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Round Round

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Round Round

| cover = Round Round (Sugababes single - cover art).jpg

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Sugababes

| album = Angels with Dirty Faces

| B-side = Groove Is Going On

| released =

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = Dance-pop

| length = 3:54

| label =

| writer =

| producer =

| prev_title = Freak like Me

| prev_year = 2002

| next_title = Stronger

| next_title2 = Angels with Dirty Faces

| next_year = 2002

| misc =

}}

"'Round Round'" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes. It was written by group members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range, as well as Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, and Lisa Cowling. Produced by Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby, the song was released as the second single from the group's second studio album, 'Angels with Dirty Faces' (2002).

Following its release on 12 August 2002, "Round Round" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's second number-one single domestically. In August 2022, it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Round Round" also reached the top 10 in Austria, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, among other countries. In 2003, it became the group's first single to chart in the United States, peaking at number seven on the 'Billboard' Dance Singles Sales chart. Alongside "Sound of the Underground" by Girls Aloud, this song has been credited in reshaping British pop music for the 2000s.[http://xenomanianews.blogspot.com/2009/11/end-of-decade-sound-of-overground-nme.html End of Decade: Sound of the Overground (NME article, November 2009)]

Background



"Round Round" was written by Brian Higgins, Miranda Cooper, Lisa Cowling, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range. Due to the inclusion of a sample from "Tango Forte" by German production team Dublex Inc., Florian Pflueger, Felix Stecher, Robin Hofmann, and Rino Spadavecchia are also credited as songwriters. In turn, "Tango Forte" is based around an uncredited sample from "Whatever Lola Wants" performed by American composer Les Baxter. Production on "Round Round" was helmed by Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby for Manna Productions based on an original track Higgins and Powell had created for Xenomania Records, while Jeremy Wheatley provided additional production and handled the mixing. Guitar recording and programming were overseen by Yoad Nevo for 247 Arists.

Musically, "Round Round" was actually built up of a number of different songs. On the BBC2 series 'Secrets of the Pop Song', Brian Higgins described the genesis of the song: "We had a drum track which was just stunning and so I sat down with Miranda [Cooper] on the one day we had the Sugababes in the studio and said 'Right, you know, this is a hit, this piece of music is a hit. I haven't got anything on it, we don't have any song attached to it. So what are we gonna do about that? You've got three hours to come up with something'." Subsequently, Cooper went through her catalogue of unused tracks that she had written over the last two or three years and sung the chorus of every single song against Higgins' piece of drumming. Three hours later, she sang the lyrics 'round round baby round round' to Higgins, who said "that's it, that's amazing."

Chart performance



"Round Round" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and remained at the top spot for a week, giving the Sugababes their second consecutive UK number one single following "Freak like Me". The song was eventually certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). As of August 2020, the song has sold 277,000 copies in the UK. "Round Round" was also a success worldwide, reaching number two in Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The song also reached number three in Denmark and number four in Norway, Romania, and Switzerland. In Australia, "Round Round" debuted at number 21 and rose to a peak of number 13, giving the group their first Australian top-20 hit. It was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), making it the Sugababes' best-selling Australian single up until the release of their 2005 single "Push the Button", which reached number three and was certified Platinum.

Music video



The music video for "Round Round" was directed by Phil Griffin. It has the group performing on a rotating platform, while being surrounded by a tornado with dust and rubble accumulating in it. There is a rusty caged wall with an audience watching, a pair of sunglasses and a ring get sucked into the tornado from them. When Heidi's verse comes up, everything moves in slow-motion, including the tornado, before speeding up again. The girls slowly walk around three male dancers in the middle, and for the end chorus it appears the tornado has dissipated.

Cover versions



The song was covered by Hong Kong singer Emme Wong in Cantonese in 2003. It was Wong's first single after her record label Universal Music modified her image for a sexier direction. The song quickly became a hit, due to its sexually explicit lyrics and dance moves, as well as the TV-banned video. The song reached the top of several music charts across Southeast China. In the year end, it won a number of awards, including "Best Covered Song", "Best Dance Record", and "Best Stage Performance".

Track listings



{{tracklist

| headline = UK CD1

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Round Round

| note1 = album version

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Groove Is Going On

| writer2 =

| extra2 = Themis

| length2 = 4:04

| title3 = Freak like Me

| note3 = Girls on Top dancehall mix

| writer3 =

| extra3 = Richard X

| length3 = 3:30

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = UK CD2

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Round Round

| note1 = album version

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:55

| title2 = Round Round

| note2 = Craigie & Crichton remix

| writer2 =

| extra2 =

| length2 = 4:59

| title3 = Round Round

| note3 = Soulwax remix

| writer3 =

| extra3 =

| length3 = 4:11

| title4 = Round Round

| note4 = Seani B. remix featuring Zaguzaar

| writer4 =

| extra4 =

| length4 = 4:25

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = European CD single

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Round Round

| note1 = album version

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Groove Is Going On

| writer2 =

| extra2 = Themis

| length2 = 4:04

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Australian CD single

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Round Round

| note1 = album version

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Round Round

| note2 = Craigie & Crichton remix

| writer2 =

| extra2 =

| length2 = 4:59

| title3 = Round Round

| note3 = Soulwax remix

| writer3 =

| extra3 =

| length3 = 4:11

| title4 = Freak Like Me

| note4 = Girls on Top dancehall mix

| writer4 =

| extra4 = Richard X

| length4 = 3:28

| title5 = Groove Is Going On

| writer5 =

| extra5 = Themis

| length5 = 4:04

}}

'Notes'

* denotes additional producer(s)

* denotes original producer(s)

Personnel



Personnel are adapted from the liner notes of 'Angels with Dirty Faces'.

* Brian Higgins  writing

* Miranda Cooper  writing

* Lisa Cowling  writing

* Tim Powell  writing

* Nick Coler  writing

* Keisha Buchanan  writing

* Mutya Buena  writing

* Heidi Range  writing

* Florian Pflueger  writing

* Felix Stecher  writing

* Robin Hofmann  writing

* Rino Spadavecchia  writing

* Kevin Bacon  production

* Brian Higgins  original production

* Yoad Nevo  guitar, programming

* Tim Powell  original production

* Jonathan Quarmby  production

* Jeremy Wheatley  additional production, mixing

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



Release history



References



Category:2002 singles

Category:2002 songs

Category:Island Records singles

Category:Number-one singles in Scotland

Category:Song recordings produced by Jonathan Quarmby

Category:Song recordings produced by Kevin Bacon (producer)

Category:Songs written by Brian Higgins (producer)

Category:Songs written by Heidi Range

Category:Songs written by Keisha Buchanan

Category:Songs written by Lisa Cowling

Category:Songs written by Miranda Cooper

Category:Songs written by Mutya Buena

Category:Songs written by Nick Coler

Category:Songs written by Tim Powell (producer)

Category:Sugababes songs

Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Universal Records singles

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