Pure and Simple (song)

"Pure and Simple" is a song by British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was a cover of the original version recorded three years earlier by English-Dutch girl group Girl Thing, who were dropped from BMG before the song was given to Hear'Say. It was written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes and Betty Boo (under her real name, Alison Clarkson). The song was released on 12 March 2001 as the lead single from Hear'Say's debut studio album Popstars (2001). The B-side is a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water".

Not to be confused with Pure (The Lightning Seeds song).

"Pure and Simple"
Single by Hear'Say
from the album Popstars
Released12 March 2001
Recorded2001
GenrePop
Length3:47
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tim Hawes
  • Pete Kirtley
Hear'Say singles chronology
"Pure and Simple"
(2001)		 "The Way to Your Love"
(2001)

"Pure and Simple" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after selling 550,000 copies in its first week, which, at the time, made it the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the United Kingdom. It spent a total of three weeks at the top and has sold over 1.08 million copies in the UK. As of 2012, it is the seventh biggest-selling debut single of the 21st century in that country. The song also topped the New Zealand Singles Chart for five weeks in July and August 2001 and reached number three in Ireland.

Background

The song was co-written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes and Betty Boo (under her real name of Alison Clarkson); however, nearly 14 years after the song was released, Linzi Martin of the band Girl Thing made the assertion that she was responsible for the majority of the song's composition, having written the verses after Pete Kirtley (her then boyfriend) had brought the chorus of the track to her as a gift. In the 2014 series of The Big Reunion, other members of the band including Michelle Barber recall the band being present and contributing to the song, but none received credit as co-writers. Girl Thing then found out, after the song was written, that their manager Chris Herbert (who also managed Hear'Say) had given the song to the newer band as their debut single, an act that was described by band member Nikki Stuart as "digging the knife in."

Critical reception

Many critics noted that the song had an uncanny resemblance to Oasis's "All Around the World" and All Saints' "Never Ever".[1][2] BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles even recorded a parody version of "Pure and Simple" that included the song lyrics from these two songs.[3] Despite this, when it was suggested that Oasis take legal action, Noel Gallagher simply laughed at the hypocrisy of such an act from a man who was famous for "borrowing" from other artists.[4]

Commercial reception

On 18 March 2001, "Pure and Simple" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. It sold almost 550,000 copies in its first week, making it (at the time) the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the UK,[5] a record beaten a year later by Will Young, the winner of the first series of Pop Idol, with his debut single "Evergreen" / "Anything Is Possible".[6] The song spent a total of three weeks at the top of the UK chart.[7]

"Pure and Simple" sold 1.07 million copies in 2001, making it that year's second best-selling single. It was beaten only by Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me", which sold 80,000 copies more.[8] By the time Hear'Say split up in 2002, the song had been certified double Platinum for sales of over 1.2 million copies,[9] making it one of the few singles to achieve that feat during the 2000s. It is also one of only 167 singles ever to sell 1 million copies in the UK, and has sold over 1.09 million as of November 2016.[10] "Pure and Simple" is the seventh biggest-selling debut single of the 21st century in the UK,[6] the second biggest seller by a mixed-gender group[10] and the UK's 96th best-selling song of all time.[11]

The song was also a huge hit in New Zealand, where it was number one for five consecutive weeks.

Track listing

CD1

  1. "Pure and Simple"
  2. "Bridge over Troubled Water"
  3. "Can't Stop Thinking About It"

DVD

  1. "Pure and Simple" (Audio only)
  2. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Video)
  3. "Popstars Greatest Hits"

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] 2× Platinum 1,090,000[10]

*sales figures based on certification alone

Other versions

"Pure and Simple" was covered by America's Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan for her self-titled debut album in 2006.

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References
  1. "SOME MIGHT HEAR'SAY". NME. 15 March 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. Andr3w (3 February 2010). "NUMBER ONES OF THE 2000s: 2001 Hear'Say – Pure and Simple". blogspot.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  3. Chris Harris (2 September 2004). "Chris Moyles". chrismoyles.net. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  4. Leigh, Spencer (8 July 2010). "When it comes to songwriting, there's a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism". The Independent. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  5. "Hear'Say hit number one". BBC News. 18 March 2001. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  6. Lane, Dan (7 September 2012). "The biggest selling debut singles of the 21st Century revealed!". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. "Shaggy's single is UK's best-seller". BBC News. 27 December 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  9. "Hear'Say split up". BBC News. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  10. Myers, Justin (5 November 2016). "Girlbands vs Boybands – their biggest songs of the century revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  11. Lane, Dan (17 July 2013). "Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines becomes fastest selling single of 2013!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 126.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Hear'say – Pure and Simple" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18 no. 16. 14 April 2001. p. 6. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hear'say – Pure and Simple". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pure and Simple". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. "Charts.nz – Hear'say – Pure and Simple". Top 40 Singles.
  18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Hear'say – Pure and Simple". Swiss Singles Chart.
  20. "Best of Singles 2001". IRMA. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  21. "End of Year Charts 2001". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  22. "New Zealand single certifications – Hear'Say – Pure and Simple". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  23. "British single certifications – Hear'Say – Pure and Simple". British Phonographic Industry.
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