Ego (The Saturdays song)
Encyclopedia
"Ego" is the second official single from girl group
The Saturdays
' second studio album, Wordshaker
, and their seventh single overall. The song is a strong electropop song. The song was written by Steve Mac
and co-written by Ins Wrolsen and Rhys Barker, who has previously worked on the bands singles. The song was produced by Steve Mac
. "Ego was the final single from Wordshaker, as the band were moving onto a new studio album. It released onto radio station on 25th November 2009.
The single was released by Fascination
and Polydor Records on 3 January 2010 as the second single from Wordshaker. It was accompanied by a b-side entitled "Flashback", written and produced by Steve Mac
. The Saturdays collaborated with Ina Wroldsen again, The song has prominent electropop, dance-pop and synthpop genre characteristics. Its lyrics refer to a former relationship with someone who has a big ego.
The music video accompanying "Ego" was directed by Mike Simpson & Robin Van Calcar and premiered on YouTube
Video on 17 November 2009. The video features The Saturdays in superhero outfits, many meetings where the paparazzi are trying to interview a member of the group. "Ego" will performed by The Saturdays as part of their setlist on The Headlines Tour
. The band also appeared on Dancing on Ice
, GMTV
, Blue Peter
.
' seventh official single and second and final official single to be released froms the bands second studio album Wordshaker
which was released on the same date. The band recorded a newly song for the singles B-side which was later titled "Flashback", which was recorded on 19 October and on the same day, the single's release date of 14 December, was announced. On 17 November , however, the physical release date of "Ego" was pushed back and confirmed for release on 4 January 2010. The band decided that "Ego" would be the final single from their second studio album. Rochelle Wiseman
backed the album by saying "We are not releasing any more singles from the album, as we want to release a new album, not because there is no more good songs on the album." as there was people question the album's songs.
, Steve Mac described how he, Ina Wroldsen and Rhys Barker created the track together,
Mac also acknowledged the influence of producer RedOne
's work with Lady Gaga
, "There’s no question that without [Lady] Gaga we wouldn’t be where we are at the moment, with what Red has done and how he has changed radio in America, and what’s acceptable, and where dance is." "Ego" follows a chord progression of: Bm-G-D-Bm-G.
for "Ego" was shot on 23 October 2009, in the United Kingdom
, and the final edit of the music video was released on 17 November 2009. The music video was directed by Mike Simpson & Robin Van Calcar and produced by MrsGrey productions. The band took on a superheroes theme and throughout the whole video the band were dressed as superheroes. David Leighton done all the choreography
of the music video
. The band are seen in many different scenes, some scenes are in a house, some are at a press conference
, and many where the band are standing together. The music video has been compared to The Watchmen
, as the video is set to be in 1985. The male, main role in the music video is played by Waz Ashayer, who is a model, and became famous after appearing on Make Me a Supermodel
. The music video features the album's version of the song.
talked to Digital Spy
they stated they picked superhero theme to "play on the lyrics to the song". Vanessa White
stated to Digital Spy that it was complete different to what the usually do, after she stated "It's completely different to everything we've done so far, there's a lot of proper acting in it".
, to promote the newly single, which gained a lot of downloads for the song. Just before Christmas Day, the band appeared on Blue Peter
where they performed the song to help promote it. They appeared on late night talk-show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man
, and performing in front of thousands on Dancing on Ice
. They later appeared on GMTV
performing "Ego" with a twist, as it was leading up to Christmas, the band perform a Christmas twist to it. And they performed the song on Ant & Dec's Christmas Show.
award the song 3/5 stars describing the chorus as "catchy enough". UpdateTheBeat stated that "Ego" was a "women-empowerment" and it has the potential to be a number-one single! They went onto say, "The heavy beat is the first thing to strike you, as the girls warble away chanting: "You need to have a sit down with your ego!" If I was to describe the song in one word it would have to be- confident. Confident. CONFIDENT- oh that was three..." They also went on to say that the girls have "clearly matured" and became ore "willing to be more deep in their songs", he always stated the Vanessa stole the song with her powerful vocals. And finally stated that "Ego" is definitely the stand out track on the album. DirrtyRemixes.com stated that the single is "amazing" and just can't stop playing it!" They also gave their views over the B-side, saying that the song is not the best song, but it has good potential. But the quality of "Ego" is amazing!
download bundle
(Released )
CD Single
(Released )
, "Ego" was known to be the stand out track and charting into the Top 100 on the UK Singles Charts, until the song was announced as a single. When the song was announced as a single, the single started climbing it's way up the charts. The song first charted on the UK Top 40 Singles in November, after the singles music video was released, later when the single was released in early 2010, the song charted within the top 10, charting at number-nine. The single gained a certification of Silver in the UK, and to date is The Saturdays best selling single selling 313,000 copies to date, after "Up
". The second week of January, "Ego" placed itself at number 10 on the Irish Singles Charts, becoming the band's third top 10 hit in the country. "Ego" also charted on the Scottish Singles Charts
, charting at number eight, but dropping to eleven a week later.
