Valerie (The Zutons song)

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“Valerie”
“Valerie” cover
Single by The Zutons
from the album Tired of Hanging Around
B-side "April Fool", "I Will Be Your Pockets", "In the City", "Get Up and Dance"
Released 19 June 2006 (UK)
Format CD single, 7" single
Recorded The Townhouse
(London)
Olympic Studio 2
(London)
The Bunker
(London)
Genre Indie rock
Length 3:56
Label Deltasonic
Writer(s) Dave McCabe, The Zutons
Producer Stephen Street
The Zutons singles chronology
"Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?"
(2006)		 "Valerie"
(2006)		 "Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)"
(2006)

"Valerie" is an indie rock song written by Dave McCabe and the English band The Zutons for the band's second studio album, Tired of Hanging Around (2006). Released as the album's second single on 19 June 2006 in the United Kingdom, it peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Scott Lyon.

The song was used by ITV during their coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, alongside the Kasabian cover version of David Bowie's "Heroes" and Country Girl by Primal Scream.

In 2007, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse recorded a jazz/R&B version for Ronson's album Version, which became an international hit and outsold the original, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

[edit] Track listings and formats

CD 1
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "April Fool"
CD 2
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "I Will Be Your Pockets"
  3. "In the City"
  4. "Valerie" (Video)
7" single
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "Get Up and Dance"

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
European Hot 100 Singles[1] 33
Euro 200[2] 39
Irish Singles Chart[3] 32
UK Singles Chart[3] 9

[edit] Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse version

“Valerie”
“Valerie” cover
Single by Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse
from the album Version and Back to Black - Deluxe Edition
B-side "California" (Live)
Released 15 October 2007 (UK)
Format CD single, digital download
Recorded 2007
Genre Jazz,Soul
Length 3:39 (Version album version)
3:53 (Back to Black - Deluxe Edition album version)
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Dave McCabe, The Zutons
Producer Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson singles chronology
"Oh My God"
(2007)		 "Valerie"
(2007)		 "Wake Up Call" (Remix)
(2007)
Amy Winehouse singles chronology
"Tears Dry on Their Own"
(2007)		 "Valerie"
(2007)		 "Love Is a Losing Game"
(2007)

English singers Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse covered "Valerie" for Ronson's second studio album, Version (2007). Released as the album's third single on 15 October 2007, the track was originally done when Winehouse appeared on Jo Whiley's Live Lounge show on BBC Radio 1. The song was featured on the feature film 27 Dresses.

[edit] Chart performance

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This single has become the highest-charting single of Amy Winehouse's career so far[chronology source needed] (reaching number two), with previous efforts "Rehab" and "Tears Dry on Their Own" peaking at number seven and number sixteen respectively. Another version of the song credited only to Winehouse appeared on the UK Singles Chart at the same time as the Ronson collaboration, peaking at number thirty-seven and spending, to date[chronology source needed], thirteen non-consecutive weeks on the chart.

The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent nineteen consecutive weeks inside the top twenty. With sales of 329,490, it became the UK's ninth biggest-selling single of 2007.[4] As of 8 June 2008, the single has sold 460,440 copies in the UK, and spent thirty-six consecutive weeks on the Official UK Singles Chart between September 2007 and May 2008.

The song was released in early 2008 in the Netherlands, quickly gaining airplay and sales. It is both Ronson and Winehouse's most successful song in the country, peaking at number one for four consecutive weeks so far[chronology source needed]. During the week of 14 February, Ronson's version and Winehouse's acoustic version occupied, respectively, the number-one and number-two spots of the Dutch iTunes's Top Songs. The next week, both spots stood, but a third Valerie, the one which appears on the Valerie - EP, also reached as high as number 4.

"Valerie" was performed in a Ronson medley during the 2008 BRIT Awards ceremony on 20 February 2008, with an appearance by Winehouse, being the first time the two have performed the song together. The song also received a nomination for "British Single", but lost out to Take That's "Shine". This performance would allow the song to move 20 spots in the iTunes Top 100 of the UK, as well as to jump back to the Top 20 in the UK Top 75 Singles Chart[citation needed].

The single's music video, directed by Robert Hales, was filmed in London on 28 August 2007.[5] It shows Mark Ronson and a group of jazz musicians inviting a woman from the audience onto their stage to "sing" the song (after they notice that Winehouse isn't present), followed by (presumably) the woman's friends, in the style of group karaoke—although the women essentially mime to Winehouse's voice. A third video of the song has been produced for the Baby J remix, which features samples from the Winehouse/Ronson edition with a rap overlay that makes frequent reference to Ronson and Winehouse (although no mention of The Zutons), as does the video itself. Wale, a rapper, can be seen in the beginning of the video.

To date[chronology source needed], it is Winehouse's most successful chart entry in the UK, Germany (where it jumped from number seventy-two to number six in one week), and the Netherlands.

As of 25 May 2008, the song is still currently on the hit40uk chart and has been for 29 weeks.

[edit] Track listings and formats

CD single
  1. "Valerie"
  2. "Valerie" (Baby J Remix)
  3. "Valerie" (Count of Monte Cristal & Sinden Remix)
  4. "California" (Live from Wireless Festival)

[edit] Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Croatian Airplay Chart[6] 3
European Hot 100 Singles[7] 11
Irish Singles Chart[8] 3
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[8] 39
Portuguese Single Charts[9] 50
UK Singles Chart[8] 2
UK R&B Singles Chart 1
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Ö3 Austria Top 40[8] 6
Belgian Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders)[8] 18
Bulgarian National Top 40[8] 31
Dutch Top 40[8] 1
German Singles Chart[8] 3
Euro 200[10] 4
Polish National Top 50[11] 50
Slovak Airplay Chart[12] 27
Swiss Singles Chart[8] 4
United World Chart[13] 40
Australia ARIA Charts 75
Preceded by
"Apologize" by Timbaland presents OneRepublic		 Dutch Top 40 number-one single
(Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse version)
January 26, 2008 – February 16, 2008		 Succeeded by
"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis

[edit] Other versions

"Valerie" has also been covered by dance vocalist Suzi Z, with the reference to "ginger hair" removed. James Morrison and Panic at the Disco have also covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2008.

It was performed by X Factor Series 4 contestant Alisha Bennett, on the third round of the live shows (Big Band week). She received positive reviews from the judges.

It was sung by Niamh on the fourth round of of BBC's "I'd Do Anything" in 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ European Hot 100 Singles. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  2. ^ Euro 200 archives. APC-stats. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  3. ^ a b Zutons – Valerie – Music Charts. αCharts.us. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  4. ^ Top 40 Singles of the Year 2007. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  5. ^ Mark Ronson f/ Amy Winehouse - "Valerie". Elbo.ws (15 September 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  6. ^ e!Hot50 Singles (Croatian). e!Hot50. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  7. ^ European Hot 100 Singles. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse – Valerie – Music Charts. αCharts.us. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  9. ^ APCCHART.COM © 1988 - 2007 APC-stats EU/UE
  10. ^ Euro 200 archives. APC-stats. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  11. ^ Polish National Top 50. APC-stats. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  12. ^ RADIO TOP100 Oficiálna (Slovak). IFPI. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  13. ^ United World Chart

12. http://www.charts.co.il/charts.asp?id=14

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The Zutons
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v • d • e
Mark Ronson
Albums
Singles
"Ooh Wee" • "Just" • "Stop Me" • "Oh My God" • "Valerie"
v • d • e
Amy Winehouse
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