"The Shield and the Sword" is the third single by English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 singer-songwriter Clare Maguire

Clare Maguire

Clare Rita Mary Maguire is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists. Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts...

, taken from her debut album Light After Dark

Light After Dark

Light After Dark is the debut album by British singer-songwriter Clare Maguire which went in at number 7 in the UK Albums Chart. "Ain't Nobody" was released as the first single from the album on 18 October 2010, followed by "The Last Dance", which was released on 20 February 2011.- Composition...

. It was released 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 9 May 2011 through Polydor Records

Polydor Records

Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

.

Live performances

Maguire performed the song on air for the first time on Ruth Jones's Easter Treat on Saturday 23rd April. She also performed the song on T4 and music show Koko Pop.

Music video

A music video has been filmed, the director was Hope Audikana who has directed for I Blame Coco. The video premiered on 19 April 2011 on Maguire's official Vevo

Vevo

Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...

 account. It depicts Maguire in a number of different guises singing and dancing.

Reception

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song 4 out of 5 stars, commenting that "never let it be said that Clare Maguire is workshy. Having juggled the release of her top ten album, a headline UK tour and a support slot for The Script, it's no wonder her impressive remixes are causing her the occasional out-of-body experience. In fact, looking at the accompanying promo for her latest chart assault, she appears to have turned her psychological issues into an art form.

"You have the shield/ I'll take the sword/ I no longer love you," Maguire booms in her distinctive Lennox

Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...

-meets-Moyet

Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...

 tone over soaring strings, a funky piano riff and a thumping beat that sounds like a soul/disco mash-up released from the M People

M People

M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...

 vaults. In fact, the only thing convincing us it's not is her co-write on the track itself - does this woman ever stop?"

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak positions
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	91

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format
United Kingdom	9 May 2011	Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...	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...