No Good Advice
Encyclopedia
"No Good Advice" is a song by British all-female pop
group Girls Aloud
, taken from their debut album Sound of the Underground (2003). The song was written by Aqua
's Lene Nystrøm Rasted
, Miranda Cooper
, Brian Higgins
and his production team Xenomania
, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. It has themes of rebellion, reflecting Higgins' general mood of failure after a business partnership fell through. Following the overwhelming success of Girls Aloud's debut single "Sound of the Underground
", the group waited five months until May 2003 before releasing the follow-up. "No Good Advice" cemented their success when it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart
.
The music video features Girls Aloud dressed in futuristic silver outfits and hologram effects. "No Good Advice" was promoted through various live performances and has since been performed on Girls Aloud's first three concert tours. Described as "a disco track with guitar", the song has heavy 1980s
influences. The track was lauded by many contemporary music critics, who deemed it a worthy sequel to its predecessor and praised Higgins' production.
and The Bangles
." The song was written in the key of A minor
. The chord progression
s vary throughout the song but the different chords include Am
, C
, E
, A
, Em
, D
, and G
. Following typical verse-chorus form
, the song consists of a verse followed by a bridge and chorus. In place of a middle 8, there is a guitar solo
instead. The song ends with a spoken outro.
Originally written for Miranda Cooper
under the pseudonym Moonbaby, "No Good Advice" is seemingly about a rebellious girl who doesn't need "no good advice" and does things independently. However, according to an interview for The Guardian
in July 2004, Brian Higgins said that the song reflected his general mood of failure after a special deal between Xenomania and London Records
fell through in 2000, and about persisting in spite of what people told him to do or not to do. The song's chorus originally began with the phrase "I don't like fried rice". "No Good Advice" was sung over a rave backing track, until different Xenomania musicians were asked to contribute new backing tracks. Higgins was inspired by indie rock
. He stated, "pop music was on its backside and indie music was about to rise [...] The guitar riff on No Good Advice is very very similar to the riff on the track Michael
by Franz Ferdinand
."
Brian Higgins said that Girls Aloud initially didn't like the song - "we played them some of it, and they said: 'That's not our sound.' I objected to the use of that phrase 'our sound'. I told them they had five minutes to talk about whether or not they wanted to continue with me. They went away and spoke about it and since then it's been fine. They come in expecting to work, and there's a trust there which, I think, dates back to that day."
said in an interview with The Lipster, "We were No.1 for a month straight and then getting songs from all these other producers and we were, 'Nah, don't like it'. We waited from December to May before releasing a second single because we knew it had to be our strong point or we might as well kiss our careers goodbye." Kimberley Walsh
further exclaimed, "We knew it was strong enough to come back with." Girls Aloud reportedly had to re-record "No Good Advice" because "it features rude words", such as "damn" and "shit". However, the line "Here I am / Dirty hands, I don't give a damn" was kept intact. An explicit version of the song appears on the special edition bonus disc of The Sound of Girls Aloud
, replacing the lyric "shut your mouth because it might show" with "shut your mouth because your shit might show". Furthermore, an early demo of the song appears on a singles boxset released in 2009.
The song was released as a CD single
, featuring an exclusive b-side entitled "On a Round", which was covered by Jolin Tsai
in 2008. The CD format also includes the Dreadzone Vocal Mix of "No Good Advice" and its music video. The DVD single
did not actually feature the "No Good Advice" music video, just a photo gallery and behind-the-scenes footage. It did, however, include audio of the track and the video to "Sound of the Underground". Another remix, the Doublefunk Vocal Mix, was later featured on the "Life Got Cold" single and the remix album Mixed Up
.
's "My Sharona
".
In 2003, the song won the Popjustice £20 Music Prize
, an annual prize awarded by a panel of judges organised by music website Popjustice
to the singer(s) of the best British pop single of the past year. Popjustice founder Peter Robinson
wrote that the song "established a motif that would saturate Girls Aloud's string of subsequent singles: an unpredictable and triumphantly contrary desire to push and pull the band in exciting new directions at every turn."
