"Cuddly Toy" is the debut single release from British band

Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 Roachford, fronted by Andrew Roachford

Andrew Roachford

Andrew Roachford is a British singer-songwriter.Andrew Roachford was the main force behind the band Roachford, who scored their first success in 1989 with the hits "Cuddly Toy" and "Family Man". Formed in 1987 the line-up was Andrew Roachford , Chris Taylor , Hawi Gondwe and Derrick Taylor...

. It was the first single taken from their self-titled debut studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

.

"Cuddly Toy" was first released in June 1988 and peaked inside the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 at number 61, spending four weeks inside the UK top 75. In January 1989, the song was re-released and became the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 4 and spending a further 9 weeks inside the top 75. The song was also the group's biggest hit in the U.S., where it was re-titled "Cuddly Toy (Feel for Me)", peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in June 1989.

The song was featured in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Original release (CBS ROA 2)

CD Single

1. "Cuddly Toy" - 3:45
2. "Cuddly Toy" (Extended Mix) - 5:50
3. "Cuddly Toy" (The Feel For Me Mix) - 4:14
4. "Lions Den" - 3:37

7" vinyl

1. "Cuddly Toy" - 3:45
2. "Lions Den" - 3:37

12" vinyl

1. "Cuddly Toy" (Extended Mix) - 5:50
2. "Lions Den" - 3:37
3. "Cuddly Toy" (Live At Strathclyde University 27.2.88) - 7:06

Remix 12" vinyl

1. "Cuddly Toy" (X-Rated Acid Toy Mix) - 7:21
2. "Cuddly Toy" - 3:45
3. "Lions Den" - 3:37

Re-release (CBS ROA 4)

7" vinyl

1. "Cuddly Toy" - 3:45
2. "Lions Den" - 3:37

12" vinyl

1. "Cuddly Toy" - 3:45
2. "Lions Den" - 3:37
3. "Nobody But You (Live) - 5:12
4. "Family Man" (Live)

Charts

Chart (1988-1989)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	48
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	49
US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	25

Beverley Knight version

British singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight

Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...

 covered "Cuddly Toy" and released it as the second single release from her seventh studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

, Soul UK

Soul UK

-Singles:Knight confirmed whilst performing at London's Porchester Hall, at the album launch show, in April 2011, that the first single from the album would be "Mama Used to Say", a cover of the Junior single, which peaked number 7 in the UK in 1982. The single was released on 27 June 2011...

, a tribute to UK soul artists. It is due for release in the UK on 28 August 2011. The b-side is a radio edit of Knight's cover of "Apparently Nothin'", the original of which also appears on Soul UK.

Knight's version of "Cuddly Toy" was added to the Radio 2 Playlist, entering the B-list, one list higher than previous single "Mama Used to Say". Knight gave her first television performance of "Cuddly Toy" on The Rob Brydon Show

The Rob Brydon Show

The Rob Brydon Show is a British talk show hosted by comedian Rob Brydon. The first series started on 17 September 2010 and consists of six regular episodes, a compilation episode and a Christmas special...

 on 29 July 2011.

Background

Knight said of "Cuddly Toy" that "Roachford showed a cynical British media that British soul could also be fused with a rockier sound and not only work, but be a global hit. This, as well as many of his songs, influenced my own writing style." She also spoke of the b-side "Apparently Nothin'" by saying "This was one of those moments when the clubs successfully educated radio on what they should be championing, and the public "got" it, and it was a smash. I was one of that buying public. Lyrically this is sheer brilliance and relevant for every generation."

Track listing

Digital download

1. "Cuddly Toy" (Radio Version) - 2:50
2. "Apparently Nothin'" (featuring Glen Scott) (Radio Version) - 3:13
3. "Apparently Nothin'" (Neil Thompson's Regrooved Mix) - 7:15
4. "Cuddly Toy" (eSquire Club Mix) - 6:09

iTunes Digital download

1. "Cuddly Toy" (Radio Version) - 2:50
2. "Apparently Nothin'" (featuring Glen Scott) (Radio Version) - 3:13
3. "Cuddly Toy" (Cutmore Club Mix) - 7:16
4. "Cuddly Toy" (Dave Doyle Club Mix) - 6:09
5. "Cuddly Toy" (Dave Doyle Radio Edit) - 3:04

Release history

Region	Date	Format
United Kingdom	28 August 2011	Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...