Once (Diana Vickers song)
Encyclopedia
"Once" is a song by the British
singer-songwriter Diana Vickers
, written by Cathy Dennis
and Eg White
for Vickers' studio album Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree
. "Once" was produced and mixed by Mike Spencer
and released as the album's lead single
and Vickers' debut single in the United Kingdom
on 19 April 2010. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles chart making it Vickers' most successful single release to date.
's Switch show on 31 January 2010. The song was A-listed on MTV and Radio 1's playlist. The song "Sunlight", which Vickers performed during her stint in the West End as Little Voice
featured on the single as a B-side.
Blog gave the song a positive review stating:
Popjustice
additionally gave "Once" a positive review for Vickers' debut single commenting:
on 7 February 2010. It was directed by Harvey Brown. It shows Vickers in various places and wearing different costumes with male dancers playing instruments around her. The video premiered on 3 March on Play.com
's website, encouraging viewers to pre order Vickers upcoming album. Since the release of the video it has gained almost 1 and a half million views on YouTube, combined with the Vevo version and the version on Vickers' own account.
. Since then, Vickers made a series of television appearances, including Scottish lifestyle show The Hour on 8 March 2010 and children's magazine programme Blue Peter
on 13 April 2010. She performed for GMTV
and BBC Switch
on 14 and 17 April 2010, respectively. Vickers also appeared on BBC Radio 1
for an interview with Scott Mills
on 12 April 2010, while he was the standby presenter on The Chris Moyles Show
. In addition, she performed "Once" and a cover of "Just Say Yes" by Snow Patrol
in the Live Lounge
on 22 April 2010. She also went on the BBC2 show "Something For The Weekend" and ITV1's Loose Women
but did not perform on either.
iTunes
on the 22 April 2010 at its peak of number 3. The following week the single fell 5 places to number 8 before climbing to number 6 on its third week in the chart. The song also debuted at number 5 on the European Hot 100. On 25 April 2010, "Once" debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number 1 selling approximately 70,000 copies in the first week of release. In its second week in the chart, the single fell 3 places to number 4, being replaced at number 1 by Roll Deep
's "Good Times
". "Once" has sold over 204,000 copies in the UK. The song debuted at number 5 in the European Hot 100 and in late May 2010, "Once" was added to radio playlists in New Zealand
and Australia
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer-songwriter Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...
, written by Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
and Eg White
Eg White
Francis Anthony "Eg" White is a British musician, songwriter and producer. White is primarily known for his work with successful commercial pop acts such as Adele, Duffy, Will Young and James Morrison...
for Vickers' studio album Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree
Upon its release, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree generated mixed reviews from music critics. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy awarded the album five out of five stars, stating that Vickers and her collaborators "have crafted an album that's drenched in accessible pop melodies while never sacrificing...
. "Once" was produced and mixed by Mike Spencer
Mike Spencer
Mike Spencer is an English record producer.Mike Spencer is primarily known for his production work with successful commercial pop acts such as Jamiroquai, Kylie Minogue and Newton Faulkner....
and released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
and Vickers' debut single in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 19 April 2010. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles chart making it Vickers' most successful single release to date.
Song information and release
"Once" was given its first play on the Big Top 40 as part of the New Year's Eve special. It later premiered on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Switch show on 31 January 2010. The song was A-listed on MTV and Radio 1's playlist. The song "Sunlight", which Vickers performed during her stint in the West End as Little Voice
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Sam Mendes directed stars Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman at the Royal National Theatre before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End....
featured on the single as a B-side.
Critical reception
The song was met with mostly positive reviews. Nick Levine of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
Blog gave the song a positive review stating:
If her pop career doesn't take off, Diana Vickers can always write a book called How Not To Do Things The Simon Cowell Way. Instead of taking the SycoSycoSyco Entertainment, often known as simply Syco , is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and exploitation of music, television, film and digital content...
lucre after finishing fourth on The X Factor back in '08, she signed to RCA - yes, we know it's part of the same label group - lined up a genuinely intriguing cast of collaborators for her debut album (Ellie Goulding, Lightspeed Champion, Guy Sigsworth), and even took time out to star in the West End revival of Little VoiceThe Rise and Fall of Little VoiceThe Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Sam Mendes directed stars Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman at the Royal National Theatre before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End....
