When You Wasn't Famous

Last updated
"When You Wasn't Famous"
The-streets-when-you-wasn't-famous.jpg
Single by The Streets
from the album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
Released30 March 2006 (2006-03-30)
Genre Hip hop
Length3:18
Label 679
Songwriter(s) Mike Skinner
Producer(s) Mike Skinner
The Streets singles chronology
"Could Well Be In"
(2004)
"When You Wasn't Famous"
(2006)
"Never Went to Church"
(2006)

"When You Wasn't Famous" is a single by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project The Streets. It is the first single from their third studio album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living . Released on 30 March 2006, it went straight to number 8 in the UK and number 26 in Ireland. The song's chorus is about how Skinner finds it easier to have sexual relations with non-famous women now that he's famous, but how things are just like they used to be when attempts to sleep with a similarly famous woman.

The song's verses recount Skinner's unsuccessful attempt to seduce a female pop star. The lyrics are purportedly autobiographical, but Skinner has never confirmed the identity of the pop star (who at one point is described "smok[ing] crack") in question. He has, however, categorically denied rumours that it is Cheryl Cole [1] or Rachel Stevens. [2] The song contains the lyric "Considering the amount of prang you've done, you looked amazing on CD:UK" and a reference to MTV's children's appeal. [3]

The reference to the television show CD:UK in the song is quite notable because the show was axed just two days after "When You Wasn't Famous"' was released.

The video features Mike Skinner as a patient at a celebrity detox clinic, trying to avoid exposure by the paparazzi. An alternative video was made featuring a remix of the song by Professor Green. The original video was released on the DVD for the 2007 Brit Awards whilst the Professor Green remixed version was included on the DVD single for the following release Never Went to Church.

The B-side of the 7" was a cover of the track by Bromheads Jacket.

Charts

Chart performance for "When You Wasn't Famous"
Chart (2006)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [4] 67
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [5] 74
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [6] 4
Ireland (IRMA) [7] 26
Scotland (OCC) [8] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [9] 60
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 8
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [11] 3

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Your Mind Up</span> Song performed and recorded by Bucks Fizz. British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1981

"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom, and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. Following its win in the contest, the song reached No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, eventually selling in excess of four million copies. It launched the career of the group, who went on to become one of the biggest selling acts of the 1980s and featured on their debut, self-titled album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Streets</span> British alternative hip hop music group

The Streets are an English music project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Lions (song)</span> 1996 single by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds

"Three Lions", commonly referred to as "It's Coming Home" or "Football's Coming Home", is a song by the English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and the rock band the Lightning Seeds. It was released on 20 May 1996 to mark the England football team's participation in that year's UEFA European Championship, which England was hosting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Springsteen discography</span>

American musician Bruce Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, 23 live albums, 77 singles, and 66 music videos. Widely referred as "The Boss" by the media, Springsteen has sold over 150 million records worldwide, listing him among the best-selling music artists in history. Billboard ranked him as the 24th Greatest Artist of all time. According to Recording Industry Association of America, he has sold 65.5 million albums in the United States, making him the 7th best-selling male soloist of all time. Born in the U.S.A. remains the best-selling album of his career, selling more than 30 million copies around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks Fizz</span> English pop group (1981–2018)

Bucks Fizz were an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With You (Jessica Simpson song)</span> 2003 single by Jessica Simpson

"With You" is a song by American recording artist Jessica Simpson from her third studio album, In This Skin. "With You" was released by Columbia Records as the second single from In This Skin on November 3, 2003. Overall, "With You" was Simpson's seventh single in the United States and her fourth single in the United Kingdom. Billy Mann and Andy Marvel produced the song and co-wrote it with Simpson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got to Be Certain</span> 1988 single by Kylie Minogue

"Got to Be Certain" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album, Kylie (1988). Written and produced by English songwriting and record production trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), the song was released as the second single from Kylie in most territories outside Australia, and was released on 2 May 1988 in Australia and the United Kingdom. In Australia, "Got to Be Certain" was Minogue's third single release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life Got Cold</span> 2003 single by Girls Aloud

"Life Got Cold" is a song by British girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their debut album Sound of the Underground (2003). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Noel Gallagher of Oasis received a writing credit due to similarities with Oasis' "Wonderwall".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry Your Eyes</span> 2004 single by the Streets

"Dry Your Eyes" is a single by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. The song describes the protagonist trying to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. It was released in the UK on 19 July 2004. The song is the Streets' most successful single, reaching number one in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2004, six days after its release. "Dry Your Eyes" also went straight to number one in Ireland staying there for three weeks in a row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He Wasn't</span> 2005 single by Avril Lavigne

