"On the Metro" | |
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Song by Girls Aloud | |
from the album Ten | |
Released | 26 November 2012 |
Recorded | May 2012 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:15 |
Label | Polydor |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
"On the Metro" is a song by British-Irish pop group Girls Aloud, recorded and taken from their second greatest hits compilation Ten (2012). The song was written by Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts, along with its producers Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, Shave and Dan Stein, otherwise known by The Invisible Men and DJ Fresh.
The song is a dance-pop song, which is influenced by progressive house music and J-pop. Many contemporary music critics acclaimed the song, with many feeling that the production was still up to date and felt that it was one of the best electropop-recorded songs ever. Many critics also deemed it one of the best songs on the album, with many fans believing it would have been more fitting as the album's second/final single rather than "Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me".
The group's second compilation album, Ten , was the first record to be released by the group since their hiatus in 2008. Before then, the group signed a 3-album deal with Fascination Records in February 2009. The group were required to record new material in 2010, but this failed to go forth.
The song was written by Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts, along with Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, Shave and Dan Stein, while production was handled by The Invisible Men and DJ Fresh. Along with the song "Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me", with the inclusion of both tracks makes Ten the first album since their debut, Sound of the Underground, not to be produced exclusively by Xenomania. After its release with Ten, fellow member Kimberley Walsh tweeted her praise for Roberts for writing the song, stating "So happy you all like #OnTheMetro !!! Our very own @nicolaroberts is a very talented songwriter #proud". [1] Musically wise, the song was described as a "J-Pop with trance synths and sub-bass in their typically OTT manner [...]" [2] Andy Kellman from Allmusic felt the musical composition was "sleek and speedy". [3]
"On the Metro" received critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. With the headline describing the song as "Unparalleled Amazingness", Bradley Stern from MuuMuse gave it a positive remark describing the song as "better electro-pop perfection" and said "“On The Metro” is a 100% flaw-free dance-pop tune. It plays like a cross between the ferocity of “Memory of You” and Mini Viva's “Left My Heart In Tokyo.” [4] A reviewer from The Reflective Inklings awarded the song five-out-of-five stars, stating "On The Metro [...] will instantly wow the listener with the song’s smart electropop gloss doing what it is supposed to do. The chorus packs a whole lot of conviction and is one of the song’s strongest suits." [5] Ian Wade from BBC Music described the song as an "raving-through-the-tears amazingness." [6]
Robert Corpsey of Digital Spy believed that along with "Every Now and Then", the song would prove "the prospect of a new Girls Aloud album in 2013 would be a very exciting one indeed." He also highlighted the song as an album standout. [7] A reviewer from So So Gay believed that "On the Metro" and "Every Now and Then" are far more standard Girls Aloud fare. [8]
In 2013, the song was performed by Girls Aloud on the Ten: The Hits Tour. [9] The song is also included in the setlist for their 2024 tour The Girls Aloud Show. [10]
Girls Aloud are a British pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. In 2012, the group was named as the United Kingdom's biggest selling girl group of the 21st century so far, with over 4.3 million singles sales and 4 million albums sold in the UK alone. During their two decades together, the group achieved a string of twenty top ten singles on the UK Singles Chart, including four number ones. They also achieved seven certified albums, two of which debut at number one. They have been nominated for five Brit Awards, winning the 2009 Best Single for "The Promise".
Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle is an Irish singer. In 2002, she was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
Nicola Maria Roberts is an English singer and songwriter. In 2002, Roberts was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
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Tangled Up is the fourth studio album by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud. It was released through Fascination Records and Polydor Records on 16 November 2007, and was distributed in two physical formats and made available for digital consumption. The album is a pop record that incorporates elements of dance-pop, synthpop, and various EDM sub-genres produced by long time-collaborators Brian Higgins and production team Xenomania. Marking a more mature approach according to group member Cheryl, the album lyrically delves into themes of love, relationships and femininity, and it was the group's first experimentation with tools such as autotune and vocoder. Production and development began with each member meeting with Higgins to discuss their personal and professional experiences since the release of their third album Chemistry (2005). It was recorded separately from April to October 2007, with the band members earning songwriting credits for two tracks off the album.
The Saturdays are an English-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and has been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa White. They were formed through Fascination Records, a sub-division of Polydor Records, which gave them an instant record deal with the label. As soon as the contract was finalized, the Saturdays went on tour with Girls Aloud during their Tangled Up Tour. The group's music style is pop, but throughout their career, their management has experimented with dance-pop and electropop. Songwriters and producers Ina Wroldsen, Steve Mac, Camille Purcell, and Quiz & Larossi have helped create their music. In July 2008, The Saturdays released their debut single and first Top Ten hit, "If This Is Love". Their debut album, Chasing Lights, released the same year, charted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart; it was certified platinum by the BPI and produced three more top ten singles: "Up", "Issues", and "Just Can't Get Enough". "Work" was also released from the album. The group's first concert tour, The Work Tour, took place in 2009. The group's second album, Wordshaker, produced the Top Ten hits "Forever Is Over" and "Ego". In 2010, the Saturdays released a mini album, Headlines!, which contained the top 10 hits "Missing You" and "Higher", the latter of which featured guest vocals from Flo Rida. The mini-album was supported by the group's second concert tour, The Headlines Tour. Their third album, On Your Radar, was released in 2011 and resulted in two top 10 singles: "Notorious" and "All Fired Up".
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The discography of British singer Nicola Roberts consists of one studio album, three singles, and three music videos.
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