Girls Aloud’s cover of the Pointer Sisters classic Jump “saved” them from being dropped by their record label.
The group scored a trio of Top 3 hits from 2002-2003 – including Sound Of The Underground, No Good Advice and Life Got Cold – but bosses at Polydor Record considered letting them out of their contract when their debut album missed the No. 1 spot, instead peaking at two.
Things were looking shaky for Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding, but it was their fourth single – an updated version of the eighties classic, recorded for the ‘Love Actually’ soundtrack – that encouraged label executives to give them one more shot.
“It was a make-or-break song for us as a band,” Kimberley says, explaining that its success persuaded their record label to invest in a second Girls Aloud album.
“Jump saved our career,” Nicola states. “It was four on the floor so it could be played in the clubs, but it was also familiar enough to be played on the radio. And at this point, it was probably our most digestible single.”
The song eventually appeared on a reissued version of their first LP, ‘Sound Of The Underground’, which this year turns 20 with a series of anniversary re-releases across CD and Vinyl.
The classic album will be released as a 3CD deluxe edition featuring two discs of bonus content, alongside a 24-page booklet with brand-new sleeve notes and unseen photos.
It’s also available on vinyl for the very first time, with a pair of green coloured vinyl and limited edition picture disc pressings.
The 3CD tracklist will also be replicated on streaming and digital across all platforms.
‘Sound Of The Underground’ is out June 16 via Polydor and available to pre-order now.
Buy ‘Sound Of The Underground’ on CD.
Buy ‘Sound Of The Underground’ on Vinyl.
