.gif)
Warwick Avenue (song)
Encyclopedia
"Warwick Avenue" is the third single (second in North America) from the album Rockferry
by Duffy
. The title refers to Warwick Avenue tube station
in London. It was written by Jimmy Hogarth
, Eg White, and Duffy and produced by Hogarth. It was released in May 2008, but had already charted by March and April due to download sales
. It peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart
due to strong download and physical sales and has sold 249,165 copies in the UK to date. It is expected to be Duffy's next international release, following her hit single Mercy
. The B-side to the 7" single is "Loving You", and was written by Duffy, Richard J. Parfitt of the 60ft Dolls and Owen Powell of Catatonia
.
This song was number forty-one on Rolling Stone
An official remix exists featuring a verse by rapper Wale
.
The song has been used as background music to several British soap operas. Most recently, it was used at the end of an episode of Hollyoaks
which aired on 10 October 2008.
Duffy performed the song at the 2009 BRIT Awards
, where she won the awards for Breakthrough Artist, MasterCard
British Album, and Best British Female, the most awards for a female artist in one night.
It was used in the 11 March 2009 episode of Waterloo Road
.
It appears in the Activision game Band Hero
.
The song was performed by Jenny Douglas on Over the Rainbow
.
called it "cooler than a polar bear's freezer", "probably the finest cut from her debut LP", and "a classy affair", whilst also awarding the song four stars out of five.
for "Warwick Avenue" premiered on 23 April 2008, on Channel 4
and was directed by Daniel Wolfe. The video is almost entirely composed of a single shot; it starts with Duffy leaving Warwick Avenue Tube Station
in the back of a black taxi
, crying as she is singing the song. The video finishes with Duffy still in the car, wiping her tears, which had ruined her make-up. This was originally only to be one scene from the video but the director felt that the 'black taxi scene' was so real he continued to film it as the whole music video.
The video was later nominated for a MTV Video Music Award in 2008
in the Best UK Video category, but lost to "Shut Up and Let Me Go
" by the Ting Tings
.
UK 7" vinyl single
Australian Digital Download single
German Maxi Single
iTunes B-side Single
at number eighty-three, more than two months before its release (because of digital downloads from Duffy's Rockferry release). It then began a gradual chart climb, before peaking at number three, and spending six weeks in the top ten. During its first chart run it managed to spend a very successful number thirty-two weeks on the chart, last seen at number ninety-eight. Due to her ongoing success and the popularity of the song, "Warwick Avenue" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number seventy-five, before rising to number seventy-four and falling to number eighty-seven the following week. This brought its total chart run in the United Kingdom to 35 weeks. On 28 December 2008, the UK Singles Chart landed this at number thirty-one for the year-end chart.
Rockferry
Rockferry is the debut studio album by Welsh blue-eyed soul singer Duffy, released on 3 March 2008 in the United Kingdom by A&M Records. It was released in the United States by Mercury Records. Duffy worked with several producers and writers on the album, including Bernard Butler, Steve Booker,...
by Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
. The title refers to Warwick Avenue tube station
Warwick Avenue tube station
Warwick Avenue tube station is a London Underground station near Little Venice in inner north-west London. The station is on the Bakerloo Line, between Paddington and Maida Vale stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2....
in London. It was written by Jimmy Hogarth
Jimmy Hogarth
Jimmy Hogarth is a London-based producer and songwriter, whose production and writing credits include Amy Winehouse, Sia, Paolo Nutini, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Estelle, Tina Turner, KT Tunstall, James Blunt and James Morrison....
, Eg White, and Duffy and produced by Hogarth. It was released in May 2008, but had already charted by March and April due to download sales
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...
. It peaked at number three 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 ...
due to strong download and physical sales and has sold 249,165 copies in the UK to date. It is expected to be Duffy's next international release, following her hit single Mercy
Mercy (song)
"Mercy" is a soul song performed by Welsh blue-eyed soul singer Duffy, released as the second single from her debut album, Rockferry . Co-written by Duffy and Steve Booker and produced by Booker, it was released over 2008 worldwide to critical acclaim and unprecedented chart success...
. The B-side to the 7" single is "Loving You", and was written by Duffy, Richard J. Parfitt of the 60ft Dolls and Owen Powell of Catatonia
Catatonia
Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
.
This song was number forty-one on Rolling Stone
Rolling 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...
An official remix exists featuring a verse by rapper Wale
Wale (rapper)
Wale Victor Folarin , better known by his stage name Wale , is an American rapper from Washington, D.C. Wale was born to Nigerian parents. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the...
