Viva Forever
Encyclopedia
"Viva Forever" is a song by the Spice Girls
from their second album, Spiceworld. Originally set to be released alongside the track “Never Give Up on the Good Times” the B-Side was then pulled as member Geri Halliwell
left the group. The song was released on July 20, 1998 in the United Kingdom and gained positive reviews from critics. The song also charted fairly well becoming the band’s eighth number one single gaining a Platinum certification whilst also topping the charts in New Zealand. The single failed to perform as well as previous singles due to the poor promotion after the departure of Halliwell.
An accompanying music video directed by Steve Box
was released featuring the five band members as animated fairies that interact with two friends in a forest, the video featured no physical appearances by the band because of Halliwell’s departure. The four remaining members performed the track on shows ‘’Top of the Pops
’’ and on the National Lottery
television show. An adapted duet version was performed with Pavarotti at his annual charity event Pavarotti and Friends. The song was also performed live as a five-piece on their return concert tour The Return of the Spice Girls
.
' famous "Bandwatch" section provided a close watch on the status of the single, and the first piece of news it gave was that one of the songs was to have a cartoon-based video. Originally, the single was going to be released on 11 May 1998. Soon after, it was pushed back, in this first case to 25 May. The release date was then pushed back to 8 June in late April, and at this point a promotional cassette for "Viva Forever" appeared on the internet with no sight of "Never Give Up on the Good Times". In early May the release date changed again to 29 June. A competition appeared in the Evening Mail (19 May 1998) saying the following:
On 27 May the Spice Girls were due to appear on the National Lottery
, and they were booked in to perform two songs on the show. Believed to be Viva Forever and Never Give Up On The Good Times. On that night, the Spice Girls performed "Viva Forever" and "Spice Up Your Life", without Geri
, the excuse being that she was ill. " Spice Up Your Life" was chosen to be performed because Geri Halliwell
had no solo parts, only singing the chorus with the other four girls. "Stop" was also scraped for the performed also due to Geri Halliwell
singing the opening lines. " You just walk in, I make you smile, It's cool but you don't even know me" The lines in the song where unable to be dished out between the four remaining girls because it wasn't a 'Live' performance. In early June, the single was confirmed to be "Viva Forever", with no explanation given for its missing partner on the double A-side front. Most believing that the single was dropped due to Halliwells' vocals in the opening lines to to the song. The single was to be released on 13 July, over two months after the original release date of 11 May. Even though posters were printed showcasing the 13 July release date, it was not long before the release dates started changing again. On the day of release, stores around the United Kingdom received a notice saying that the single was not going to be released on 13 July, and it would be released in a week or two. After the constant delays, the single was finally released on 20 July.
called it "a big ballad that is about as convincing as the Spices' Spanish accents". Yahoo! Music
compared the song with "Mama
", and add "a tear-jerking flamenco guitar and lush strings weave into this break-your-heart, 'I Will Always Love You' ballad with a touch of Madonna
about it [...] inspired".
's "Life" and Aerosmith
's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
", and stayed sixteen weeks in the charts. In Switzerland the single debuted on 9 August 1998 at number six, reaching a peak position of three two weeks later. It stayed thirteen weeks in the top ten, twenty-two weeks in total, and was eventually certified Gold
by the IFPI.
In Austria the single debuted at number fifteen, reaching a peak position of four for two weeks (their highest peak position since May 1997 when "Mama
" reached the top of the chart), staying ten weeks in the top ten and fifteen weeks in total. In New Zealand the song debuted at the top, staying at number-one for two weeks, and eleven weeks in total on the chart. In Australia, it debuted at number eight, peaking at number two for two weeks (held off by "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
"), spending twenty-one weeks on the chart, and receiving a Platinum certification by ARIA
.
The music video
, which featured stop motion
animation of the Spice Girls (including Halliwell), as fairies
, was directed by Oscar winner Steve Box
of Aardman Animations
. Box was the key animator on Aardman's film Chicken Run
, which also used stop motion animation. For the video, he created five, 12-inch-high Spice Girl tin puppets with wings who coax one of two astonished real-life teens into growing up, and took five months to make, considerably longer than it took to make Spiceworld: The Movie. It was screened for the first time in the United Kingdom on 22 June 1998. The video includes scenes of Geri
because it was commissioned months before her departure.