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
' second studio album, Wordshaker
Wordshaker
"Wordshaker" generated generally favorable reviews amongst critics upon its release. Allmusic's Matthew Chisling awarded the album three out of five stars, praising the girls and the album for "combining aggressive basslines and vocals that are a pinch of prowess". Chisling's praised tracks like...
, and their seventh single overall. The song is a strong electropop song. The song was written by Steve Mac
Steve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
and co-written by Ins Wrolsen and Rhys Barker, who has previously worked on the bands singles. The song was produced by Steve Mac
Steve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
. "Ego was the final single from Wordshaker, as the band were moving onto a new studio album. It released onto radio station on 25th November 2009.
The single was released by Fascination
Fascination Records
Fascination Records is a UK-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in spring 2006, and is managed by former TOTP Magazine editor Peter Loraine...
and Polydor Records on 3 January 2010 as the second single from Wordshaker. It was accompanied by a b-side entitled "Flashback", written and produced by Steve Mac
Steve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
. The Saturdays collaborated with Ina Wroldsen again, The song has prominent electropop, dance-pop and synthpop genre characteristics. Its lyrics refer to a former relationship with someone who has a big ego.
The music video accompanying "Ego" was directed by Mike Simpson & Robin Van Calcar and premiered on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Video on 17 November 2009. The video features The Saturdays in superhero outfits, many meetings where the paparazzi are trying to interview a member of the group. "Ego" will performed by The Saturdays as part of their setlist on The Headlines Tour
The Headlines Tour
The Headlines Tour is the second headlining concert tour by British pop band, The Saturdays. The tour consisted of dates in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and for the first time Republic of Ireland. The setlist included songs from the band's two studio albums: Chasing Lights and...
. The band also appeared on Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (UK)
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
, GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
, Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
.
Background
On 12 October, "Ego" was revealed on BBC Radio 1 as The SaturdaysThe Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
' seventh official single and second and final official single to be released froms the bands second studio album Wordshaker
Wordshaker
"Wordshaker" generated generally favorable reviews amongst critics upon its release. Allmusic's Matthew Chisling awarded the album three out of five stars, praising the girls and the album for "combining aggressive basslines and vocals that are a pinch of prowess". Chisling's praised tracks like...
which was released on the same date. The band recorded a newly song for the singles B-side which was later titled "Flashback", which was recorded on 19 October and on the same day, the single's release date of 14 December, was announced. On 17 November , however, the physical release date of "Ego" was pushed back and confirmed for release on 4 January 2010. The band decided that "Ego" would be the final single from their second studio album. Rochelle Wiseman
Rochelle Wiseman
Rochelle Eulah Eileen Wiseman is an English singer, actress and television presenter. She is best known for her work in pop groups S Club 8 and The Saturdays...
backed the album by saying "We are not releasing any more singles from the album, as we want to release a new album, not because there is no more good songs on the album." as there was people question the album's songs.
Writing and inspiration
In an interview with HitQuartersHitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
, Steve Mac described how he, Ina Wroldsen and Rhys Barker created the track together,
"We were searching for sounds and found the basic hook sound that’s in the verse and carries all the way through. I started playing along to it and then Ina started singing along, and the song was written over that. No drums were ever put down. Once we finished writing the song together, Ina laid a guide vocal over the top of the keyboard sound and then went away and left me to do the rest of it. So it really was built from that sound. It’s an Eurythmics kind of sound."
Mac also acknowledged the influence of producer RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
's work with Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, "There’s no question that without [Lady] Gaga we wouldn’t be where we are at the moment, with what Red has done and how he has changed radio in America, and what’s acceptable, and where dance is." "Ego" follows a chord progression of: Bm-G-D-Bm-G.
Background
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Ego" was shot on 23 October 2009, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the final edit of the music video was released on 17 November 2009. The music video was directed by Mike Simpson & Robin Van Calcar and produced by MrsGrey productions. The band took on a superheroes theme and throughout the whole video the band were dressed as superheroes. David Leighton done all the choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
of the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The band are seen in many different scenes, some scenes are in a house, some are at a press conference
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
, and many where the band are standing together. The music video has been compared to The Watchmen
Watchmen (film)
Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
, as the video is set to be in 1985. The male, main role in the music video is played by Waz Ashayer, who is a model, and became famous after appearing on Make Me a Supermodel
Make Me a Supermodel (UK TV series)
Make Me a Supermodel is a British reality television modeling competition hosted and judged by New Zealander model Rachel Hunter, airing on the television channel Five. A U.S...
. The music video features the album's version of the song.
