret
-inspired section alongside "Biology
" and "Love Machine
" while black-and-white video footage of Paris
at night was shown on the video screens. For 2009's Out of Control Tour
, the song was only included as part of a greatest hits medley.
UK CD2 (Fascination / 1764167)
iTunes Exclusive digital download
The Singles Boxset (CD18)
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, taken from their fourth studio album Tangled Up
Tangled Up
Tangled Up is the fourth studio album by the British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2007 by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, Tangled Up was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania...
(2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, Brian Higgins
Brian Higgins (producer)
Brian Thomas Higgins is a British music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud, through his Xenomania production group...
and his production team Xenomania
Xenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as "a swirling, slower cut with great jazzy guitar changes," Higgins said it was "the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." Upon its release in March 2008, "Can't Speak French" charted within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, continuing their five-year streak of top ten hits.
The music video sees Girls Aloud seduce guests at a dinner party in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
and 18th century French fashion
French fashion
Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the seventeenth century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s...
s. "Can't Speak French" was promoted through numerous live appearances and has since been performed on all of Girls Aloud's subsequent tours. The "sultry" song received praise from most contemporary musics, cited as an example of Xenomania's creativity.
Background and composition
Described as a "swirling, slower cut with great jazzy guitar changes," "Can't Speak French" is a mid-tempoTempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
pop song with a number of influences. It juxtaposes jazz guitar
Jazz guitar
The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...
and a swing beat against a 1980s-inspired synthesiser. The lyrics "find[s] the girls at their glummest, desperately trying to impress a guy who turns their "dust to gold
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
" but doesn't realize it." Producer Brian Higgins said it was "perhaps the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." The song begins with a first verse, a bridge, and a chorus. It then leads to a middle 8 sung by Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
section before repeating the chorus. "Can't Speak French" was slightly remixed by Jeremy Wheatley for single release.
Release
"Can't Speak French" was one of many options for a third single; others included "Close to Love" and Girl Overboard". The single was confirmed on 15 January 2008 on the official site.Promotion for "Can't Speak French" was initially put on hold, so that Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
could sort through her marital problems with Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
player Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....
, but later resumed. Their new television series, Passions of Girls Aloud
Passions of Girls Aloud
The Passions of Girls Aloud is a four-part television series starring girl group Girls Aloud. The series premiered on ITV2 on 14 March 2008.-Premise:The show is based around each member achieving something they always wanted to do, other than sing:...
, also premiered on 14 March, with the Passions Mix of "Can't Speak French" being used as the programme's theme.
The single was released as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on 14 March 2008 and on two CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
formats on 16 March 2008. The first disc included a previously unreleased track entitled "Hoxton Heroes", co-written by Girls Aloud. The second disc included the French version of the track, "Je Ne Parle Pas Français", as well as an acoustic cover of Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
's "With Every Heartbeat
With Every Heartbeat
"With Every Heartbeat" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn with Swedish producer Kleerup. It was released on 30 July 2007 in the United Kingdom as the second single from the international edition of Robyn's self-titled fourth studio album, Robyn...
" from the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
programme Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
and the Tony Lamezma Passions Mix. A shortened radio edit of the Tony Lamezma remix was released as a digital exclusive.
Girls Aloud also held a competition on their official website for a signed poster. Fans submitted their own original verse for "Can't Speak French", with five winners being announced throughout the week of the single's release.
B-side
The single's B-side "Hoxton Heroes" was first mentioned in a November interview with The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, a songwriter and member of the Xenomania
Xenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
production house, said "We've written a song called Hoxton Hero[es]. Me and the girls got on an amazing rant, taking the piss out of the whole indie scene." Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
stated, "They say we're a manufactured band, but they're just as manufactured." The song was considered too controversial to go on the album. However, Nicola Roberts
Nicola Roberts
Nicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
said the song "wasn't aggressive enough."
On 31 January 2008, it was confirmed on Girls Aloud's official website and in Daily Star that "Hoxton Heroes" would appear as a B-side, alongside a French version of the single. A 30-second clip of "Hoxton Heroes" was posted on Girls Aloud's official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
on 6 February. Some indie music fans have attacked Girls Aloud for the song. Heatworld.com exclusively streamed a clip of "Je Ne Parle Pas Français" on 26 February.
