Bring It On (Alistair Griffin song)
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Bring It On was the self-penned debut single from British singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, and was also the title track of his debut album. It was released as a double A-side with My Lover’s Prayer, a duet with Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees and reached # 5 in the UK singles charts.
Bring It On, a simple pop song with upbeat lyrics and a catchy hook, had been written several years before when Griffin had been an unsigned artist working in Germany. It had already been showcased live on the BBC Fame Academy programme, prompting Richard Park to comment: ”the acid test is always if a song gets into your brain, and I have to confess Alistair, that one has got into my brain.” Griffin had been signed to UMTV, a division of Universal, soon after the programme ended in October 2003 and the label announced shortly afterwards that Bring It On was to be his debut single, with a November release date.
My Lover’s Prayer (titled A Lover’s Prayer on the cover of the limited edition single) was originally recorded by the Bee Gees, and appeared on their 1997 album Still Waters. Robin Gibb had intended to re-release the song as a solo single in 2003 with backing vocals by Lance Bass and Wanya Morris, and a promo version of this had already been given radio play. However, the morning after the Fame Academy final, Gibb contacted Griffin with a request to re-record a duet of the song, with the apparent intention of releasing it as a Christmas single.
Although initially announced as two separate releases, the dates of both singles were unaccountably delayed until after Christmas 2003, when Bring It On was eventually released as a double A-side with My Lover’s Prayer (the latter credited as Alistair Griffin ft Robin Gibb) on December 29, entering the UK charts the following week.
Many fans were disappointed with the poor production quality and the generic ‘pop’ treatment of the recorded version of Bring It On, preferring the live version previously seen on TV.
Although given extensive live promotion by the artist, the single was not playlisted on any of the national radio networks, fulfilling Richard Park’s prophesy that Griffin would not get radio play on any of his Emap stations. My Lover’s Prayer was included on Radio 2’s B playlist, but Bring It On was not played on any of the BBC’s programmes other than the Sunday evening chart show after it had charted at # 5.
A live performance of Bring It On was included on Top of the Pops on January 9 2004. The recorded version has since been played several times on Sky Sports Channel as a football anthem. It was also used as the theme tune for UK Channel Five’s children’s programme, Milkshake.
Track listing
Two different versions of the single were released, both chart eligible. The extended single also included a cover of Take That’s Back for Good and a video. The artwork for the limited edition single cover featured a dramatic portrait of Robin Gibb with Alistair Griffin.
Extended single (CD1)
- Bring It On, 3.03
- My Lover's Prayer, Duet With Robin Gibb, 3.58
- Back For Good, 3.56
- Bring It On (Video)
Limited edition single (CD2)(With artwork featuring Robin Gibb)
- Bring It On 3.03
- A Lover’s Prayer 3.58
Video
The video for Bring It On was a humorous tribute to the cult Channel 4 television programme, Phoenix Nights, starring Peter Kay. Set in a stereotypical Northern England workingmens club, the singer was first shown alone on stage, playing to a deserted concert hall which was empty except for two old ladies playing dominoes. The scene then changed to a dream scenario of a ‘Top of the Pops’ type performance, with a full backing band and an enthusiastic audience of teenage girls. At the end of the song, the scene switched back again to the seedy concert hall where the singer was shown looking ruefully around him, and then walking off stage. A number of critics appeared to be unaware of the visual references, and remarked on the video’s cheap appearance.
Bring It On was voted #1 for six consecutive weeks on the music video channel The Box. A separate video was also made for My Lover’s Prayer, which included Robin Gibb, but this was never released, although clips from it appeared on several TV programmes.
External links
- [1] Transcript of TV Interview with Robin Gibb, December 2003