5 Colours in Her Hair

"5 Colours in Her Hair"
Single by McFly
from the album Room on the 3rd Floor
Released 29 March 2004
Format CD single, 7" picture disc
Recorded 2003
Genre Pop rock, surf pop
Length 2:58
Label Island
Writer(s) James Bourne, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones
Producer(s) Craig Hardy
McFly singles chronology
"5 Colours in Her Hair"
(2004)		 "Obviously"
(2004)

"5 Colours in Her Hair" is the debut single by English pop rock band McFly. It was also the band's first UK number one. It stayed at the top for two weeks.[1] The song was written by two of the band members, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, and Busted member James Bourne. The track is especially well known for its "Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo!" lyrics, played at the beginning and at the ending of the song. The track is an homage to As If actress Emily Corrie. The CD also features a duet with Busted singing a cover of The Kinks song "Lola".

Overall, it spent twelve weeks in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number seven in Ireland. The song was inspired by Suzanne Lee, a character played by actress Emily Corrie in the TV series As If, who wore coloured dreadlocks.[2][3] The music itself is indebted to 1960s surf and beat music. The song was also nominated for The Record of the Year in 2004, but finished in second place just one point behind the winner, "Thunderbirds / 3AM" by Busted.

Music video

McFly shot the video for their debut single "5 Colours in Her Hair" just after Christmas 2003. Simon Amstell recorded an interview and footage behind the scenes for Channel 4 music show, Popworld. The video begins by introducing the band members in a comical style, by getting Danny and Dougie's names wrong. It also features the band messing around at various different scenes, but telling the overall main story about a girl with 5 colours in her hair, who was miserable and living in a black and white world. She then follows them into the TV where she joins the band in a club setting where the band are playing to a crowd. They also shoot various well known scenes as a tribute to their main influences including The Beatles and the Beach Boys. The video was shot in front of a green screen. It starred Molly Portsmouth as the 'Girl with 5 Colours in Her Hair'.

U.S. version

A remixed version of the song appeared on the Just My Luck album, McFly's debut album in the US. It also features minor lyrical alterations. The song was included on the "Please, Please" single release in the UK, as well as on the All the Greatest Hits deluxe fan edition.[4]

Track listing

UK CD1 MCSTD40357
No. Title Length
1. "5 Colours in Her Hair"   2:58
2. "Lola" (featuring Busted) 4:13
UK CD2 MCSXD40357
No. Title Length
1. "5 Colours in Her Hair"   3:00
2. "Saturday Nite"   2:48
3. "The Guy Who Turned Her Down"   3:58
4. "5 Colours in Her Hair (Video)"   3:00
UK 7" Picture Disc MCS40357
No. Title Length
1. "5 Colours in Her Hair"   2:58
2. "Lola" (featuring Busted) 4:13

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[1] 1
Ireland (IRMA) 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 32

Preceded by
"Yeah!" by Usher feat. Ludacris and Lil' John		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
4 April 2004 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Fuck It" by Eamon

Cover versions

In 2014, a cover of the track featured on the release of The Vamps' second single "Wild Heart".

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 697. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ "TV teen drama actress joins Navy". BBC News. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "CBBC Newsround: HOTSEAT. In the hotseat: McFly". BBC. 3 April 2004. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "McBusted Hyde Park". Mcflyofficial.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.

External links

Preceded by
"Yeah!" by Usher featuring Ludacris & Lil' Jon		 UK Singles Chart number one single
10 April 2004 – 23 April 2004 		Succeeded by
"Fuck It" by Eamon