Arms Around the World

"Arms Around the World"
Single by Louise
from the album Woman in Me
B-side	"Don't Be Shy" "Intimate"
Released	22 September 1997 (1997-09-22)
Genre	Dance [1]
Length	4:08
Label	EMI 1st Avenue
Songwriter(s)	George Noel Louise Nurding Trevor Steel John Holliday
Producer(s)	Trevor Steel John Holliday
Louise singles chronology
"One Kiss from Heaven" (1996) "Arms Around the World" (1997) "Let's Go Round Again" (1997)
Music video
"Arms Around the World" on YouTube

"Arms Around the World" is a song by English singer Louise, released on 22 September 1997 as the lead single from her second studio album, Woman in Me (1997). It appeared on several music charts, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart in September 1997. As reported by the Official Charts Company in January 2020, "Arms Around the World" has sold 159,000 copies in the UK. The video was directed by Toby Tremlett. ^[2]

Critical reception

Jon O'Brien from AllMusic viewed "Arms Around the World" as a Janet Jackson-inspired track, adding that it sounds like her 1995 song "Runaway". ^[3] British magazine Music Week rated it three out of five, writing further that "Louise attempts to do a Kylie with a more complex and mature sound, but her efforts are let down by an unsubstantial song lacking any real sparkle." ^[4] Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times described the song as a "anthemic" dance song. ^[1]

Track listings

• UK CD1 and Japanese CD single ^{[5] [6]}

1. "Arms Around the World" (radio mix)
2. "Arms Around the World" (Rated PG club mix)
3. "Arms Around the World" (T-Empo club mix)
4. "Arms Around the World" (Farley & Heller Fire Island vocal mix)

• UK CD2 ^[7]

1. "Arms Around the World" (radio mix)
2. "Don't Be Shy"
3. "Intimate"

• UK cassette single ^[8]

1. "Arms Around the World" (radio mix)
2. "Don't Be Shy"
3. "Arms Around the World" (T-Empo club mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Woman in Me album booklet. ^[9]

Studio

• Mixed at Sarm Hook End (Reading, Berkshire)

Personnel

• Oliver Smallman – writing (as George)
• Denis Ingoldsby – writing (as Noel)
• Louise Nurding – writing
• Trevor Steel – writing, production
• John Holliday – writing, production
• Maxx – mixing
• Richard Lowe – mix engineering
• Niven Garland – engineering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1998) Peak position Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [10] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [11] 32 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] 95 Scotland (OCC) [13] 9 UK Singles (OCC) [14] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position UK Singles (OCC) [15] [16] 95

Sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom	—	159,000 [17]

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	22 September 1997	CD cassette	EMI 1st Avenue	[18]
Japan	29 October 1997	CD	EMI Japan	[19]

References

1. Martinez, Gerald (15 March 1998). "Late Bloomer Delivers". New Sunday Times . p. 13. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
2. "In Walked Louise". inwalkedlouise.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
3. O'Brien, Jon. "Louise — Changing Faces: Best of Louise". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 October 2021.
4. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 13 September 1997. p. 14. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
5. Arms Around the World (UK CD1 liner notes). EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. CDEMS490, 7243 8 84729 2 0.
6. Arms Around the World (Japanese CD single liner notes). EMI Music Japan. 1997. TOCP-40066.
7. Arms Around the World (UK CD2 liner notes). EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. CDEM490, 7243 8 84728 2 1.
8. Arms Around the World (UK cassette single sleeve). EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. TCEM490, 7243 8 84728 4 5.
9. Woman in Me (UK CD album booklet). EMI United Kingdom, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. 7243 8 21903 2 5.
10. "Louise – Arms Around the World" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 14, no. 41. 11 October 1997. p. 12. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
12. "Louise – Arms Around the World" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
15. "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
16. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1997" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
17. Copsey, Rob (17 January 2020). "Louise Redknapp's biggest singles on the Official UK Chart revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
18. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 20 September 1997. p. 47. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
19. "アームズ・アラウンド・ザ・ワールド | ルイーズ" [Arms Around the World | Louise] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 21 January 2024.