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from critics. On a positive note, The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the song "a prime example of Xenomania's ability to throw wildly disparate musical elements together." According to allmusic, the song "achieves the kind of effortlessly sultry cool which the Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
have spent a career striving for." Talia Kraines of BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
also called the song "sultry" and described it as "mid-tempo fun." John Murphy of musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
relentlessly praised the song: "The tempo is taken down a slight notch, a swing beat kicks in backed by some squelchy synths, and there's yet another chorus that stays in your head forever, aided by the gloriously silly lyric of "I can't speak French, so I'll let the funky music do the talking". It's possibly the best thing they've ever done." Another reviewer for musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
felt that the "mid-paced groove isn't all that funky," but "creeps up when you're not looking, lodging itself in your head." Less impressed was Sarah Walters of the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
, who stated that she was "undecided whether this is a bad joke or a stroke of genius" and described the chorus as "pure idiocy."
Chart performance
"Can't Speak French" debuted at number 49 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 24 February 2008, four weeks before the single's physical release. It rose to number 35 the following week, before entering the top twenty in its third week and climbing to number sixteen in its fourth week on the chart. After the CD formats and digital bundles were released, the song peaked at number nine, becoming the band's eighteenth consecutive top ten single. Overall, the single spent ten weeks in the UK's top forty and a total of twenty-five weeks in the UK's top 75, the longest time in the chart for any Girls Aloud single at that point. Digital sales also helped the song debut on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
at number thirty-five. It rose two spots the following week, and three more to number thirty the week after. Two weeks later, it climbed to number thirteen. Despite falling to number fifteen, it rebounded and achieved a new peak of number twelve.
Music video
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
Petro directed the music video for the production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
Draw Pictures
Draw Pictures
Draw Pictures is a production company, with branches based in London and Los Angeles. They have directed music videos for artists such as Depeche Mode, Fall Out Boy, Franz Ferdinand, Girls Aloud, Mark Ronson, The Bravery, Bad Religion, The Shins, Bob Dylan, and Stereophonics...
. It premièred on Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
on 14 February, with the TV premiere on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's "Freshly Squeezed" on 16 February. However, the music video appeared on some music channels such as The Box on 13 February.
The music video features Girls Aloud in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
and 18th century French fashion
French fashion
Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the seventeenth century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s...
s. They crash a sophisticated dinner party and seduce the male guests. They dance provocatively and flirt with the men. Throughout the video, individual shots of each girl in front of a coloured wall are interpolated.
The "Can't Speak French" music video is available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
as well as Girls Aloud's live DVD Tangled Up: Live from The O2 2008
Tangled Up Tour
The Tangled Up Tour was the fourth concert tour third arena tour, by British pop group Girls Aloud, in support of the group's fourth studio album Tangled Up. The tour was initially announced to reach arenas across the United Kingdom in November 2007. The shows commenced in Belfast on 3 May 2008 and...
.
Live performances
"Can't Speak French" was performed live for the first time on The Friday Night ProjectThe Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
Christmas special on 21 December 2007, which was co-hosted by Girls Aloud. During promotion for the single, Girls Aloud appeared on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, BBC Switch
BBC Switch
BBC Switch was the brand for BBC content aimed at UK teenagers. The brand launched on Saturday 20 October 2007 on BBC Two And ceased broadcasting on Saturday 17 December 2010...
's Sound
Sound (BBC TV series)
Sound was a weekly music, entertainment and chat show that broadcasted on BBC2 as part of the BBC Switch teen strand. It was presented by BBC Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw....
, The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
, and T4
T4
- In airports and airlines :* The IATA airline code for Hellas Jet* Madrid Barajas Airport Terminal 4* London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4- In biology and medicine :* T4 phage, a bacteriophage* Thyroxine , a form of thyroid hormones* The T4 spinal nerve...
