Lucky Day (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lucky Day" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts
. It was released on September 18, 2011 under label Polydor Records
as the second single from Roberts debut album Cinderella's Eyes
. The song was written by Roberts and was produced by Canadian electropop group Dragonette
. "Lucky Day" is an upbeat pop song featuring synths; and lyrically the song talks of a boy not succumbing to advances—but doing so eventually—although Roberts stated the concept relates to all aspects of life and luckiness. Roberts' vocals have been compared to that of Liza Minelli and the track has been compared to the music of David Guetta
and the Katy Perry
track "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
".
Critically the song was well received with responses noting the success of the Dragonette
-production, in addition to reviewers calling it a good follow-up single to her debut in addition to reviewers commenting on the successful pop themes and potential of the track. Commercially the track debuted at number 40 in both the UK Singles Chart
and the Scottish Singles Chart. A music video directed by Stephen Agnes was released; the video was recorded in the East Village
of New York City
and presented Roberts walking down various streets in the city with special effects added to her movements. During the shoot, weather conditions made it uncomfortable for filming, although this was not reflected in critical opinion. The dress she wore in the video gained mixed responses from critics due to its short length, and the simplicity of the video also garnered mixed responses.
", it was confirmed that "Lucky Day" would be released as the second single from Roberts debut album, Cinderella's Eyes
, with a release date of September 18, 2011. Roberts unveiled the track as the second single on her official website declaring "it's very different to Beat Of My Drum" because it was important to show multiple sides to the Cinderella's Eyes
album. Roberts chose the track as the second single in an effort to "show that the album is quite diverse", and although the release came after the summer period she found it to be a "summer track", and found that the reaction from her label, the media and her fans had been positive.
, with Martina Sorbara
. Roberts stated that Dragonette were among the first people who worked on the record. Roberts discussed the 1940s influence on the record, noting "When I wrote 'Lucky Day' I had short hair and was really into '40s fashion. All of the 'woah woah woah woah' and the 'ah ha' really is a reflection of that." She stated that when it came to the production of the track she wanted to produce a "more downbeat dance record" noting it was what she was into at that point". The track was written in February 2010, and when asked about working with Dragonette on the track, Roberts responded saying; "I was with them for quite a while writing, and they were the first people that I went in with when I started making the record. I learnt a lot from them. They're really lovely people, they work really hard, they're so talented."
" and has also gathered comparisons to music by David Guetta
for its dance themes. In the introduction Roberts sings "Could it be my lucky day?"; the track continues with "Just light the first spark, and watch the fireworks explode. Boom, Boom, Baby", in what has been described as a "60s-swing-meets-East-London vibe". Roberts' voice has been described as a "springy" vibrato, with breathy background vocals featuring sounds effect including repeated kissing noises. Lyrically Roberts sings about falling in love with someone, as she sings: "Aah, say that you love me, say that you need me too... best you ever had. It could be so easy, for you to please me, baby. So how come you tease me?". Roberts discussed the track on her official blog, saying "The song is about a boy not playing along but in the end you win him over and it's your lucky day. You can take it however you want though, maybe you won on the scratch cards and so you had a lucky day, that kind of thing". Roberts described it as a "romantic reference" with a "down-beat track underneath", and in contrast called the top-line of the track "quite cute and girly". A remix of the song was producer by band White Lies
, and debuted on The Guardian
. The nineties-themed concept incorporates house music
, with "chunky" beats and "twinkly" synths to the original instrumental of the song.
responded positively: "It must be hard being Nicola Roberts. Imagine living your life knowing that at any point you might be CRUSHED BY THE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN AMAZINGNESS", noting that the band Dragonette
was a large part behind the success of the track. Dan Lambden from the online magazine So So Gay found the song to be a "perfect medium between classic pop lyrics" and "a pulsating dance beat", and positively commented on the riffs within the track stating they would "satisfy the most Hoxton of hipsters". Emily Mackay from NME
declared "I'd be a bit freaked out by a phonecall like that" in response to the lyrics "I’d like a phone call/I’d like to hear something like this—WAHWAHWAHWAH". Mackay called the track "classy" and concluded her review saying "the sugar-spun electropop goes down smooth." Despite listing "Lucky Day" as one of the singles of the week, Alex Macpherson of Metro gave a predominantly negative review noting "She’s lionised by a cult fan base, but wider appeal remains elusive" and further explaining that "her voice is simultaneously too weak and shrill to carry".
, on the East Village
. During the production of the music video, they weren't allowed to play music on the streets and so Roberts had to wear an ear piece with the track playing, of which she stated people were staring at as she was jumping around on the set with no music playing so people did not understand what she was doing. Roberts expressed her discomfort with the shoot due to the weather saying;
trainers, with neon moving sperm-shaped graffiti moving to to the beat of the track. OK!
magazine responded well whilst noting her unusually short dress in the video, they said "we can't help but feel upbeat and summery when watching the star bounce about for single Lucky Day." Aaron Spencer-Charles of Metro gave a mixed review, whilst describing the video, he ended with "and that's it really. Nicola strolls along with a few colourful effects to keep things interesting. Maybe adding a male model would have made things a bit livelier." Popjustice
commented on Nicola's seemingly lack of confidence in the video, stating Nicola, you light up our world like nobody else. But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell, you don't know you're beautiful. Her short-dress in the video sparked criticism from some critics, something to which Roberts responded saying "I'm not safe with fashion, and I haven't been for a long time. I liked it, and everybody on the team liked it on the day. It was 120 degrees, so anything longer, I'd have died."