, held off by R. Kelly
's "Ignition Remix". The song slipped to number five in its second week on the chart. The single lasted two more weeks in the top twenty at numbers eleven and seventeen respectively. Overall, "No Good Advice" was inside the top forty for six weeks; it spent an additional eight weeks in the top 75, selling over 105,000 copies. "No Good Advice" suffered a similar fate on the Irish Singles Chart
, peaking at number two behind Ireland's Eurovision finalist Mickey Joe Harte
. It spent three consecutive weeks at number three, behind Harte and R. Kelly. The song fell to number seven in its fourth week on the Irish chart. It spent four further weeks in the top twenty.
The song also charted in the top fifty in Belgium
and Holland, placing at numbers 45 and 26 respectively.
The video for "No Good Advice" was directed by Phil Griffin, who previously directed "Sound of the Underground" and would also direct "Life Got Cold". It features the members of Girls Aloud clad in metallic, silver, futuristic outfits (which are seen on the cover of the original release of their album Sound of the Underground). Girls Aloud fade in and out like holograms, centered around a rusty old car parked near a phone booth. They are joined by several men playing electric guitar, whom they flirt with while in various other poses. In a separate scene, while a black background with bright pinkish lights being emitted from behind, all five girls shake tambourine
s and dance. The last two scenes are intertwined with neon-coloured animated special effects the background, finally ending with an explosion scene.
In a special programme shown exclusively on MTV to promote their second album What Will the Neighbours Say?
, Girls Aloud confessed that they hated the "No Good Advice" video shoot. According to the group, both Cheryl and Sarah's trousers ripped and the make-up artist shouted at them. The group woke with bruised thighs the following day. The music video can be found on the group's 2005 DVD release Girls on Film
. In the group's 2007 DVD Style
, which also features the music video, Girls Aloud were horrified by the video upon watching it again. Regardless, viewers of FHM TV
voted the video for "No Good Advice" as the fifth sexiest music video of all time in 2006.
on 5 April 2003, a month ahead of the single's release. Girls Aloud sang in front of a checkered background in red outfits with black accents, as seen on the single's artwork. The group returned to the show three more times to perform "No Good Advice", including a performance using taxi cabs as a prop and another using phone booths. It was performed on Top of the Pops Saturday
twice, as well as its parent show. Girls Aloud also visited Blue Peter
and Popworld
. It was also performed at a number of live events in 2003, such as Spring Break, Pepsi
Silver Clef
, Party in the Park
, the West Belfast Festival, and a festival in Belgium
. Girls Aloud also sang the song on Germany
's VIVA Interaktiv. In the United Kingdom, Girls Aloud later performed at the Children in Need
telethon and on Popworlds Christmas special.
Girls Aloud performed "No Good Advice" on their first three concert tours. For their first tour, 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say? Live
, Girls Aloud performed the song in school uniforms. The rendition featured an introlude taken from part two of the Pink Floyd
song "Another Brick in the Wall
". The following year, "No Good Advice" was featured as the second track on the Chemistry Tour
. The group, who were created by mad scientists in the show's opening sequence, wore lab coats. The performance, influenced by Broadway
, was set in a laboratory
as each member was paired with a male dance partner. After a dance
break
, the mad scientist dancers performed a "magic trick" in which he made Cheryl Cole
"disappear" and then reappear. For 2007's The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour
, Girls Aloud performed "No Good Advice" in lingerie
. The stage featured pedestals and platforms which Girls Aloud were on. For 2009's Out of Control Tour
, "No Good Advice" was included in a greatest hits medley which closed the show.
UK DVD (Polydor / 0965749)
The Singles Boxset (CD2)
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, taken from their debut album Sound of the Underground (2003). The song was written by Aqua
Aqua (band)
Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...
's Lene Nystrøm Rasted
Lene Nystrøm Rasted
Lene Nystrøm Rasted , known professionally as Lene, is a Norwegian-Danish singer-songwriter and occasional actress, who is best known as vocalist for the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua....
, Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, Brian Higgins
Brian Higgins (producer)
Brian Thomas Higgins is a British music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud, through his Xenomania production group...
and his production team Xenomania
Xenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. It has themes of rebellion, reflecting Higgins' general mood of failure after a business partnership fell through. Following the overwhelming success of Girls Aloud's debut single "Sound of the Underground
Sound of the Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
", the group waited five months until May 2003 before releasing the follow-up. "No Good Advice" cemented their success when it peaked at number two on 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 ...
.
