Just the Girl

"Just the Girl" is a song by American rock band The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 as the first single from their debut studio album Greetings from Imrie House. The band formed in Boston and were managed by talent scout Wayne Sharp, who assisted in signing the band to Lava Records. "Just the Girl" was composed by songwriter Adam Schlesinger, best-known for his work with Fountains of Wayne, as well as his career in film and television.

"Just the Girl"
Single by The Click Five
from the album Greetings from Imrie House
ReleasedAugust 16, 2005
GenrePop rock
Length3:51
LabelLava
Songwriter(s)Adam Schlesinger
Producer(s)Mike Denneen
The Click Five singles chronology
"Good Day"
(2005)		 "Just the Girl"
(2005)		 "Catch Your Wave"
(2005)
Music video
"Just the Girl" on YouTube

The single was the band's biggest mainstream hit, achieving heavy airplay on top 40 radio in the United States. It reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. For Schlesinger, it was his highest-charting effort. The song received positive reviews from critics.

Background

The pop-rock quintet the Click Five emerged from Boston in the early 2000s. Their manager was Wayne Sharp, a talent scout with a background in jazz. Sharp had previously attempted to form a radio-ready pop outfit two decades prior with Candy, and styled the Click Five with identical suits and mod haircuts.[1] The group signed to major label Lava Records in 2004, touring in support of singer Ashlee Simpson. Afterward, the band began recording their debut LP, Greetings from Imrie House, with producer Mike Denneen. The engineer had previously worked with power-pop band Fountains of Wayne, producing their 2003 hit album Welcome Interstate Managers.

"Just the Girl" was supplied to the group by that band's bassist, songwriter Adam Schlesinger, also-known for writing the title song to the film That Thing You Do!, which ironically also centered on a manufactured band "designed to generate Beatlemania-type hysteria."[2] The band were fans of Fountains of Wayne, commenting in an interview that they were essentially "handed" the "unreleased Fountains of Wayne song."[3]

Chart performance

"Just the Girl" debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of July 30, 2005.[4] Two weeks later, it moved sixteen spots from number 68 to number 52 the week of August 13, 2005.[5] It reached the top 40 on the week of August 20, 2005, moving thirty-one spots to number 21.[6] It peaked at number 11 the week of September 3, 2005 and stayed there for two weeks,[7] remaining on the chart for twenty weeks.[8]

For Schlesinger, it was the highest-charting single of his career.[2]

Reception

Initial reviews of the song were positive. Billboard contributor Chuck Taylor considered it reminiscent of boy-band LFO, dubbing it "just tough enough to be cool, but power poppy enough to have the braces crowd bellowing in unison."[9] Jessica Grose of Spin viewed the band's debut, Greetings from Imrie House, as banal and manufactured, but singled out "Just the Girl" as the "only palatable song [...] and that's because Click Five didn't write it."[10]

After Schlesinger's passing, Tom Breihan at Stereogum described the song as a "processed, professional, infectious teen-longing jam that evoked the Cars and Ashlee Simpson at the same time."[11] Evan Sawdey from PopMatters similarly viewed the track as full of hooks but cringe-inducing all the same.[12] Songwriter Sam Hollander praised the tune as among Schlesinger's best, "brilliantly crafted" and evoking the great "power pop songbook".[13] In a New Yorker piece examining Schlesinger's "incandescent" skill at songwriting, critic Jody Rosen included it among his best: "cleverness is on display in all [of Schlesinger's collaborations], but the songs are never mere exercises in style. They’re always full of feeling and ideas. They're always a little weird."[14]

Music video

Directed by Paul Hunter & Vem Miller (aka Vem of Vem & Troy),[15] the video features the band arriving on the roof of a high school via helicopter, with the students passing a note saying that the band is performing on said roof and leaving their classrooms to watch them perform. Then-couple Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry appear in the video.[15][16]

Charts and certifications
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References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. "The Click Five: Biography & History". Allmusic. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. Enos, Morgan; Unterberger, Andrew; Lynch, Joe (April 1, 2020). "Adam Schlesinger's 15 Greatest Songs: Fountains of Wayne, 'That Thing You Do!,' 'Crazy Ex Girlfriend' & More (Staff Picks)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  3. Jacobs, Jay S. (September 15, 2005). "the click five: just the band we're looking for..." PopEntertainment.com. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. Jeckell, Barry (July 21, 2005). "Mariah's 'Together' Holds Off 'Replay' Charge". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  5. Jeckell, Barry (August 4, 2005). "Carey's 'Together' Continues Chart Domination". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  6. Jeckell, Barry (August 11, 2005). "Carey Still No. 1 As 'Together' Goes To 11". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  7. Jeckell, Barry (August 25, 2005). "No Budging Mariah's 'Together' At No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  8. "The Click Five - Just The Girl". aCharts.co. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  9. Taylor, Chuck (July 16, 2005). "Singles: Click Five – Just the Girl". Billboard. Vol. 117 no. 29. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  10. Grose, Jessica (August 17, 2005). "The Click Five, 'Greetings from Imrie House' (Lava/Atlantic)". Spin. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  11. Breihan, Tom (April 2, 2020). "Adam Schlesinger Did The Work". Stereogum. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  12. Sawdey, Evan (April 2, 2020). "All Kinds of Time: Adam Schlesinger's Pursuit of Pure, Peerless Pop". PopMatters. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  13. Hollander, Sam (April 2, 2020). "Remembering Adam Schlesinger, a Friend and Fellow Songwriter Who 'Wanted Everyone to Win'". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  14. Rosen, Jody (April 3, 2020). "Adam Schlesinger's Incandescent Songwriting Talent". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  15. "Vem technician videography". mvdbase.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  16. EW Staff (June 17, 2005). "Must List 2005: The Click Five". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  17. "Greetings from Imrie House - The Click Five". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  18. "Year-End Charts: The Hot 100." Billboard 2005 Year In Music. Billboard. 2005.
  19. "American single certifications – The Click Five – Just the Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 12, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 


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