"Foundations" | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kate Nash | ||||||||
from the album Made of Bricks | ||||||||
B-side | Habanera Navy Taxi Old Dances |
|||||||
Released | 18 June 2007 31 August 2007 4 September 2007 |
|||||||
Format | CD, 7", download | |||||||
Genre | Indie pop | |||||||
Length |
4:05 3:44 (Clean Radio Edit) |
|||||||
Label | Fiction/Moshi | |||||||
Writer(s) | Kate Nash, Paul Epworth | |||||||
Certification | Silver (BPI) | |||||||
Kate Nash singles chronology | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
"Foundations" is a song co-written by British singer-songwriter Kate Nash for her debut album Made of Bricks (2007). It was released as the album's lead single in June 2007, her first single since signing with Fiction Records after the success of her debut single "Caroline's a Victim".
Contents |
The song is written in C major and uses the three main chords of the key C, F and G as the riff which is used as a simple eight bar ostinato. It follows ABABABCB.
The music video was directed by Kinga Burza[1] and makes use of video, still shots and stop motion animation. Colourful everyday items such as toothbrushes, shoes, socks and toys (one of which appears to be a Yellow Power Ranger) are prominent.
It follows the song closely, and is made up of several main scenes; Nash playing a card game, turning in bed, eating lemons ("you've said I must eat so many lemons, because I am so bitter"), sitting on a staircase, arm wrestling, decorating a cake and sitting in her lounge. The video ends as she packs her suitcase and walks out of the house.
The song has received almost universally positive reviews from British critics.[2] In August 2007, The Guardian gave the song a mixed review, citing its strong comparisons to Lily Allen, but praised the "indelible chorus".[3] In September 2007, Pitchfork Media gave a positive review of the song, citing Nash's "gift for communicating confusing romance with a keen eye for detail and scene-stealing turns of phrase".[4] The Los Angeles Times, also cited Nash's lyrical gift in Foundations in their review.[5] In January 2008, Rolling Stone gave the song a positive review stating, "The rushed verses of "Foundations" – in which Nash dissects a couple's argument – convey sadness and snarkiness at once, and those verses sound pretty inviting, too."[6] That same month, The New York Times gave the song an overwhelmingly positive review, hailing the song as her best and continuing with "The song is bright, peppy and mercilessly perceptive".[7] In February 2008, Slant Magazine hailed the track as "energetic and borderline sadistic".[8] In December 2008, Slant ranked the song at No. 17 on their list of the top 25 U.S. released singles of 2008.[9]
The song has sold 325,000 copies in the UK as stated by the Official UK Charts Company.
On 22 July 2007, Nash performed "Foundations" at 2007's T4 on the Beach in Weston-super-Mare. The single was a commercial success, ending 2007 as the year's 17th biggest-selling single in the UK.[10] On 15 January 2008, she performed the song on the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
All songs written by Kate Nash.
UK CD | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Habanera" | 2:24 |
UK Vinyl 1 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Old Dances" | 4:26 |
UK Vinyl 2 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Navy Taxi" | 5:30 |
Australian CD | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Habanera" | 2:24 | |||||||
3. | "Navy Taxi" | 5:30 | |||||||
4. | "Old Dances" | 4:26 |
US CD | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Navy Taxi" | 5:30 | |||||||
3. | "Caroline's A Victim" | 3:01 | |||||||
4. | "Habanera" | 2:24 |
US Digital EP | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations" | 4:05 | |||||||
2. | "Navy Taxi" | 5:30 | |||||||
3. | "Caroline's A Victim" | 3:01 | |||||||
4. | "Foundations (Video)" |
iTunes Digital Download | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations (Acoustic Version)" | 3:36 | |||||||
Total length:
|
3:36 |
7digital Digital Download | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length | |||||||
1. | "Foundations (Metromony Version)" | 3:55 | |||||||
Total length:
|
3:55 |
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[11] | 39 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] | 22 |
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[13] | 8 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] | 7 |
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[15] | 49 |
Germany (Media Control AG)[16] | 37 |
Ireland (IRMA)[17] | 12 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 61 |
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[19] | 2 |
|