The Loving Kind

"The Loving Kind" is a song by British girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control (2008). The song was written by Pet Shop Boys, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as a "synth pop ballad", "The Loving Kind" was originally written for inclusion on Pet Shop Boys' Yes (2009) before being given to Girls Aloud. Upon its release in January 2009, "The Loving Kind" entered the UK Singles Chart at number ten, thereby continuing their six-year streak of top ten hits.

This article is about the Girls Aloud song. For other uses, see The Loving Kind (disambiguation).
"The Loving Kind"
Single by Girls Aloud
from the album Out of Control
B-side
Released12 January 2009
Recorded2008
Genre
Length3:53 (album version)
3:59 (radio mix)
LabelFascination
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Xenomania
Girls Aloud singles chronology
"The Promise"
(2008)		 "The Loving Kind"
(2009)		 "Untouchable"
(2009)
Music video
"The Loving Kind" on YouTube

In the music video, the group portrays the "good" and "bad" Girls Aloud as they perform in mirrored boxes. "The Loving Kind" was promoted through numerous live appearances and was performed on 2009's Out of Control Tour. The song was largely praised by most contemporary music critics, although maligned by others for its similarities with "Call the Shots".

Background and composition

Xenomania and Pet Shop Boys wrote the song in sessions for the latter's album Yes. Both parties had previously agreed there would be just three co-written songs on the album, and having noticed Chris Lowe's "slight reticence" towards the song, Higgins suggested that Girls Aloud record "The Loving Kind".[1] Pet Shop Boys member Neil Tennant said that they co-wrote the song while working with Xenomania, and described it as "beautiful but still dancey".[2] It was the second song Girls Aloud recorded for Out of Control.[1] PopJustice wrote that "the lyrics have the sadness and melancholy of a massive proper ballad but the production drags the song straight to the dancefloor and lends it an undeniable sense of optimism."[3] Lowe said he was "absolutely over the moon" with the result.[4]

"The Loving Kind" is in the same vein as much of the Pet Shop Boys' output. The Observer described it as an "elegantly sad account of a waning relationship."[5] The song is written in D♭ major with a time signature in common time and a tempo of 128 beats per minute.[6] The basic chord progression of the song is G♭, D♭, B♭m, Fm, and A♭.[6] The song begins instantly with a synthesised introduction, followed by the first verse and refrain. There is an emotive bridge and a middle 8. The verse repeats, followed by the chorus, an instrumental section, and the chorus again. The radio mix differs slightly; the introduction is less abrupt and the song lasts six seconds longer.[7][8]

Release

The single was confirmed on 21 November 2008 via Girls Aloud's official website.[9][10] The CD single includes a Girls Aloud megamix, released to celebrate Girls Aloud's twentieth single release.[11] The megamix was created by Jewels & Stone, and features the intro and outro from the famous Stars on 45 medleys.[12] There was also 7" picture disc made available, which included a previously unreleased B-side entitled "Memory of You", originally called "Japan".[9][12] Remixes by Wideboys and Utah Saints were also commissioned.[12]

B-side
Main article: Memory of You

There was a mild controversy surrounding the fact that the single's B-side "Memory of You" was only available on the vinyl format and not in CD or digital quality.[1] The song was originally called "Japan".[9][12] Fans campaigned to get the song available in a high quality format, which even gained the attention of The Sun. Tabloid paper News of the World wrongly identified the track as an "underground tune" that Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts had recorded outside of Girls Aloud.[13] Popjustice featured a 30-second clip of "Memory of You" as their Song of the Day prior to release.[14] It was later included in high quality on the official Girls Aloud singles box set later in 2009 and went on to be included on the deluxe edition of their second greatest hits compilation Ten. Roberts recorded a solo version of the song and made it available via pre-order only with her third single, "Yo-Yo", from her debut album.[15]