The video could be viewed as an interactive element on UK CD1, the first time this feature was available on a Spice Girls CD.
, but life-sized) that opens by itself which reveals a toy chicken. The two friends chase after the chicken until they see another case, which the toy chicken bounces on. It opens by itself, and five fairies, the Spice Girls, come out. While one of the boys runs away frightened, the other boy, presumably older, stays, and the fairies play with him, give him a kiss on the nose, whisper a secret, and other similar things. Then they fly the boy to another place in front of a huge Rubik's Cube
. The fairies dance on the cube, to the song, until the middle on the top opens. The boy, assisted by the fairies, climbs inside. Meanwhile the younger boy sees the fairies about to close the cube. By the time he gets to the cube, his friend is gone, the fairies disappear, and the cube becomes smaller (but still over-sized). He then walks in the woods by himself with the cube (which has shrunken to a normal size) until he sees a giant coin-vending machine which contains other cases. A blue light shines in front of him. He puts the now-solved Rubik's Cube inside a case, throws it in the coin-vending machine and walks away. It ends with the four out of the five fairies flying in the sky, following the boy.
. After Geri left during the North American leg, on the Back to Britain portion of the tour, Melanie C
sang "... Spice Girls
forever" rather than the original lyrics "... viva forever" near the end of the song. The song was also performed on the Christmas in Spiceworld tour. "Viva Forever" was the group last performance on television as a quintet
, on Top of the Pops
. It was also the first song they performed on television without Geri, on 27 May 1998 at the National Lottery
. The Spice Girls (4 girl line-up) performed this song in 1998 with Pavarotti
on the annually hosted Pavarotti and Friends (friends for the children of Liberia
) charity concerts. The Pavarotti version is featured on Pavarotti's album entitled Pavarotti and Friends. The song was re-imagined on the Return of the Spice Girls world tour in 2007. At the end of the song, Geri makes a platform exit off the stage, symbolizing her leaving the group. It is easily noticed because all spotlights go on her.
Published by Windswept Pacific Music Ltd/Polygram Music Publishing Ltd
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
from their second album, Spiceworld. Originally set to be released alongside the track “Never Give Up on the Good Times” the B-Side was then pulled as member Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
left the group. The song was released on July 20, 1998 in the United Kingdom and gained positive reviews from critics. The song also charted fairly well becoming the band’s eighth number one single gaining a Platinum certification whilst also topping the charts in New Zealand. The single failed to perform as well as previous singles due to the poor promotion after the departure of Halliwell.
An accompanying music video directed by Steve Box
Steve Box
Steve Box is an English animator and director who works for Aardman Animations.His early work in animation included the popular British claymation television series The Trap Door for Bristol-based animation studio CMTB Animation.Box joined Aardman Animations in 1990. He directed the video for the...
was released featuring the five band members as animated fairies that interact with two friends in a forest, the video featured no physical appearances by the band because of Halliwell’s departure. The four remaining members performed the track on shows ‘’Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
’’ and on the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
television show. An adapted duet version was performed with Pavarotti at his annual charity event Pavarotti and Friends. The song was also performed live as a five-piece on their return concert tour The Return of the Spice Girls
The Return of the Spice Girls
The Return of the Spice Girls was the second Europe-North America concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. This reunion tour visited five countries in both North America and Europe. This tour marked the group's first tour since 1999's Christmas in Spiceworld tour of the United Kingdom,...
.
Background and release
In late March, the single was finally revealed as "Never Give Up on the Good Times"/"Viva Forever". Smash HitsSmash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
"10 copies of the video to be won. Each prize winner will also receive a Spice GirlsSpice GirlsThe Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
T-Shirt and a copy of the new double A-side single Viva Forever/Never Give Up On The Good Times, released on 29 June."
