Sweet About Me
Encyclopedia
"Sweet About Me" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi
from her debut album, Lessons to Be Learned
(2008). Co-written with and produced by Xenomania
, it was released in April 2008 as the album's lead single
. The song was used in commercials for Sure
and Dove
Bodywash in Europe, as well as a commercial for Rexona
Roll On in Brazil. It additionally was used in a Hair Cuttery
commercial in the U.S. for a short period of time. The song appears on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian telenovela A Favorita
and on the soundtrack to the Portuguese telenovela Feitiço de Amor. It was also featured in the "Chapter Ten: Let It Be" episode of the NBC
series Lipstick Jungle
and in an episode of the VH1
reality television series Rock of Love: Charm School.
There are two versions of the song: the album version and the radio edit. The first verse is cut in half in the radio edit and the song opens up with the lyrics: "Oh, watching me hanging by a string this time" followed by "Oh, easily climax of a perfect lie". In the album version, there is a repetition of the first line followed by the line: "Don't, easily a smile worth a hundred lies"; the radio edit omits these two lines before going into the pre-chorus. A Twenty Ten mix of "Sweet About Me" was included on Cilmi's second album, Ten
, released in March 2010.
On 21 December 2009, PRS for Music announced that "Sweet About Me" was the most played song in the United Kingdom during 2009. The song also won the Grand Prix during the 46th Sopot International Song Festival
in 2009.
, directed by Mike Baldwin, depicts Cilmi performing with her band in a warehouse
-like location, surrounded by trapped and tied men. The video also features an appearance from a double of Jimi Hendrix
, who appears to be seduced by Cilmi along with several other men.
and is certified platinum for sales of 70,000 copies. It reached number one again on 19 May, where it sat for four weeks, while her debut album reached number two on the albums chart. This makes her the youngest Australian artist to reach the top of the charts, beating out Australian Idol
winner Casey Donovan
by just nineteen days. On 27 October 2008, "Sweet About Me" re-entered the Australian chart at number seventeen. The song would ultimately become the third highest-selling single of 2008 in Australia.
On 9 March 2008, "Sweet About Me" debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number sixty-eight, rising to its peak position of number six in its fifteen week on the run. On 20 July, months after its release, the song reached number two on the UK Airplay Chart. On 27 July, the song managed to climb five spots from number twelve to number seven. However, the following week, the song fell back to number twelve, then to number sixteen, and number eighteen the following week, but rising again to number fifteen. After several weeks of going down the charts, it re-entered the top forty on 5 October rising from number sixty-five to number thirty-eight. The song spent thirty-seven consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart before finally dropping out on 23 November. Cilmi recorded a performance of the song for a Christmas revival of the axed music show Top of the Pops
, which aired on Christmas Day 2008 on BBC One
. "Sweet About Me" became the UK's twenty-sixth best-selling single of 2008.
UK re-release CD single
iTunes remix and live EP
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
from her debut album, Lessons to Be Learned
Lessons to Be Learned
Lessons to Be Learned is the debut album by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi, released in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2008 by Island Records and in Australia on 10 May 2008 by Mushroom Records...
(2008). Co-written with and produced by 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...
, it was released in April 2008 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...
. The song was used in commercials for Sure
Sure (brand)
In the UK and other European countries, Sure is the name of a brand of antiperspirant deodorant for men and women produced by Unilever, marketed with the tagline "It Won't Let You Down"....
and Dove
Dove (brand)
Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever.Dove products are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey and United States. The products are sold in more than 35 countries and are offered for both women and men.. The Dove...
Bodywash in Europe, as well as a commercial for Rexona
Rexona
Rexona is a deodorant brand manufactured by Anglo Dutch company Unilever. It was developed in 1908 by an Australian pharmacist and his wife.The brand Rexona also exists in India...
Roll On in Brazil. It additionally was used in a Hair Cuttery
Hair Cuttery
Hair Cuttery is a United States-based unisex hair salon, founded by Dennis and Anne Ratner in 1974.The first salon opened in West Springfield, Virginia, and the enterprise has since expanded to become the largest privately-held salon chain in the United States, with locations up and down the East...
commercial in the U.S. for a short period of time. The song appears on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian telenovela A Favorita
A Favorita
A Favorita was a popular and award-winning telenovela, first broadcast in Brazil at Rede Globo from June 2, 2008 to January 17, 2009. During its broadcast, it ranked within the top of the most watched shows in Brazil....
and on the soundtrack to the Portuguese telenovela Feitiço de Amor. It was also featured in the "Chapter Ten: Let It Be" episode of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series Lipstick Jungle
Lipstick Jungle (TV series)
Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler for NBC Universal Television Studio . The hour-long series was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who also served as executive producer alongside...
and in an episode of the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reality television series Rock of Love: Charm School.