.
Single promotion, performances and cultural use
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
which aired on 10 October 2008.
Duffy performed the song at the 2009 BRIT Awards
2009 BRIT Awards
The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm...
, where she won the awards for Breakthrough Artist, MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
British Album, and Best British Female, the most awards for a female artist in one night.
It was used in the 11 March 2009 episode of Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road (TV series)
Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...
.
It appears in the Activision game Band Hero
Band Hero
Band Hero is a spinoff video game as part of the Guitar Hero series of music video games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles...
.
The song was performed by Jenny Douglas on Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
.
Music details
The song is played in the key of Bb Major at a tempo of 84bpm. The vocal range is G3-D5.Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from critics. Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
called it "cooler than a polar bear's freezer", "probably the finest cut from her debut LP", and "a classy affair", whilst also awarding the song four stars out of five.
Awards and recognition
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2008 MTV Video Music Awards 2008 MTV Video Music Awards The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at... |
Best UK Music Video | Nominated |
| Rolling Stone Rolling 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... |
Best Songs of 2008 | 41st |
Music video
The music videoMusic 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...
for "Warwick Avenue" premiered on 23 April 2008, 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...
and was directed by Daniel Wolfe. The video is almost entirely composed of a single shot; it starts with Duffy leaving Warwick Avenue Tube Station
Warwick Avenue tube station
Warwick Avenue tube station is a London Underground station near Little Venice in inner north-west London. The station is on the Bakerloo Line, between Paddington and Maida Vale stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2....
in the back of a black taxi
Hackney carriage
A hackney or hackney carriage is a carriage or automobile for hire...
, crying as she is singing the song. The video finishes with Duffy still in the car, wiping her tears, which had ruined her make-up. This was originally only to be one scene from the video but the director felt that the 'black taxi scene' was so real he continued to film it as the whole music video.
The video was later nominated for a MTV Video Music Award in 2008
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
in the Best UK Video category, but lost to "Shut Up and Let Me Go
Shut Up and Let Me Go
"Shut Up and Let Me Go" is the fourth single by English duo The Ting Tings from their debut studio album We Started Nothing. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 21 July 2008, and was the follow-up to the number one hit single "That's Not My Name"...
" by the Ting Tings
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English music duo comprising Jules de Martino and Katie White . They formed in December 2007 while based at Islington Mill Studios in Salford...
.
Formats and track listings
UK CD single- "Warwick Avenue"
- "Put It In Perspective"
UK 7" vinyl single
- "Warwick Avenue"
- "Loving You"(Richard J. Parfitt, Owen Powell)
Australian Digital Download single
- "Warwick Avenue"
- "Put It In Perspective"
- "Loving You"
German Maxi Single
- "Warwick Avenue"
- "Put It In Perspective"
- "Loving You"
- "Warwick Avenue Video"
iTunes B-side Single
- "Put It In Perspective"
- "Loving You"
UK Charts
"Warwick Avenue" entered 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 ...
at number eighty-three, more than two months before its release (because of digital downloads from Duffy's Rockferry release). It then began a gradual chart climb, before peaking at number three, and spending six weeks in the top ten. During its first chart run it managed to spend a very successful number thirty-two weeks on the chart, last seen at number ninety-eight. Due to her ongoing success and the popularity of the song, "Warwick Avenue" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number seventy-five, before rising to number seventy-four and falling to number eighty-seven the following week. This brought its total chart run in the United Kingdom to 35 weeks. On 28 December 2008, the UK Singles Chart landed this at number thirty-one for the year-end chart.
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 17 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 14 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 25 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 9 |
| European Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
5 |
| Euro Digital Tracks | 5 |
| Euro Digital Songs | 7 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 19 |
| French Singles Chart | 14 |
| German Singles Chart | 12 |
| 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... |
11 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
28 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 15 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 15 |
| Romanian Top 100 Romanian Top 100 The Romanian Top 100 is the national airplay-based singles chart of Romania. It is weekly and it started running in 1996. It is recognized as an official chart by the European division of Billboard, Music & Media.... |
82 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
16 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 12 |
| 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 ... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
96 |
Year-end charts
| Country (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 69 |
| 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 ... |
31 |
Certifications
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26 May 2008 |
| Europe | 4 July 2008 |
| United States | 5 August 2008 |
| Australia | 1 September 2008 (digital) |
| France | 12 September 2008 |