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Digital Spy gave the song five stars, saying it "weds hauntingly melancholy vocals [...] to a sense of dancefloor euphoria totally at odds with the teary-eyed lyrics" and was "nothing short of dazzling, meaning 'The Loving Kind' deserves a place [...] on the list of Girls Aloud's finest ever singles."[16] They called it "the standout track" from Out of Control and "one of the most emotionally resonant songs of the group's career."[10] Dorian Lynskey of The Observer agreed, calling it "best of all [...] It's bracing to hear Girls Aloud traffic in grown-up emotions".[5] "The Loving Kind" has also been called "the best thing they've ever done."[17] Nicola Roberts was praised for her vocals,[16][18] which Slant Magazine felt "provide some of the album's most affecting moments."[19]

However, "The Loving Kind" was criticised due to its similarities with 2007's "Call the Shots",[20] with NME even calling the song as "a letdown sequel".[21] BBC Music felt the song was "hugely disappointing."[22] Popjustice said that although it isn't "amazing by Girls Aloud PLUS Xenomania PLUS Pet Shop Boys standards", it was still "really properly amazing."[23] In a blog for BBC, Fraser McAlpine agreed that "it's easy to get caught up on the idea of this being some immense pop event," but it was still an "extremely well done piece of heartbroken pop."[18]

At the 2009 Popjustice £20 Music Prize, Nicola Roberts expressed dislike for the song and even nominated it for the Twenty Quid Invoice Prize, presented to what judges deem to be the worst single of any given year.[24]

Chart performance

On 14 December 2008, "The Loving Kind" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 87 on downloads alone.[25] The following week, it entered the top forty at number 38.[25] In the run-up to the single's release, chart commentators began to speculate that the song could possibly become the first single by the group to miss the top 10. James Masterton wrote on his Yahoo! chart blog, "Their problem is the continuing chart performance of former number 1 hit 'The Promise'. [...] Good reviews do not chart placings make and "this song is too good to be a flop" is as much a myth as "team X are far too good to get relegated"."[26] After its physical release, "The Loving Kind" still managed to peak at number ten, becoming Girls Aloud's twentieth consecutive top ten single.[27] It fell to number 14 the following week, but spent eighteen weeks in the top 100.[25] "The Loving Kind" was highly successful in the Scottish Singles Chart, outpeaking "The Promise" by entering at number two and remaining in the top 10 for 4 weeks.[28] The song entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 49, rising to number 24 the following week and eventually peaking at number sixteen.

Music video
Girls Aloud in the music video for "The Loving Kind" (2008).

The music video, directed by Trudy Bellinger, was premièred on 4Music at 7pm and was shown on Channel 4 at 11:05pm on 3 December 2008.[9][29] The making of the video was aired on MTV Hits on 13 December 2008, with reruns on both MTV Hits and TMF.

In the video, the girls portray the "good" Girls Aloud, who are the lovable kind, and their "bad" alter egos, who are not. The bad Girls Aloud throw wine and smash the glass that covers their boxes. Cheryl Cole cut herself when she smashed her hand through the glass and similarly Nadine Coyle injured herself when kicked her foot through the glass.[1] Pop music blog PopJustice noted that "twenty singles in, Girls Aloud have made their best video yet."[30]

Live performances

Girls Aloud's first performance of the song occurred on their ITV1 variety show The Girls Aloud Party. The group performed in matching black tutus, described by MarieClaire as "mini prom dresses."[31] They perform with slow, ballet-like motions and make their way to a catwalk. As Sarah Harding adlibs into the final chorus, pyrotechnics explode on both sides of the stage. On The Paul O'Grady Show, they performed in pink and purple dresses. On GMTV, they performed in the outfits from the music video. The performance received attention for Harding's "bum note".[32]

On the group's 2009 Out of Control Tour, each girl is positioned in front of boxes with flashing lightbulbs, similar to those in the music video. Neon designs and scenes from the music video appear on the screens above the boxes. The ramps in front of them, used throughout the tour, also flash with neon lights. As the performance comes to a close, the lights all turn off.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "The Loving Kind".