On 27 May the Spice Girls were due to appear on the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
, and they were booked in to perform two songs on the show. Believed to be Viva Forever and Never Give Up On The Good Times. On that night, the Spice Girls performed "Viva Forever" and "Spice Up Your Life", without Geri
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
, the excuse being that she was ill. " Spice Up Your Life" was chosen to be performed because Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
had no solo parts, only singing the chorus with the other four girls. "Stop" was also scraped for the performed also due to Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
singing the opening lines. " You just walk in, I make you smile, It's cool but you don't even know me" The lines in the song where unable to be dished out between the four remaining girls because it wasn't a 'Live' performance. In early June, the single was confirmed to be "Viva Forever", with no explanation given for its missing partner on the double A-side front. Most believing that the single was dropped due to Halliwells' vocals in the opening lines to to the song. The single was to be released on 13 July, over two months after the original release date of 11 May. Even though posters were printed showcasing the 13 July release date, it was not long before the release dates started changing again. On the day of release, stores around the United Kingdom received a notice saying that the single was not going to be released on 13 July, and it would be released in a week or two. After the constant delays, the single was finally released on 20 July.
Critical reception
"Viva Forever" was well-received by music critics. Sputnikmusic called it "a genuinely great song" adding that it is "sincerely moving" and that "never would I have imagined the Spice Girls could pull off a song like this". Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called it "a big ballad that is about as convincing as the Spices' Spanish accents". 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...
compared the song with "Mama
Mama (Spice Girls song)
"Mama" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
", and add "a tear-jerking flamenco guitar and lush strings weave into this break-your-heart, 'I Will Always Love You' ballad with a touch of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
about it [...] inspired".
Chart performance
"Viva Forever" was poorly promoted, due to the four remaining girls touring in America. Its only real driving promotional force behind the release was the hype from Geri's departure. The song was released on 20 July 1998, selling 100,000 in the first three days and 277,000 copies in its first week. It stayed at number one for two weeks in the UK, spending nine weeks in the top 40, and thirteen weeks inside the top 75; it went on to be certified platinum. In Italy the single debuted at number three, reaching number two for five non-consecutive weeks, being blocked from the first position by Des'reeDes'ree
Des'ree is an English pop/soul singer who was popular during the 1990s. She is well known for her hits: "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and "Kissing You"...
's "Life" and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith for the 1998 film Armageddon. Written by Diane Warren, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song stayed at number one for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998...
", and stayed sixteen weeks in the charts. In Switzerland the single debuted on 9 August 1998 at number six, reaching a peak position of three two weeks later. It stayed thirteen weeks in the top ten, twenty-two weeks in total, and was eventually certified Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the IFPI.
In Austria the single debuted at number fifteen, reaching a peak position of four for two weeks (their highest peak position since May 1997 when "Mama
Mama (Spice Girls song)
"Mama" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
" reached the top of the chart), staying ten weeks in the top ten and fifteen weeks in total. In New Zealand the song debuted at the top, staying at number-one for two weeks, and eleven weeks in total on the chart. In Australia, it debuted at number eight, peaking at number two for two weeks (held off by "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith for the 1998 film Armageddon. Written by Diane Warren, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song stayed at number one for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998...
"), spending twenty-one weeks on the chart, and receiving a Platinum certification by ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
.
Background and release
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which featured stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation of the Spice Girls (including Halliwell), as fairies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, was directed by Oscar winner Steve Box
Steve Box
Steve Box is an English animator and director who works for Aardman Animations.His early work in animation included the popular British claymation television series The Trap Door for Bristol-based animation studio CMTB Animation.Box joined Aardman Animations in 1990. He directed the video for the...
of Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
. Box was the key animator on Aardman's film Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...
, which also used stop motion animation. For the video, he created five, 12-inch-high Spice Girl tin puppets with wings who coax one of two astonished real-life teens into growing up, and took five months to make, considerably longer than it took to make Spiceworld: The Movie. It was screened for the first time in the United Kingdom on 22 June 1998. The video includes scenes of Geri
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
because it was commissioned months before her departure.
The video could be viewed as an interactive element on UK CD1, the first time this feature was available on a Spice Girls CD.
Synopsis
The video starts off with a storybook about two boys who are assumed to be best friends, running around the woods when they encounter a case (similar to the case that is inside a Kinder SurpriseKinder Surprise
Kinder Surprise, also known as a Kinder Egg or, in the original Italian, Kinder Sorpresa, is a confection manufactured by Italian company Ferrero. Originally intended for children, it has the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, often requiring assembly.-Overview:Kinder Surprise...