The music video features Girls Aloud dressed in futuristic silver outfits and hologram effects. "No Good Advice" was promoted through various live performances and has since been performed on Girls Aloud's first three concert tours. Described as "a disco track with guitar", the song has heavy 1980s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
influences. The track was lauded by many contemporary music critics, who deemed it a worthy sequel to its predecessor and praised Higgins' production.
Background and composition
Musically, the song was labelled "a disco track with guitar - a cross between BlondieBlondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
." The song was written in the key of A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
. The chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
s vary throughout the song but the different chords include Am
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
, C
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
, E
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
, A
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
, Em
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
, D
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
, and G
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. Following typical verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
, the song consists of a verse followed by a bridge and chorus. In place of a middle 8, there is a guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
instead. The song ends with a spoken outro.
Originally written for Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
under the pseudonym Moonbaby, "No Good Advice" is seemingly about a rebellious girl who doesn't need "no good advice" and does things independently. However, according to an interview for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in July 2004, Brian Higgins said that the song reflected his general mood of failure after a special deal between Xenomania and London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
fell through in 2000, and about persisting in spite of what people told him to do or not to do. The song's chorus originally began with the phrase "I don't like fried rice". "No Good Advice" was sung over a rave backing track, until different Xenomania musicians were asked to contribute new backing tracks. Higgins was inspired by indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
. He stated, "pop music was on its backside and indie music was about to rise [...] The guitar riff on No Good Advice is very very similar to the riff on the track Michael
Michael (Franz Ferdinand song)
"Michael" is a song by Franz Ferdinand and was the fourth single released from their debut self-titled album. The song was notable for its homoerotic lyrics such as "stubble on my sticky lips" and "beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor"....
by Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
."
Brian Higgins said that Girls Aloud initially didn't like the song - "we played them some of it, and they said: 'That's not our sound.' I objected to the use of that phrase 'our sound'. I told them they had five minutes to talk about whether or not they wanted to continue with me. They went away and spoke about it and since then it's been fine. They come in expecting to work, and there's a trust there which, I think, dates back to that day."
Release
It took Girls Aloud five months to release "No Good Advice". Nadine CoyleNadine Coyle
Nadine Coyle is an Irish singer, songwriter, actress, and model who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the band Six before becoming a member of successful girl-group Girls Aloud. The group amassed a joint fortune of £25 million by May 2009...
said in an interview with The Lipster, "We were No.1 for a month straight and then getting songs from all these other producers and we were, 'Nah, don't like it'. We waited from December to May before releasing a second single because we knew it had to be our strong point or we might as well kiss our careers goodbye." Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
further exclaimed, "We knew it was strong enough to come back with." Girls Aloud reportedly had to re-record "No Good Advice" because "it features rude words", such as "damn" and "shit". However, the line "Here I am / Dirty hands, I don't give a damn" was kept intact. An explicit version of the song appears on the special edition bonus disc of The Sound of Girls Aloud
The Sound of Girls Aloud
The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits anthology by British and Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2006 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, making it Girls Aloud's first number one album. As of...
, replacing the lyric "shut your mouth because it might show" with "shut your mouth because your shit might show". Furthermore, an early demo of the song appears on a singles boxset released in 2009.
The song was released as a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, featuring an exclusive b-side entitled "On a Round", which was covered by Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd .-Career:...
in 2008. The CD format also includes the Dreadzone Vocal Mix of "No Good Advice" and its music video. The DVD single
DVD single
A DVD single is a music single in the form of a DVD. The format was introduced in the late 1990s/early 2000s as a replacement for the VHS single...
did not actually feature the "No Good Advice" music video, just a photo gallery and behind-the-scenes footage. It did, however, include audio of the track and the video to "Sound of the Underground". Another remix, the Doublefunk Vocal Mix, was later featured on the "Life Got Cold" single and the remix album Mixed Up
Tangled Up
Tangled Up is the fourth studio album by the British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2007 by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, Tangled Up was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania...
.
Critical reception
"No Good Advice" received a generally positive response from most music critics. A BBC review described the song as "better than anything else [...] in the charts." Unlike many other songs, it was said to be "not obsessed with trying to be a cutting-edge club hit, [...] with at least three different killer hooks welded together" that borrowed heavily from the 1980s. It was said to be "just as good, if not better" than "Sound of the Underground". It provides "more brassy and in-your-face lyrics of defiance and determination [...] Higgins injects an element of instant-catchy-cool to the songs without going overboard in trying to shape uber-chic dance floor hits." Alternatively, Tourdates.co.uk said that "No Good Advice" was a failure at adding attitude to Girls Aloud's music and imitates "as many songs as possible." The song has been compared to The KnackThe Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
's "My Sharona
My Sharona
"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
".