Synopsis
As the video starts, Vanessa is seen singing to a picture of what appears to be a superhero team made of The Saturdays and an extra male. Vanessa looks out of her apartment window, to see a press conference centred on the man. The video then skips to Una standing in an alleyway where a poster of the male is put up over an older poster of The Saturdays and the male. Una rips this down and sets it on fire using her superpower. It is obvious from this that the man has betrayed The Saturdays and they want revenge. Una's power also causes the real man to start to heat up and become uncomfortable. The scene switches to Frankie, now hidden amongst the paparazzi at the press conference. She uses her superpowers to amplify the camera's flash to dazzle the man. As the second chorus kicks in, Vanessa displays telekinetic power, being able to pull and push the man around from a distance. This causes him to flee and try to escape in a car. Rochelle freezes the tires with her superpower stopping the man from escaping. He then runs down an alleyway. Mollie flies down from the top of a building and blows the man back down the alleyway. The video closes with The Saturdays walking calmly down a deserted road with the man crawling pathetically backwards from the girls.Reception
Rickified of dirrtyinc.com said he was disappointed with the music video, and he never expected it to be so boring, after he stated, "An utter boring vid, as I’ve expected a dance sequence since this song is rather uptempo and packs with a punch. I just don’t get it why the marketing team would marred this song with such horrible execution." Although Aceshowbiz stated it was a clever thing to do, saying "They took all the lyrics, and made them into something special, and the music video came out fantastic!" When The SaturdaysThe Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
talked to Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
they stated they picked superhero theme to "play on the lyrics to the song". Vanessa White
Vanessa White
Vanessa Karen White is an English pop singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.-Early...
stated to Digital Spy that it was complete different to what the usually do, after she stated "It's completely different to everything we've done so far, there's a lot of proper acting in it".
Promotion
The Saturdays first promoted the single at their album launch party. They later appeared BBC Switch LiveBBC Switch
BBC Switch was the brand for BBC content aimed at UK teenagers. The brand launched on Saturday 20 October 2007 on BBC Two And ceased broadcasting on Saturday 17 December 2010...
, to promote the newly single, which gained a lot of downloads for the song. Just before Christmas Day, the band appeared on Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
where they performed the song to help promote it. They appeared on late night talk-show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....
, and performing in front of thousands on Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (UK)
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
. They later appeared on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
performing "Ego" with a twist, as it was leading up to Christmas, the band perform a Christmas twist to it. And they performed the song on Ant & Dec's Christmas Show.
Critical reception
Carla Pearce of FemaleFirst mentioned that the single "Combines infectious synthesised riffs with a thumping beat to create a riot of a track that will no doubt become another smash hit." Nick Levine of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
award the song 3/5 stars describing the chorus as "catchy enough". UpdateTheBeat stated that "Ego" was a "women-empowerment" and it has the potential to be a number-one single! They went onto say, "The heavy beat is the first thing to strike you, as the girls warble away chanting: "You need to have a sit down with your ego!" If I was to describe the song in one word it would have to be- confident. Confident. CONFIDENT- oh that was three..." They also went on to say that the girls have "clearly matured" and became ore "willing to be more deep in their songs", he always stated the Vanessa stole the song with her powerful vocals. And finally stated that "Ego" is definitely the stand out track on the album. DirrtyRemixes.com stated that the single is "amazing" and just can't stop playing it!" They also gave their views over the B-side, saying that the song is not the best song, but it has good potential. But the quality of "Ego" is amazing!
Tracklisting
iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
download bundle
(Released )
- "Ego" (Single Mix) — 3:10
- "Ego" (AlmightyAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
Club Mix) — 6:59 - "Ego" (Jason NevinsJason NevinsJason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
Club Mix) - 6:10 - "Ego" (Almighty Radio Edit) - 4:16
CD Single
(Released )
- "Ego" (Single Mix) — 3:10
- "Flashback" — 3:15
Charts performance
After the release of the band's album, WordshakerWordshaker
"Wordshaker" generated generally favorable reviews amongst critics upon its release. Allmusic's Matthew Chisling awarded the album three out of five stars, praising the girls and the album for "combining aggressive basslines and vocals that are a pinch of prowess". Chisling's praised tracks like...
, "Ego" was known to be the stand out track and charting into the Top 100 on the UK Singles Charts, until the song was announced as a single. When the song was announced as a single, the single started climbing it's way up the charts. The song first charted on the UK Top 40 Singles in November, after the singles music video was released, later when the single was released in early 2010, the song charted within the top 10, charting at number-nine. The single gained a certification of Silver in the UK, and to date is The Saturdays best selling single selling 313,000 copies to date, after "Up
Up (The Saturdays song)
"Up" is a song performed by British-Irish recording girl group The Saturdays from their debut studio album, Chasing Lights . It was co-written by the track's producers, Josef Larossi and Andreas Romdhane of Quiz & Larossi, in collaboration with Ina Wroldsen...
". The second week of January, "Ego" placed itself at number 10 on the Irish Singles Charts, becoming the band's third top 10 hit in the country. "Ego" also charted on the Scottish Singles Charts
Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions....
, charting at number eight, but dropping to eleven a week later.
Chart positions
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Chart certifications
| Country | Provider | Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Silver |