, but life-sized) that opens by itself which reveals a toy chicken. The two friends chase after the chicken until they see another case, which the toy chicken bounces on. It opens by itself, and five fairies, the Spice Girls, come out. While one of the boys runs away frightened, the other boy, presumably older, stays, and the fairies play with him, give him a kiss on the nose, whisper a secret, and other similar things. Then they fly the boy to another place in front of a huge Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
. The fairies dance on the cube, to the song, until the middle on the top opens. The boy, assisted by the fairies, climbs inside. Meanwhile the younger boy sees the fairies about to close the cube. By the time he gets to the cube, his friend is gone, the fairies disappear, and the cube becomes smaller (but still over-sized). He then walks in the woods by himself with the cube (which has shrunken to a normal size) until he sees a giant coin-vending machine which contains other cases. A blue light shines in front of him. He puts the now-solved Rubik's Cube inside a case, throws it in the coin-vending machine and walks away. It ends with the four out of the five fairies flying in the sky, following the boy.
Live performances
The song was included on the set list of the Spiceworld TourSpiceworld Tour
The Spiceworld Tour was a concert tour performed by the British Europop group the Spice Girls in support of their second album Spiceworld which was the soundtrack to their feature film Spiceworld: The Movie. The sell-out European/North American tour ran from February to August 1998, after which it...
. After Geri left during the North American leg, on the Back to Britain portion of the tour, Melanie C
Melanie Chisholm
Melanie Jayne Chisholm is an English singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman professionally known simply as Melanie C . She is best known as one of the five members of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed "Sporty Spice"...
sang "... Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
forever" rather than the original lyrics "... viva forever" near the end of the song. The song was also performed on the Christmas in Spiceworld tour. "Viva Forever" was the group last performance on television as a quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
, on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. It was also the first song they performed on television without Geri, on 27 May 1998 at the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
. The Spice Girls (4 girl line-up) performed this song in 1998 with Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
on the annually hosted Pavarotti and Friends (friends for the children of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
) charity concerts. The Pavarotti version is featured on Pavarotti's album entitled Pavarotti and Friends. The song was re-imagined on the Return of the Spice Girls world tour in 2007. At the end of the song, Geri makes a platform exit off the stage, symbolizing her leaving the group. It is easily noticed because all spotlights go on her.
Formats and track listing
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Viva Forever":- UK CD1/Australian CD/Brazilian CD/Taiwanese CD1
- "Viva Forever" [radio edit] – 4:10
- "Viva Forever" [Tony Rich Remix] – 5:30
- "Viva Forever" [Tony Rich Instrumental] – 5:42
- "Viva Forever" [interactive element]
- UK CD2/UK Cassette/Malaysian CD/Taiwanese CD2
- "Viva Forever" [radio edit] – 4:10
- "Who Do You Think You Are" [live] – 4:22
- "Say You'll Be There" [live] – 4:25
- European CD
- "Viva Forever" [radio edit] – 4:10
- "Viva Forever" [Tony Rich Remix] – 5:30
- Japanese CD
- "Viva Forever" [radio edit] – 4:10
- "Viva Forever" [Tony Rich Remix] – 5:30
- "Who Do You Think You Are" [live] – 4:22
- "Say You'll Be There" [live] – 4:25
- French 12" promo vinyl single
- A1:"Viva Forever" [album version] – 5:09
- B1:"Viva Forever" [Groovy Mix - Tony Rich Remix] – 5:30
- UK 7" promo vinyl single
- A1:"Viva Forever" [radio edit] – 4:10
- B1:"Who Do You Think You Are" [live] – 4:22
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
: Spice Girls - ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
: Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe - Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Mark StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,... - Recording engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Adrian Bushby - Assistant: Paul Walton
- KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
: Matt Rowe - Additional programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
: Pete Davis - Additional engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Jake Davies - Acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
: John Themis - String arrangement: Anne DudleyAnne DudleyAnne Dudley is an English composer and pop musician, and was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in both the classical and pop genres. She is perhaps best known, however, as one of the core members of the synthpop band Art of Noise and also as a film...
Published by Windswept Pacific Music Ltd/Polygram Music Publishing Ltd
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 4 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 7 |
| French Singles Chart | 18 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
Certification
| Country | Provider | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| France | SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Silver |
| Germany | IFPI | Gold |
| Sweden | IFPI | Gold |
| Switzerland | IFPI | Gold |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |