| "Beat of My Drum" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Nicola Roberts | ||||
| from the album Cinderella's Eyes | ||||
| B-side | "Disco Blisters and a Comedown" "Porcelain Heart" |
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| Released | 3 June 2011 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop, electronica | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Writer(s) | Nicola Roberts, Maya von Doll, Wesley Pentz, Dimitri Tikovoi | |||
| Producer | Diplo & Dimitri Tikovoi | |||
| Nicola Roberts singles chronology | ||||
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"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion, something which Roberts was concerned with. The song was produced by record producers Dimitri Tikovoi with additional production from Diplo with the song being written by Nicola Roberts, Dimitri Tikovoi and Maya von Doll. Written to be British and fun, Roberts intended the song to be one to which people can sing and dance.
"Beat of My Drum" is a dance-pop track with themes of indie pop, and has been compared to the work of artists including M.I.A. and Major Lazer. Lyrically, the song discusses Roberts's days in the band Girls Aloud; while part of the group, she felt undervalued in comparison to other members. In November 2011 after the demo of a Madonna track leaked onto the internet, fans and critics alike noted similarities to Roberts' own "Beat of My Drum" for its cheerleader style chant, which went onto receive controversy in the media.
"Beat of My Drum" gathered acclaim from critics, with some describing it as more original than solo releases by other members of Girls Aloud and garnering comparisons to artists such as Kelis and Robyn. Commercially, "Beat of My Drum" failed to make a large impact; in the United Kingdom it charted at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart and one place higher on the Scottish Singles chart. In Ireland, the song peaked at number 37. A music video featuring Roberts performing in a hall with dancers was released. The video saw her wear a 1970s inspired outfit, and gained positive responses from critics. Roberts performed the song on T4 on the Beach, which was her first solo television performance, and on Paul O'Grady Live.
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Before starting her solo career, Roberts was one fifth of the girl band Girls Aloud.[1] Roberts claimed that, in retrospect, she found the experience troubling. She struggled to handle the celebrity life and the constant media attention. In particular, she received negative attention concerning her image.[1] The experience led her to start to develop her debut album,[1] which, lyrically, reflected the difficult times she experienced in Girls Aloud. In "Beat of My Drum", Roberts describes herself as a "baby in the corner".[2] Roberts confirmed that she had co-written all of the tracks from Cinderella's Eyes, with the lyrics telling stories of things that happened in her life.[3] She stated that she had always wanted "Beat of My Drum" to be something different from the music that her rivals were presenting in the charts,[3] saying that she loved that "it's a song everyone can sing and dance to".[4] While talking of "Beat of My Drum", Roberts said that the song had a "fun concept" with a British influence; for her, Cinderella Eyes as whole "has a very British sound", which was an important consideration.[3]
"Beat of My Drum", had an on air, on sale release, Roberts stated that Universal Records wanted to release the track that way, as it was the way they were releasing all of their new work.[5] The release of this nature, was due to illegal downloading, and the record label was attempting to avoid illegal downloads as much as possible as Roberts stated, "it's now harder for artists".[5] Talking of Girls Aloud, Roberts stated she was used to releasing a song after around six weeks of promotion, including radio, television and press promotion, and commented that it was "very scary" to release a song without this publicity.[5] She also noted the effect of this kind of release against chart positions, she said, "I think it's harder for the public now because it's always been about the chart position. I also think it takes the excitement out of the charts because it's not a competition anymore."[5]
"I could hear it in my head but I couldn't do it. We were searching for this sound and we tried everything. It just wouldn't work. It got to the point where I came down with a cold and I was like, 'I'm making myself ill.' I've never felt stress like the stress I felt making this record. Then I said, 'I know who can do this. I really want Diplo to come on board. As soon as I explained to Diplo what I wanted, he just got it straight away."
Originally just Roberts and producer Dimitri Tikovoi were recording the track together, the pair struggled to complete the track, with Roberts saying "It just wouldn't work".[6] The incompletion of the song led to stress and illness for Roberts, and after deciding to ask producer Diplo to work on the record, Roberts explained "he just got is straight away".[6] In an effort to perfect the music, Roberts noted that communications were strict between her and Diplo.[1] Talking to The Guardian, Roberts spoke of her first contact with Diplo by saying that "I only had one chance, so I just fired at him. 'I want this, I want that, don't send it back like that. I'm going to send you the session again just so you've got it.' He reassured me a bit, and I put the phone down, thinking, it's not in my hands now."[1] When she got the track back from Diplo, she was too nervous to listen to it immediately. Roberts claimed that she did not want to be let down by the track, as the song meant a lot to her.[1] She first listened to the song in her hometown of Liverpool; after burning the track to a CD, she put her younger brother and sister in the car with her, drove to a deserted field and played it loudly.[1] After positive responses from the pair, Roberts declared "I'm so proud of it. I can't believe it's mine. [Diplo] is a genius".[1]
"Beat of my Drum" is a dance-pop track with themes of indie pop, and has been compared to the work of M.I.A. and Daphne & Celeste.[2] The verses, choruses and bridges are all distinctively different; the chorus consists of chants, the verses are spoken, and the bridge are dancehall themed.[2] The section features dancehall themes and gathered comparisons to the act Major Lazer, in the bridge Roberts sings "Don't it make your heart go wow, How I've turned this whole thing around?".[2] The vocals are performed against sirens, and, lyrically, the song references the times Roberts felt undervalued while part of Girls Aloud. She sings "Two left feet I had no beat, Baby in the corner learning quick, keep up, keep up, keep up".[2]
After the leak of the Madonna track "Give Me All Your Love" in November 2011 critics and fans alike noted similarities to the track and Roberts own "Beat of My Drum"[7] The comparisons arose after the "cheerleader-style" chorus is heard on the Madonna track as she chants the lyrics "L-U-V Madonna" whilst Roberts track features the lyrics "L.O.V.E/ Dance to the beat of my drum/ Dance to the beat of my drum."[7] A writer for the Daily Mirror in the United Kingdom commented on the comparison calling "Give Me All Your Love" "a poor variation on Nicola Roberts’ Beat Of My Drum" and negatively commenting on the misspelling of "love", which Madonna stylized as "l-u-v".[8]
The song has received positive reviews from critics. Robert Copsey, writing for Digital Spy, gave the song five out of five stars, saying that "Once named the least desirable member of Girls Aloud, the transformation of Nicola Roberts from pasty and awkward backing singer into glowing, haute couture pop songstress has been a magnificent spectacle."[2] Jeff Benjamin of Billboard called Roberts's effort the most "intriguing" out of all the Girls Aloud solo efforts. He said that Roberts had potential for success in the United States, comparing the song to the work of such artists as M.I.A., Robyn and Kelis. He asked readers to imagine that "a young M.I.A. -- mixed with Robyn and Yelle -- went on a shopping spree to Urban Outfitters, started chanting "L! O! V! E!" and turned it all into a true summer anthem."[9] A writer from website Popjustice noted that "Beat of My Drum" "hardly happened by accident" but that "it feels really carefree and spontaneous", explaining "what we mean by that is that you can tell a lot of care and attention has gone into it".[10]
Dean Piper of the Daily Mirror called the song "fantastic" claiming that Roberts "means business with her debut solo material", and saying he could not "get enough of the single", calling it "classic pop, fresh and fantastic."[11] Michael Cragg, writing for The Guardian, compared the chanting chorus to that of Justice vs. Simian's track, "We Are Your Friends". He called it both "ridiculously cool and a bit naff".[12] In response to the general acclaim from critics, Roberts wished that the track would be well-received amongst her peers, saying "I haven't seen one bad review from the single or album samplers – it seems too good to be true. The response from critics has been amazing. It's like being at school and being told ‘well done’ by the teachers but I want my classmates to like it too. I want the people at home to get something from the record. Then I'll be doubly happy."[13]
In the United Kingdom the song debuted at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, on the issue date of June 18, 2011.[14] The following week the single fell outside of the top 40 to number 64 and continued falling in its third week placing at number 88.[14] However on 16 July 2011, the fourth week it rose to number 76 and again in its fifth week where it charted at number 50.[14] In Ireland, the single debuted and peaked at number 37 on the chart,[15] whilst in Scotland the song debuted at number 26 on the issue date of 18 June 2011.[16]