In 2003, the song won the Popjustice £20 Music Prize
Popjustice £20 Music Prize
The Popjustice £20 Music Prize is an annual prize awarded by a panel of judges organised by music website Popjustice to the singer of the best British pop single of the past year....
, an annual prize awarded by a panel of judges organised by music website Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
to the singer(s) of the best British pop single of the past year. Popjustice founder Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (journalist)
Peter Robinson is a British music journalist. He is the creator of the pop music-based blog Popjustice. Robinson first came to the attention of music fans with his self-published biography/fanzine of The KLF, Justified and Ancient History...
wrote that the song "established a motif that would saturate Girls Aloud's string of subsequent singles: an unpredictable and triumphantly contrary desire to push and pull the band in exciting new directions at every turn."
Chart performance
"No Good Advice" debuted at number two on the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
, held off by R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
's "Ignition Remix". The song slipped to number five in its second week on the chart. The single lasted two more weeks in the top twenty at numbers eleven and seventeen respectively. Overall, "No Good Advice" was inside the top forty for six weeks; it spent an additional eight weeks in the top 75, selling over 105,000 copies. "No Good Advice" suffered a similar fate on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, peaking at number two behind Ireland's Eurovision finalist Mickey Joe Harte
Mickey Joe Harte
Michael Joseph Harte or now simply known as Mickey Harte is a professional singer-songwriter from Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland. He was chosen to represent Ireland in the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest with "We've Got the World"...
. It spent three consecutive weeks at number three, behind Harte and R. Kelly. The song fell to number seven in its fourth week on the Irish chart. It spent four further weeks in the top twenty.
The song also charted in the top fifty in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Holland, placing at numbers 45 and 26 respectively.
Music video
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s and dance. The last two scenes are intertwined with neon-coloured animated special effects the background, finally ending with an explosion scene.
In a special programme shown exclusively on MTV to promote their second album What Will the Neighbours Say?
What Will the Neighbours Say?
What Will the Neighbours Say? is the second album by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 2004 by Polydor Records. Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania were enlisted to produce the entire album, allowing for more inventive ideas...
, Girls Aloud confessed that they hated the "No Good Advice" video shoot. According to the group, both Cheryl and Sarah's trousers ripped and the make-up artist shouted at them. The group woke with bruised thighs the following day. The music video can be found on the group's 2005 DVD release Girls on Film
Girls on Film (DVD)
Girls On Film is the first music DVD by Girls Aloud and was released in 2005. The video contained all of their music videos at the time of release. It contained some of their most memorable television performances, and footage from their MTV special Girls Aloud - The Show...
. In the group's 2007 DVD Style
Style (DVD)
Style is the fifth DVD featuring Girls Aloud, was released on November 12, 2007. It features commentary from Girls Aloud on all of their favourite and least favourite outfits from their careers, as well as fashion tips...
, which also features the music video, Girls Aloud were horrified by the video upon watching it again. Regardless, viewers of FHM TV
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
voted the video for "No Good Advice" as the fifth sexiest music video of all time in 2006.
Live performances
"No Good Advice" was performed live for the first time on CD:UKCD:UK
CD:UK was a British music television programme. Originally run in conjunction with SMTV Live, the programme was first aired on ITV on 29 August 1998 to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking and was the replacement for The Chart Show, which had been airing on the network for nine and a half years.In...
on 5 April 2003, a month ahead of the single's release. Girls Aloud sang in front of a checkered background in red outfits with black accents, as seen on the single's artwork. The group returned to the show three more times to perform "No Good Advice", including a performance using taxi cabs as a prop and another using phone booths. It was performed on Top of the Pops Saturday
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
twice, as well as its parent show. Girls Aloud also visited Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
and Popworld
Popworld
Popworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
. It was also performed at a number of live events in 2003, such as Spring Break, Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Silver Clef
Silver Clef Award
The Silver Clef Award is an annual music award event based in the UK, which has been running since as early as 1976.-History:The Silver Clef fund-raising organization was founded in 1976 by musicians and managers from the British music industry to support all the charity and awarding activities of...