.
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...
. It was released on September 18, 2011 under label Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
as the second single from Roberts debut album Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
. The song was written by Roberts and was produced by Canadian electropop group Dragonette
Dragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
. "Lucky Day" is an upbeat pop song featuring synths; and lyrically the song talks of a boy not succumbing to advances—but doing so eventually—although Roberts stated the concept relates to all aspects of life and luckiness. Roberts' vocals have been compared to that of Liza Minelli and the track has been compared to the music of David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
and the Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
track "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
"Last Friday Night " is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was produced by Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night...
".
Critically the song was well received with responses noting the success of the Dragonette
Dragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
-production, in addition to reviewers calling it a good follow-up single to her debut in addition to reviewers commenting on the successful pop themes and potential of the track. Commercially the track debuted at number 40 in both 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 ...
and the Scottish Singles Chart. A music video directed by Stephen Agnes was released; the video was recorded in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and presented Roberts walking down various streets in the city with special effects added to her movements. During the shoot, weather conditions made it uncomfortable for filming, although this was not reflected in critical opinion. The dress she wore in the video gained mixed responses from critics due to its short length, and the simplicity of the video also garnered mixed responses.
Background
Released after the moderate commercial success of "Beat of My DrumBeat of My Drum
"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion,...
", it was confirmed that "Lucky Day" would be released as the second single from Roberts debut album, Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
, with a release date of September 18, 2011. Roberts unveiled the track as the second single on her official website declaring "it's very different to Beat Of My Drum" because it was important to show multiple sides to the Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
album. Roberts chose the track as the second single in an effort to "show that the album is quite diverse", and although the release came after the summer period she found it to be a "summer track", and found that the reaction from her label, the media and her fans had been positive.
Writing and development
The song was co-produced by Canadian electro-pop band DragonetteDragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
, with Martina Sorbara
Martina Sorbara
Martina Sorbara is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of Greg Sorbara, who is a Member of Provincial Parliament, formerly the Minister of Finance in Ontario....
. Roberts stated that Dragonette were among the first people who worked on the record. Roberts discussed the 1940s influence on the record, noting "When I wrote 'Lucky Day' I had short hair and was really into '40s fashion. All of the 'woah woah woah woah' and the 'ah ha' really is a reflection of that." She stated that when it came to the production of the track she wanted to produce a "more downbeat dance record" noting it was what she was into at that point". The track was written in February 2010, and when asked about working with Dragonette on the track, Roberts responded saying; "I was with them for quite a while writing, and they were the first people that I went in with when I started making the record. I learnt a lot from them. They're really lovely people, they work really hard, they're so talented."
Music and lyrics
"Lucky Day" is a pop song featuring an upbeat rhythm and synths. The song has gathered comparisons to the Katy Perry song, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
"Last Friday Night " is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was produced by Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night...
" and has also gathered comparisons to music by David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
for its dance themes. In the introduction Roberts sings "Could it be my lucky day?"; the track continues with "Just light the first spark, and watch the fireworks explode. Boom, Boom, Baby", in what has been described as a "60s-swing-meets-East-London vibe". Roberts' voice has been described as a "springy" vibrato, with breathy background vocals featuring sounds effect including repeated kissing noises. Lyrically Roberts sings about falling in love with someone, as she sings: "Aah, say that you love me, say that you need me too... best you ever had. It could be so easy, for you to please me, baby. So how come you tease me?". Roberts discussed the track on her official blog, saying "The song is about a boy not playing along but in the end you win him over and it's your lucky day. You can take it however you want though, maybe you won on the scratch cards and so you had a lucky day, that kind of thing". Roberts described it as a "romantic reference" with a "down-beat track underneath", and in contrast called the top-line of the track "quite cute and girly". A remix of the song was producer by band White Lies
White lies
White lies or Kind Lies are benign or trivial lies.One example of a white lie would be when a person falsely affirms that they consider their friend beautiful or intelligent so as to reinforce their friend's self-esteem...
, and debuted on The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. The nineties-themed concept incorporates house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, with "chunky" beats and "twinkly" synths to the original instrumental of the song.
Critical reception
Whilst reviewing the song, PopjusticePopjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
responded positively: "It must be hard being Nicola Roberts. Imagine living your life knowing that at any point you might be CRUSHED BY THE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN AMAZINGNESS", noting that the band Dragonette
Dragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
was a large part behind the success of the track. Dan Lambden from the online magazine So So Gay found the song to be a "perfect medium between classic pop lyrics" and "a pulsating dance beat", and positively commented on the riffs within the track stating they would "satisfy the most Hoxton of hipsters". Emily Mackay from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
declared "I'd be a bit freaked out by a phonecall like that" in response to the lyrics "I’d like a phone call/I’d like to hear something like this—WAHWAHWAHWAH". Mackay called the track "classy" and concluded her review saying "the sugar-spun electropop goes down smooth." Despite listing "Lucky Day" as one of the singles of the week, Alex Macpherson of Metro gave a predominantly negative review noting "She’s lionised by a cult fan base, but wider appeal remains elusive" and further explaining that "her voice is simultaneously too weak and shrill to carry".
