Sweet About Me
"Sweet About Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Gabriella Cilmi | ||||
from the album Lessons to Be Learned | ||||
Released | 10 March 2008 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:23 | |||
Label | Warner Music Australia, Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gabriella Cilmi, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Larcombe, Nick Coler, Tim Powell | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Higgins, Xenomania | |||
Gabriella Cilmi singles chronology | ||||
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"Sweet About Me" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter
"Sweet About Me" also became a hit in Europe, reaching number one in the Netherlands and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in eight other countries. In the UK, the song reached number six and was the most-played track of 2009 according to PRS for Music.[1] The song won the Grand Prix during the 46th Sopot International Song Festival in 2009. A 2010 mix of "Sweet About Me" was included on Cilmi's second album, Ten, released in March 2010.[2]
Background
"['Sweet About Me'] just sounds so fun, I imagine it playing in a bar. It'd be the perfect soundtrack for going on dates and playing footsies beneath the table. Or just going out and having fun!."
—Gabriella Cilmi, talking about her debut single "Sweet About Me".[3]
Recording of
Described as a "soulful pop song" by contemporary critics,
Even though we came from two totally different backgrounds, when we worked together it just gelled. When it came to our differences I guess we both kind of compromised and came to a decision in the middle.[9]
Composition
"Sweet About Me" is a pop and
Cilmi uses a sweet and coarse vocal delivery[11] which has been deemed as a misleading contrast between her mature sound and young age.[13] Her vocal performance on the song is similar to that of a group act rather than that of a solo artist.[13] She claims that the track's sound was a product of Xenomania's pop music experience and her lyrical ideas.[15] While the song was being crafted she was influenced by rock bands Kings of Leon and Jet, "I wrote with [Xenomania] who are totally different to me and came from a totally different musical background, they had worked with a lot of pop acts before and at the time I was listening to a lot of Jet and Kings of Leon, so when both our ideas met we came up with something pretty good."[15] Musically, the song has been compared to Amy Winehouse's 2007 single, "Rehab", for their similar composition, soul and swing musical influences.[16]
There are two versions of the song: the album version and the radio edit. The first verse is cut in half in the radio edit and the song opens up with the lyrics: "Oh, watching me hanging by a string this time" followed by "Oh, easily climax of a perfect lie". In the album version, there is a repetition of the first line followed by the line: "Don't, easily a smile worth a hundred lies"; the radio edit omits these two lines before going into the pre-chorus.
Critical reception
Nick Levine from Digital Spy positively reviewed "Sweet About Me," giving it four out of five stars. Levine comended Xenomania's production on the track, calling it "authentic" and "fresh". He also praised Gabriella Cilmi's vocals on the song, "Most impressive of all is Cilmi's voice, which manages to be sweet and coarse all at the same time, much like a drizzling of honey on a slice of toast."[11] Jake Taylor of Sputnikmusic deemed "Sweet About Me" as one of the best songs released by an Australian artist on debut. He wrote, "A lot of songs focus on the chorus as the returning point for the listener's attention, but 'Sweet About Me' dumps that for a well rounded mix of brilliant singing and layered pop production on all levels."[12] Contactmusic.com complimented "Sweet About Me" saying it brings a little fun back to pop.[7] The song received a four-out-of-five star rating from Fraser McAlpine of the BBC, who compared Cilmi to British singers Amy Winehouse and Duffy, "Perky song, this. Well suited to grabbing your attention even in the middle of the sudden run of post-[Amy Winehouse] soul sirens, largely because it swings a bit, and seems to have some spark of its own, rather than stiffly wearing its '60s influences like a pair of slightly-too-small cuban heeled boots [similar to that of Duffy]."[16] Mark Reid of The New Zealand Herald described the track as "incredibly catchy".[18] The song was classed as an obvious highlight on Lessons to Be Learned by Colin Polonowski of The Digital Fix.[19] Andrew Cock of The Dwarf said that "Sweet About Me" is as catchy as ever and will continue to receive wide public acclaim. Cock noted, "At times this song seems so sweet it oozes honey, feeling deliberately boppy."[20] Cilmi's vocal performance on the song was praised by Paul Cashmere of Undercover FM, "From the sultry opening notes of the debut single 'Sweet About Me', the world will quickly come to know it's uncovered a major new vocal talent in Gabriella Cilmi."[21]
Elisabeth Vincentelli from
Chart performance
On 14 April, the song topped the
On 9 March 2008, "Sweet About Me" debuted on the
Track listings and formats
German CD single
- "Sweet About Me" (radio edit)
- "Sweet About Me" (SunshipVocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Matthew Herbert's Savoury Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Ashley Beedle Vocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Truth & Soul Mix)
UK and Australian CD single[30][31]
- "Sweet About Me" (radio edit)
- "Echo Beach"
- "This Game"
UK re-release CD single
- "Sweet About Me" (radio edit)
- "Sweet About Me" (Robbie Rivera Remix)
iTunes remix and live EP[32]
- "Sweet About Me" (Sunship Vocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Matthew Herbert's Savoury Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Ashley Beedle Vocal Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Truth & Soul Mix)
- "Sweet About Me" (Later with Jools Holland)
Personnel
- Produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania
- Mixed by Jeremy Wheatley, assisted by Richard Edgeler
- Vocals: Gabriella Cilmi
- Keyboards: Brian Higgins, Tim Larcombe, Tim Powell
- Drums: Marc Parnell
- Guitars: Nick Coler, Jason Resch
- Bass: Kieran Jones
- Cello: Nick Squires
- Vibes and xylophone: Brian Higgins, Nick Coler
- Harmonica: Mark Feltham
- Programmed by Tim Powell and Brian Higgins
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[73] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[74] | Gold | |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[75] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[76] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Italy | — | 45,000[77] |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[78] | Gold | 7,500* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[79] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[80] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 10 March 2008 | Digital download | Island | [81] |
Australia | 24 March 2008 | CD | Warner Music Australia | [82] |
United States | 11 January 2009 | Radio | Universal Republic
|
[83] |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia in 2008
- List of number-one hits in Norway
References
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Sweet About Me [...] Pop 99
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'Sweet' went to U.S. radio Jan. 11...