. Leon JacksonLeon JacksonLeon Jackson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. He won the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled Leon's Life, which ran from 2007 until 2008...
, watch and weep.
Said album promises all manner of offbeat pop treats, but this debut single is a straight up brain-invader - well, what else would you expect from an Eg White/Cathy Dennis co-write? To be a little more precise, 'Once' is an electro-pop-rock monster whose key lyrical idea - "I'm only gonna let you kill me once" - could probably send Eoghan QuiggEoghan QuiggEoghan Quigg is an Irish pop singer and occasional actor from Dungiven in Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest The X Factor in 2008...
cross-eyed. Vickers's hiccupy yelp still won't be to all tastes, but there's no denying that the huge, guitar-powered chorus is as hard to ignore as... well... her trademark hand gesture. .
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....
additionally gave "Once" a positive review for Vickers' debut single commenting:
We were fans of Diana throughout the 2008 X FactorThe X Factor (UK)The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
run so it was something of a relief when, after all that, 'Once' turned out to be the sort of song you can point at and go "THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is not only a very good pop song but a very good song regardless of genre", which is in itself just as well because while it's obviously a big pop song 'Once' is more than just pop - a debut single that sounds odd and instantly familiar, fragile and bold at the same time.
Music video
The video for the song was filmed in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 7 February 2010. It was directed by Harvey Brown. It shows Vickers in various places and wearing different costumes with male dancers playing instruments around her. The video premiered on 3 March on Play.com
Play.com
Play Ltd., trading as Play.com, is a Jersey-based online retailer of DVDs, CDs, books, gadgets, video games, DRM-free MP3 downloads, and other electronic products, as well as clothes and accessories. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rakuten Group....
's website, encouraging viewers to pre order Vickers upcoming album. Since the release of the video it has gained almost 1 and a half million views on YouTube, combined with the Vevo version and the version on Vickers' own account.
Promotion
The first live performance of "Once" was at The Cooler in Bristol on 20 March 2010 on the first leg of her Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree TourSongs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour
The Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour was a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland by British singer-songwriter Diana Vickers, promoting her debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree...
. Since then, Vickers made a series of television appearances, including Scottish lifestyle show The Hour on 8 March 2010 and children's magazine programme 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...
on 13 April 2010. She performed for GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
and BBC Switch
BBC Switch
BBC Switch was the brand for BBC content aimed at UK teenagers. The brand launched on Saturday 20 October 2007 on BBC Two And ceased broadcasting on Saturday 17 December 2010...
on 14 and 17 April 2010, respectively. Vickers also appeared on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
for an interview with Scott Mills
Scott Mills
Scott Robert Mills is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1...
on 12 April 2010, while he was the standby presenter on The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
. In addition, she performed "Once" and a cover of "Just Say Yes" by Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
in the Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
on 22 April 2010. She also went on the BBC2 show "Something For The Weekend" and ITV1's Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
but did not perform on either.
Track listing
CD singleiTunes
Chart performance
The single first entered the Irish Singles ChartIrish 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...
on the 22 April 2010 at its peak of number 3. The following week the single fell 5 places to number 8 before climbing to number 6 on its third week in the chart. The song also debuted at number 5 on the European Hot 100. On 25 April 2010, "Once" debuted 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 ...
at number 1 selling approximately 70,000 copies in the first week of release. In its second week in the chart, the single fell 3 places to number 4, being replaced at number 1 by Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
's "Good Times
Good Times (Roll Deep song)
-Chart performance:"Good Times" first debuted on the Irish Singles Chart on 29 April 2010 at number 42. The following week the single rose 11 places to number 31...
". "Once" has sold over 204,000 copies in the UK. The song debuted at number 5 in the European Hot 100 and in late May 2010, "Once" was added to radio playlists in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Chart precession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 16 April 2010 | 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... |
RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| United Kingdom | 18 April 2010 | 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... |
RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| 19 April 2010 | 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... |