Background
The music video for "Lucky Day" was directed by Stephen Agnes, it was filmed in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on the East Village
East Village
-Places:Canada*Downtown East Village, Calgary, Alberta*East Village, Nova ScotiaUnited Kingdom*East Village, Devon*East Village, LiverpoolUnited States*East Village, Des Moines, Iowa, a historical neighborhood in Des Moines...
. During the production of the music video, they weren't allowed to play music on the streets and so Roberts had to wear an ear piece with the track playing, of which she stated people were staring at as she was jumping around on the set with no music playing so people did not understand what she was doing. Roberts expressed her discomfort with the shoot due to the weather saying;
The video was really relaxed... it was so hot. I was literally dripping! Not nice! In between takes I had about 5 fans on me, one up the front of my dress, one up the back of my dress. I was wearing trainers again—I learnt from the day before that I needed to bandage my feet up so they couldn't expand anymore! We couldn't play music on the street so I was wearing an ear piece with my track playing. Loads of people were stopping and looking at me like I'd lost it, jumping up and down to what they thought was no music playing! Gotta do what you gotta do! Everyone worked so hard in getting the video together considering the conditions, I was really grateful!
Synopsis
The video starts with a coin dropped onto ground after which a title card reading Roberts name and the track title is shown. With the title changing color the video shows Roberts walking and skipping down a New York City street wearing a floral t-shirt dress. Effects are placed on Roberts shadow her movement with neon colors and throughout becomes increasingly prominent, and during the second verse Roberts performs a short dance movement with two back-up dancers before she walks past a wall with sperm graffitied on it, which also changes to multiple neon colors. As the video progresses Roberts interacts with buildings and objects, such as New York style newspaper dispensers and following this her entire body has effects placed upon it as she changes color and shades and the last frames of the video show more of the same effects and finally shows a frame of a New York street with Roberts walking out of the frame before the camera moves upwards to show a purple sky.Release and reception
A promotional teaser was released before the full release of the video, it saw Roberts walking on the New York City pavements, with a pair of backing dancers gaining looks from men. It also showed a neon-style aspect of the video, where Roberts wore Nike Air MaxNike Air Max
Nike Air Max is a line of shoes first released by Nike, Inc. in 1987. Since its introduction, Nike has frequently introduced new and updated models in the same product line.-Overview:...
trainers, with neon moving sperm-shaped graffiti moving to to the beat of the track. OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
magazine responded well whilst noting her unusually short dress in the video, they said "we can't help but feel upbeat and summery when watching the star bounce about for single Lucky Day." Aaron Spencer-Charles of Metro gave a mixed review, whilst describing the video, he ended with "and that's it really. Nicola strolls along with a few colourful effects to keep things interesting. Maybe adding a male model would have made things a bit livelier." Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
commented on Nicola's seemingly lack of confidence in the video, stating Nicola, you light up our world like nobody else. But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell, you don't know you're beautiful. Her short-dress in the video sparked criticism from some critics, something to which Roberts responded saying "I'm not safe with fashion, and I haven't been for a long time. I liked it, and everybody on the team liked it on the day. It was 120 degrees, so anything longer, I'd have died."
Formats and track-listings
-
- CD single
- "Lucky Day" – 3:20
-
- 7" vinyl
- "Lucky Day" – 3:20
- "Lucky Day" (Ed Wilder Remix) – 4:00
-
- Maxi single
- "Lucky Day" – 3:20
- "Fix Me" (Roberts, Tikovoi) – 3:07
- "Lucky Day" (Digital Dog Electro Club Mix) – 6:13
- "Lucky Day" (RAW Club Mix) – 6:42
-
- Digital download
- "Lucky Day" – 3:23
- "Lucky Day" (Karaoke Version) – 3:20
- "Lucky Day" (Digital Dog Electro Radio Mix) – 3:11
- "Fix Me" – 3:07
- "Cinderella's Eyes Mini Mix" (iTunesITunesiTunes 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....
store pre-order bonus track) – 4:18
-
- Digital mashup single
- "Lucky Day" (Thriller Jill's 'Rhythm Is a DancerRhythm Is a Dancer"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by the act Snap!, released as a single in the second quarter of 1992, from the album The Madman's Return...
' Mashup) – 3:11 - "Lucky Day" (Thriller Jill's 'Rhythm Is a Dancer' Extended Maship) – 5:33
Charts
On the issue date of October 1, 2011 the single debuted at number 40 on both the Scottish Singles chart and 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 ...
.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (The Official Charts Company) | 40 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 40 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 16 September 2011 | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
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... |
| United Kingdom | 18 September 2011 | ||
| 19 September 2011 | CD Single, 7" Vinyl | ||