. The song was performed at a number of live concerts such as a set at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
gay nightclub
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
G-A-Y
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a gay nightclub in London. It operated from the London Astoria music venue for 15 years until July 2008. The Boston Globe described it as "London's largest gay-themed club night", NME reported that it "attracts 6,000 clubbers each week", and The Independent described it as "the one London...
, 96.4FM BRMB's Live at the Local, and the 2008 V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
.
The song was showcased on 2008's Tangled Up Tour
Tangled Up Tour
The Tangled Up Tour was the fourth concert tour third arena tour, by British pop group Girls Aloud, in support of the group's fourth studio album Tangled Up. The tour was initially announced to reach arenas across the United Kingdom in November 2007. The shows commenced in Belfast on 3 May 2008 and...
, featured in a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
-inspired section alongside "Biology
Biology (song)
"Biology" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their third studio album Chemistry . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Composed of distinct sections, it avoids the...
" and "Love Machine
Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)
"Love Machine" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their second studio album What Will the Neighbours Say? . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania...
" while black-and-white video footage of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at night was shown on the video screens. For 2009's Out of Control Tour
Out of Control Tour
The Out of Control Tour is Girls Aloud's fourth arena-based concert tour and their fifth tour overall. The tour started on 24 April 2009 in Manchester's MEN Arena, with the final show on 6 June 2009 in Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena...
, the song was only included as part of a greatest hits medley.
Formats and track listings
UK CD1 (Fascination / 1762720)- "Can't Speak French" (Jeremy Wheatley Radio Edit) — 3:19
- "Hoxton Heroes" (Girls Aloud, Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Owen Parker) — 3:00
UK CD2 (Fascination / 1764167)
- "Can't Speak French" (Jeremy Wheatley Radio Edit) — 3:19
- "Je Ne Parle Pas Français" (translation by Jérôme Attal) — 3:41
- "Can't Speak French" (Tony Lamezma's Passions Remix) — 6:11
- "With Every Heartbeat" (Live LoungeLive LoungeThe Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
cover) (RobynRobynRobin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
, KleerupKleerupAndreas Kleerup, known professionally by his last name, is a Swedish record producer, drummer, and member of the Swedish group The Meat Boys, from Stockholm, Sweden. His first mainstream collaboration was as the producer of fellow Swedish artist Robyn's #1 UK single, "With Every Heartbeat", also...
) — 3:58 - "Can't Speak French" (video) — 3:19
iTunes Exclusive digital download
- "Can't Speak French" (Tony Lamezma Mix Radio Edit) — 4:00
- "Can't Speak French" (Jeremy Wheatley Radio Edit) — 3:19
The Singles Boxset (CD18)
- "Can't Speak French" (Jeremy Wheatley Radio Edit) — 3:19
- "Hoxton Heroes" — 3:00
- "Je Ne Parle Pas Français" — 3:41
- "Can't Speak French" (Tony Lamezma's Passions Remix) — 6:11
- "With Every Heartbeat" (Live Lounge cover) — 3:58
- "Can't Speak French" (Tony Lamezma Mix Radio Edit) — 4:00
- "Can't Speak French" (video) — 3:19
Credits and personnel
- Guitar: Nick Coler
- Keyboards: Miranda CooperMiranda CooperMiranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, Brian HigginsBrian Higgins (producer)Brian Thomas Higgins is a British music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud, through his Xenomania production group...
, Tim Powell, Nick Coler - Mastering: Dick Beetham for 360 Mastering
- Mixing: Jeremy Wheatley, Richard Edgeler (assistant)
- Production: Brian Higgins, XenomaniaXenomaniaXenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
, Jeremy Wheatley (additional) - Programming: Brio Taliaferro
- Songwriting: Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Jody Lei, Carla Marie Williams
- Vocals: Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
- Published by Warner/Chappell MusicWarner/Chappell MusicWarner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
and Xenomania Music
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (2008 2008 in British music This is a summary of the year 2008 in British music. 21 singles occupied the number one position during the year, with 11 being new. The average sale for a number one, for the whole of 2008 was 71,528, a vast improvement over 2007, when the average sale for a number one was 55,425... ) |
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