A music video for "Beat of My Drum" was produced and directed by Wendy Morgan. Roberts called Morgan "focused and passionate", saying she felt comfortable with her immediately. Roberts calls herself a perfectionist, and she also saw Morgan as one; it was, for Roberts, because of this that they enjoyed working together.[17] The music video and production was featured on the Through Nicola's Eyes webisodes, in which Roberts stated that she found the production of the music video very stressful. She said "I'm nervous and I'm dreading the night before... I know I'm going to be like losing half a stone in weight overnight, so I'm going to have to get myself into the zone."[18] Roberts attributed her stress on the set of the video to her time with Girls Aloud, as she had always recorded music videos with four other members; this was the first time she had performed on her own. This meant that critical responses would only be aimed only at her.[18] During the shoot of the music video, Roberts further discussed the anxiety of a solo career claiming pressure from Morgan was making her feel uncomfortable.[19] During the production, Roberts feared that feeling uncomfortable whilst shooting could have an overall negative effect on the video, explaining "You've got to like be strong and be professional and get through it, obviously enjoy it, but if you feel uncomfortable, you can't look uncomfortable otherwise it's not going to work".[19]
The video opens with two men street dancing in a white hall, with speakers and chairs scattered around. Shots of an audience lead to Roberts walking to a microphone positioned on a stage before she starts lip-synching, wearing a 1970s style outfit.[20] After knocking over the microphone stand, Roberts performs a routine with three female back-up dancers in front of multiple speakers. During the chorus, she dances with the same three dancers, whilst shots of men watching them are shown. Roberts then leads the three women through the hall before they perform a dance section in the bridge of the track. Three men marching in a small white room are shown, leading to a shot of Roberts marching alongside a marching band of drummers. She is then shown in a multi-coloured sweater-dress, stood atop a speaker and surrounded by dancers. Final shots show Roberts producing shapes of letters L, O, V, and E with cheerleaders. The video ends with Roberts casually interacting with her dancers.
On her official Twitter account, Roberts spoke of her excitement for the video, writing "ARGHHHHHH! I'm SO proud of Team Ginge! Just had my final video cut through. I'm SO excited for you to see it. I LOVE it and cant believe it".[4] A writer from MTV Buzzworthy stated they were "sold" on the concept, explaining that "[o]utfitted in a colorful onesie, Nicola employs a troupe of dancers, a drumline, and a cheerleading squad" in her the video, before "mounting a stack of speakers, which she uses as a platform to urges listeners to dance to the beat of her drum."[3] The Daily Mail's Jessica Satherley responded well, noting that Roberts's "adventurous dance moves certainly give her Girls Aloud pal Cheryl Cole a run for her money."[20] The Daily Mail also reported that Perez Hilton liked the video; in a Twitter comment, he said "I am dancing to the beat of my drum!!! Just heard the song in full and I am LIVING for [Roberts's] new single! Vid looks HOT too!!".[20]
Roberts performed the song on 2011's T4 on the Beach, and this was her first live solo performance. Asked whether she was nervous about the performance, she said she had "forgotten what a crowd like that feels and looks like. I try not to get nervous - I don't like to think about things too much beforehand, otherwise I worry too much. I like to deal with the situation when it happens."[21] During the performance a beat-boxer from Norfolk in the United Kingdom was picked to perform with her on stage.[22] Tom Povey with the stage name of Intensi T said "It's so cool and the highlight of my career so far", Povey was spotted whilst he was performing in a show in a London pub, he expressed his excitement at the performance saying "I was just really excited as I've done so many gigs, building up from small shows, so I knew it would be just like any other show but with a bigger audience," he said.[22] In addition to the performance at T4 on the Beach Roberts performed the track on British chat-shows Daybreak and The Paul O'Grady Show.[23]
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| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 37 |
| Scotland (The Official Charts Company)[16] | 26 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[14] | 27 |
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 3 June 2011[27] | Polydor Records | Digital download |
| United Kingdom | 5 June 2011[24] | ||
| 11 July 2011[26] | CD single |
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