Credits and personnel
  • Engineering: Toby Scott, Dan Aslet
  • Guitars: Nick Coler, Jason Resch, Owen Parker
  • Keyboards and programming: Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, Matt Gray, Miranda Cooper, Sacha Collison
  • Mixing: Jeremy Wheatley, Tim Powell, Yoad Nevo
  • Songwriting: Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe

Charts

Pet Shop Boys Version

A version of the song by the Pet Shop Boys (named "monitor mix") was released on the reissue of the group's album Yes/Further Listening 2008-2010 in 2017.[39]

gollark: LyricTech™ ones can do maybe 10 at most.
gollark: There is no objective notion of value outside of some GTech™ labs.
gollark: That is not very good.
gollark: What was the figure, a few *thousand* 🐝Hz?
gollark: Your apinators aren't any good.

References
  1. Robinson, Peter (2009). "The Loving Kind". The Singles Boxset (Booklet). Girls Aloud. London, England: Fascination Records. p. 45.
  2. Neil Tennant (2008-10-04). "Pet Texts - Message from Neil". Pet Shop Boys. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  3. Peter Robinson (2008-10-17). "A proper review of 'The Loving Kind'". Popjustice. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  4. Andre Paine (2009-04-04). "Pet Shop Boys brings it pop tunes to new audiences". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  5. Dorian Lynskey (2008-11-09). "Pop review: Girls Aloud, Out of Control". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  6. "Girls Aloud - The Loving Kind sheet music". Music Notes. Alfred Publishing Company. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  7. "Out of Control". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  8. "The Loving Kind - Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  9. "Get Ready for The Loving Kind". GirlsAloud.co.uk. 2008-11-21. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  10. Nick Levine (2008-11-22). "Girls Aloud reveal new single details". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  11. Tom Thorogood (2008-11-24). "Girls Aloud announce next single". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  12. "The Loving Kind - Full Details". Girls Aloud. 2008-12-09. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  13. Dan Wootton (2009-02-22). "Nadine goes solo". News of the World. News International. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  14. Peter Robinson. "'Memory of You'". Popjustice. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  15. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/yo-yo-ep/id483605909
  16. David Balls (2008-12-28). "Girls Aloud: 'The Loving Kind'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  17. John Murphy (2008-11-01). "Girls Aloud - Out Of Control (Polydor)". musicOMH.com. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  18. Fraser McAlpine (2009-01-14). "Girls Aloud - 'The Loving Kind'". BBC Chart Blog. BBC. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  19. Robin Carolan (2008-11-11). "Girls Aloud: Out of Control". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  20. Nick Levine (2008-10-30). "Out of Control". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  21. Jaimie Hodgson (2008-10-31). "Out of Control". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  22. Talia Kraines (2008-11-17). "Long may they rain". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  23. Peter Robinson (2008-10-15). "What's 'The Loving Kind' from the new Girls Aloud album like?". Popjustice. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  24. Peter Robinson (2009-09-09). "The 2009 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize". Popjustice. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  25. "The Loving Kind". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  26. James Masterson (2009-01-05). "Week Ending January 10th 2009". Chart Watch UK. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  27. Nick Levine (2009-01-18). "Lady GaGa grabs second week at No.1". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  28. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20090208/41/
  29. "Get ready for The Loving Kind!". Fascination Records. Polydor Records. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  30. Peter Robinson (2008-12-04). "Twenty singles in, Girls Aloud have made their best video yet". PopJustice. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  31. "Girls Aloud's spangly outfits on ITV show". MarieClaire.co.uk. IPC Media. 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  32. "Sarah Harding's Bum Note (We love you Sarah!)". YouTube. Google. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  33. "Girls Aloud - The Promise". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  34. "Girls Aloud – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Girls Aloud. Retrieved 2010-08-31. (subscription required)
  35. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Loving Kind". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  36. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  37. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  38. "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  39. "Yes/Further listening: 2008-2010 (2017 remaster) Pet Shop Boys". Pet Shop Boys. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
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