There are two versions of the song: the album version and the radio edit. The first verse is cut in half in the radio edit and the song opens up with the lyrics: "Oh, watching me hanging by a string this time" followed by "Oh, easily climax of a perfect lie". In the album version, there is a repetition of the first line followed by the line: "Don't, easily a smile worth a hundred lies"; the radio edit omits these two lines before going into the pre-chorus. A Twenty Ten mix of "Sweet About Me" was included on Cilmi's second album, Ten
Ten (Gabriella Cilmi album)
Ten is the second album by Australian-born singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi. Ten was released on 22 March 2010 in Australia. The album is preceded by the single "On a Mission" and marks Cilmi's foray into more 1980s inspired music...
, released in March 2010.
On 21 December 2009, PRS for Music announced that "Sweet About Me" was the most played song in the United Kingdom during 2009. The song also won the Grand Prix during the 46th Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
in 2009.
Music video
The single's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Mike Baldwin, depicts Cilmi performing with her band in a warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
-like location, surrounded by trapped and tied men. The video also features an appearance from a double of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, who appears to be seduced by Cilmi along with several other men.
Chart performance
On 14 April, the song topped the ARIA Singles ChartARIA 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...
and is certified platinum for sales of 70,000 copies. It reached number one again on 19 May, where it sat for four weeks, while her debut album reached number two on the albums chart. This makes her the youngest Australian artist to reach the top of the charts, beating out Australian Idol
Australian Idol (season 2)
The second season of Australian Idol debuted on 13 July 2004. Over 50,000 people throughout Australia auditioned.-Overview:As well as the five larger cities, the judges also visited Canberra, Hobart, Darwin and Tamworth this year...
winner Casey Donovan
Casey Donovan (singer)
-Australian Idol :Donovan transferred to the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney's Surry Hills in 2004 and it was in this year that her stepfather encouraged her to audition for the second season of Australian Idol...
by just nineteen days. On 27 October 2008, "Sweet About Me" re-entered the Australian chart at number seventeen. The song would ultimately become the third highest-selling single of 2008 in Australia.
On 9 March 2008, "Sweet About Me" 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 sixty-eight, rising to its peak position of number six in its fifteen week on the run. On 20 July, months after its release, the song reached number two on the UK Airplay Chart. On 27 July, the song managed to climb five spots from number twelve to number seven. However, the following week, the song fell back to number twelve, then to number sixteen, and number eighteen the following week, but rising again to number fifteen. After several weeks of going down the charts, it re-entered the top forty on 5 October rising from number sixty-five to number thirty-eight. The song spent thirty-seven consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart before finally dropping out on 23 November. Cilmi recorded a performance of the song for a Christmas revival of the axed music show Top of the Pops
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...
, which aired on Christmas Day 2008 on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. "Sweet About Me" became the UK's twenty-sixth best-selling single of 2008.
Track listings and formats
UK and Australian CD single- "Sweet About Me"
- "Echo BeachEcho Beach"Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. It was released as a single from their album Metro Music in 1980 and won the Juno Award for Single of the Year. It was certified gold in Canada on October 1, 1980, a month after Metro Music achieved gold status...
" - "This Game"
UK re-release CD single
- "Sweet About Me"
- "Sweet About Me" (Robbie Rivera Remix)
iTunes remix and live EP
- "Sweet About Me" (Sunship Vocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Matthew Herbert's Savoury Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Ashley Beedle Vocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Truth & Soul Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Later with Jools Holland)
Personnel
- Produced by 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...
/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... - Mixed by Jeremy Wheatley, Assisted by Richard Edgeler
- Vocals: Gabriella Cilmi
- Keyboards: Brian Higgins, Tim Larcombe & Tim Powell
- Drums: Marc Parnell
- Guitars: Gabriella Cilmi & Jason Resch
- Bass: Kieran Jones
- Cello: Nick Squires
- Vibes & Xylophone: Brian Higgins & Nick Coler
- Harmonica: Mark FelthamMark Feltham (musician)Mark Feltham is an English musician best known for his harmonica playing. Feltham is a long term member of the British rhythm and blues band, Nine Below Zero, and Rory Gallagher's band; and is often utilised as a session musician.-Albums:*Nine Below Zero: Live at the Marquee ; Don't Point Your...
- Programmed by Tim Powell & Brian Higgins
Charts
| Chart (2008–09) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... (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... ) |
99 |
Certifications
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | 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... |
3 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
10 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
18 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
27 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
3 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 10 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
79 |
| 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... |
10 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
45 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
4 |
| 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 ... |
26 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Airplay Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 93 |
Decade-end charts
| (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 41 |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia in 2008
- List of number-one hits in Norway
External links
- Review of "Sweet About Me" on Unreality Music
- Acoustic version performed by Cilmi on Norwegian radio channel P3
- Sweet about me on SpotifySpotifySpotify is a Swedish-founded, UK-headquartered DRM-based music streaming service offering streaming of selected music from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Universal. Launched in October 2008 by Swedish startup Spotify AB, the service had...