"He Wasn't" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released as the fourth and final single from her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004). The song was written and produced by Lavigne and Chantal Kreviazuk. It was not released in the United States; instead, "Fall to Pieces" was released. "He Wasn't" was issued in Australia, Europe, and the United Kingdom and received airplay on Canadian radio. AllMusic highlighted the song as one of the most significant post-grunge songs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Good Charlotte song)</span> 2002 single by Good Charlotte

"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte, written by Benji Madden, Joel Madden and Tim Armstrong for the band’s second studio album The Young and the Hopeless. It was released as the lead single from the album in August 2002 and was the band's debut European single. Upon its release, the song reached a peak of number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top 40 in several European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Is Love</span> 2002 song by Oasis

"She Is Love" is a song by English rock band Oasis, first released as the ninth track on their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry, written and sung by guitarist Noel Gallagher. In September 2002, it was released with "Little by Little" as the first double A-sided single by the band, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written about Noel Gallagher's girlfriend Sara McDonald and is a light, acoustic song about being in love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying the Flag (For You)</span> 2007 song by Scooch

"Flying the Flag (For You)" is a song performed by British pop/bubblegum dance group Scooch. The official single version was available from 30 April 2007 and was released as a physical CD single in the following week, on 7 May 2007. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at No. 5 and peaked at this position. It also charted in Ireland at number 48.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fit but You Know It</span> 2004 single by the Streets

"Fit but You Know It" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released on 26 April 2004 as the lead single of the Streets' second studio album, A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004). The song reached number four on the UK Single Charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreaker (will.i.am song)</span> 2008 single by will.i.am

"Heartbreaker" is the second single from rapper will.i.am's third album Songs About Girls. The British single version features guest vocals from Cheryl Cole; this version was also featured on Cole's debut solo album 3 Words, which was released in October 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3 Words (song)</span> 2009 single by Cheryl Cole

"3 Words" is a song recorded by English singer Cheryl Cole for her 2009 debut studio album of the same name. It was released in the UK and Ireland on 20 December 2009 by Fascination Records and later in 2010 by Universal Music, serving as the lead single for 3 Words in other countries. The uptempo dance-pop song was written by Cole and George Pajon. It was also written and produced by will.i.am who has guest vocals on the song. "3 Words" was cited by Cole as her favourite song from the album for being different from what people expected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under the Sun (Cheryl song)</span> 2012 single by Cheryl

"Under the Sun" is a song recorded by English singer Cheryl, from her third studio album A Million Lights (2012). The song was released as the second and final single from A Million Lights on 2 September 2012 through Fascination Records. It was written and produced by Alex da Kid, with additional writing from Mike Del Rio, Jayson DeZuzio, Steven Battey, Carlos Battey, and Cheryl. Lyrically, it speaks of a male telling a female anything she wants to hear to get his way. "Under the Sun" is a mid-tempo song with piano riffs, sun-kissed breakbeats, and a pop chorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Call My Name (Cheryl song)</span> 2012 single by Cheryl

"Call My Name" is a song by English singer Cheryl taken from her third studio album, A Million Lights (2012). It was written and produced by Calvin Harris, with Kuk Harrell producing Cole's vocals. It was released as the lead single from the album on 18 May 2012 by Polydor Records' imprint Fascination. "Call My Name" is a dance-pop and EDM song that was compared by critics to songs produced by Harris for other singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasn't Expecting That</span> 2011 single by Jamie Lawson

"Wasn't Expecting That" is a song recorded by British singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson. It was originally released on 11 March 2011 as the lead single from his third studio album Wasn't Expecting That (2011) and peaked at number 3 on the Irish Singles Chart. Lawson was the first artist signed by Ed Sheeran to his new record label, Gingerbread Man Recordings in 2015. The song was re-released on 3 April 2015 as the lead single from his fourth studio album Jamie Lawson. The song peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. On 31 July 2016, Lawson performed the song in an episode of the Australian soap Neighbours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let You</span> 2019 single by Cheryl

"Let You" is a song by English singer Cheryl, released by 3 Beat Records on 31 May 2019. Cheryl wrote the song with Chiara Hunter, Danny Casio, George Astasio, Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave and Nicola Roberts, with production by Mike Spencer. An electropop song, the lyrics of "Let You" find Cheryl telling a former lover how she allowed them to make her unhappy.

References

  1. "Mike Skinner Denies Crack Girl is Cheryl Tweedy".
  2. "Mike Skinner Reveals That Rachel Stevens Was Not His 'Drug-Taking Lover'". 26 March 2012.
  3. The Word, Issue 39, May 2006
  4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 269.
  5. "The Streets – When You Wasn't Famous" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  6. "The Streets – When You Wasn't Famous" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  7. "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Streets". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  9. "The Streets – When You Wasn't Famous". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  11. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2022.