, Party in the Park
Party in the Park
Party in the Park is the generic name given to music concerts organised by various radio stations and local authorities in England and Wales, typically in large parks during the summer.-Leeds' Party in the Park:...
, the West Belfast Festival, and a festival in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Girls Aloud also sang the song on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's VIVA Interaktiv. In the United Kingdom, Girls Aloud later performed at the Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
telethon and on Popworlds Christmas special.
Girls Aloud performed "No Good Advice" on their first three concert tours. For their first tour, 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say? Live
What Will the Neighbours Say? Live
What Will the Neighbours Say? Live is Girls Aloud's first concert tour, in support of the group's second studio album What Will the Neighbours Say?...
, Girls Aloud performed the song in school uniforms. The rendition featured an introlude taken from part two of the Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
song "Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
". The following year, "No Good Advice" was featured as the second track on the Chemistry Tour
Chemistry Tour
The Chemistry Tour is Girls Aloud's second concert tour, in support of the group's third studio album Chemistry. Girls Aloud performed ten dates in various arenas across the United Kingdom, making it their shortest tour. The tour began in Nottingham on 22 May 2006 and concluded in London on 3 June...
. The group, who were created by mad scientists in the show's opening sequence, wore lab coats. The performance, influenced by Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, was set in a laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
as each member was paired with a male dance partner. After a dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
break
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
, the mad scientist dancers performed a "magic trick" in which he made Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
"disappear" and then reappear. For 2007's The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour
The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour
The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour is Girls Aloud's third concert tour, in support of the group's first greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits...
, Girls Aloud performed "No Good Advice" in lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
. The stage featured pedestals and platforms which Girls Aloud were on. For 2009's Out of Control Tour
Out of Control Tour
The Out of Control Tour is Girls Aloud's fourth arena-based concert tour and their fifth tour overall. The tour started on 24 April 2009 in Manchester's MEN Arena, with the final show on 6 June 2009 in Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena...
, "No Good Advice" was included in a greatest hits medley which closed the show.
Track listings and formats
UK CD (Polydor / 0965747)- "No Good Advice" — 3:48
- "On a Round" (Karen PooleKaren PooleKaren Poole is an English songwriter and singer, who gained initial fame with her younger sister, Shelly Poole, as the duo / band, Alisha's Attic.-List of compositions:...
, H. Korpi, M. Johansson) — 2:45 - "No Good Advice" (Dreadzone Vocal Mix) — 6:53
- "No Good Advice" (Video) — 3:46
UK DVD (Polydor / 0965749)
- "No Good Advice" (Audio) — 3:43
- "Sound of the Underground" (Video) — 3:46
- "No Good Advice" (Photo Gallery)
- "No Good Advice" (Behind-The-Scenes Footage) — 2:00
The Singles Boxset (CD2)
- "No Good Advice" — 3:48
- "On a Round" — 2:45
- "No Good Advice" (Dreadzone Vocal Mix) — 6:53
- "No Good Advice" (Doublefunk Dub Mix) — 7:12
- "No Good Advice" (Parental Advisory Version) — 3:48
- "No Good Advice" (Flip & Fill Remix) — 5:24
- "No Good Advice" (Video) — 3:46
- "Sound of the Underground" (Video) — 3:46
- "No Good Advice" (Photo Gallery)
- "No Good Advice" (Behind The Scenes Footage) — 2:00
Credits and personnel
- Guitar: Shawn Lee
- Mastering: Dick Beetham for 360 Mastering
- Mixing and additional production: Jeremy Wheatley for 365 Artists
- Production: Brian Higgins, Xenomania, Jon Shave (assistant)
- Programming and keyboards: Nick Coler, Matt Gray, Tim "Rolf" Larcombe, Tim Powell, Yoad NevoYoad NevoYoad Nevo is a London based producer/mixer known for his work with Jem, Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Adams, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Dandy Warhols, Goldfrapp, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Moby, Air, Morcheeba, amongst others...
for 365 Artists (additional) - Songwriting: Miranda CooperMiranda CooperMiranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, Brian HigginsBrian Higgins (producer)Brian Thomas Higgins is a British music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud, through his Xenomania production group...
, Lisa Cowling, Nick Coler, Lene Nystrøm, XenomaniaXenomaniaXenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes... - Vocals: Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
- Published by Warner/Chappell MusicWarner/Chappell MusicWarner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
and Xenomania Music
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) | 56 |