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Start Without You

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"Start Without You"
Song

"Start Without You" is a song performed by British R&B/pop singer Alexandra Burke. The song is to be released as the lead single from the re-release of her debut album Overcome.[1] It was written and produced by songwriter/producer RedOne, who also wrote and produced her top-ten hit "Broken Heels". The song features vocals from Jamaican-American rapper Laza Morgan. The song is an uptempo reggae fusion song which lyrically talks about dancing. The song was released to download on 5 September 2010.

Critics generally gave positive reviews of the song, praising Burke's change in her musical direction. These critics include Popjustice describing the song as "jaunty", and naming it their 'Song of the Day' for 14 July and Nick Levine from Digital Spy describing the song as "a reggae-tinged pop booty-shaker that manages to be chunky and zesty at the same time". The song's accompanying music video also received positive feedback. The single is due for release as a digital download in the UK on 5 September 2010 with the CD single being released the following day.

Writing and inspiration

"Start Without You" was written and produced by RedOne. Burke revealed that she was inspired to record the RedOne produced track by her new car, commenting on an interview with The Sun.

"It's kind of reggae meets pop. It was inspired by my Jamaican background and my new convertible," she said. "I really wanted to have a tune I could take down my roof to, drive along and be proud of. I didn't really want to do a ballad. I love the summer and this is the perfect track to dance to."

Burke also stated that as soon as she heard the song she liked it, commenting in the interview "I heard it and really liked it."[2] and that "Start Without You was just great for me."

Composition

Musically "Start Without You" is an up-tempo dance-pop, R&B, and reggae song with a dance-oriented beat. The song is slower tempo when compared to Burke's previous singles "All Night Long", "Broken Heels" and "Bad Boys". The song opens with Burke singing the "Don't let me start without you" hook which transitions into a spoken portion where Laza Morgan introducing himself and Burke. She then makes a reference to producer RedOne and begins the first verse.[3]

Background

"Start Without You" was leaked onto the internet in June 2010.[4] After much speculation, the leak was revealed to be from two boys in Germany on work experience at Syco, the record company set up by talent show judge, Simon Cowell.[5] After the leak, the song was rumoured to be Burke's US debut and/or UK sophomore, which at the time was unknown.[4] At the time, Alexandra stated herself in an interview with Digital Spy that she could not reveal anything until August 2010[6] but she soon confirmed that the track would be her next UK and Ireland single.[7]

Music video

Development, background and release

The music video for "Start Without You" was filmed in London during late July 2010. However, previous clips from the original music video which was shot in Los Angeles during June 2010 have been axed and this final edit made it as the video for the song. It premiered on YouTube on 19 August 2010.

Since its release, it has premiered on UK music channel The Box, playing hourly and has been added to many UK music channel playlists.

Synopsis

The music video of consists of three main scenes. The first scene consists of Burke who is wearing a black leotard, and male dancers, performing various dance moves throughout the video. The second scene shows Burke and semi-naked male gymnists carrying out different excercises and the third scene shows Alexandra, who at this point is wearing a lace outfit and Laza Morgan singing and dancing in front of a glitter wall.[8]

The video begins with Burke singing the opening line of the song and performing various dance moves. This scene is occasionally interrupted by Laza Morgan who begins to perform his lines and introducing himself and Burke. The next scene shows Burke and the male gymnists exercising/dancing in a gym then beginning a dance routine. The scene that takes place during the chorus is Burke and her male dancers performing the main dance routine which is occasionally interrupted to show shots of Burke in the gym and singing in front of the glitter wall.

Reception

The video has received a positive reaction from music critics including Ryan Love of Digital Spy who said that: "This Summer sizzler may not be hitting the shelves 'til September now... but Autumn just got a whole lot hotter..".[9] Popjustice called it "astonishing" and "an era-defining popcultural artefact".[10] That Grape Juice said that the video shows the X-Factor winner "serve up her trademark sass".[11] Burke said that her family did not approve of the lace outfit that she wore in the video for "Start Without You" when interviewed by The Sun[12]

"The video has a brave look. It's my choice. I wanted to come out of my box. I wore lace on Alan Carr's chat show the other day"

Live performances and promotion

Burke has performed the song at many summer festivals including T4 on the Beach,[13] 95.8 Capital FM's Summertime Ball,[14] and the Midlands Music Festival,[15] which all took place during the summer of 2010. On 15 August 2010, Alexandra was interviewed and performed the song on Alan Carr: Chatty Man.[16] Alexandra also appeared on Magic Numbers where she performed the song.[17]

Critical reception

So far, "Start Without You" has received a positive reception, with critics such as Nick Levine of Digital Spy Blog giving the song a star rating, saying that the song is a: "a reggae-tinged pop booty-shaker that manages to be chunky and zesty at the same time, a bit like a jerk chicken and pineapple kebab. Oh, and when she hollers 'Get on the dancefloor!' 45 seconds before the end, it's enough to have K.Ro fearing for her 'Commander' title."[18] Popjustice called the single, in capital letters, "this song is JAUNTY", and gave the single a star rating. [19] Femalefirst.co.uk also gave the song a star rating: "Fusing traditional reggae influences with dancehall beats and power-pop melodies, the track is set to cause a long-lasting heat wave when it hits radio in July; and with remixes courtesy of Stonebridge Alexandra will also be blazing club floors across the country once again...and has cemented her place as the UK’s prime female recording artist."[20] Showbiz-i.com said that the song is a: "reggae flavoured track (with a hint of a nod to Boney M’s ‘Holi-holi-day’), produced by uber-knob twiddler Red One and featuring dancehall newcomer Laza Morgan, was unlike anything she had recorded before, sounded fresh and like a sure fire summer hit. And as it turns out, it WAS to be her new single".[21]

Track listing

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Ireland 3 September 2010 Digital download, CD single Sony Music Entertainment
United Kingdom 5 September 2010[26] Digital download Syco Music
6 September 2010 CD single

References

  1. ^ Ryan Love (2010-08-25). "Alexandra Burke teases 'group duet'". Digital Spy. London: Captial FM. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  2. ^ "From X Factor to X Rated". The Sun. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  3. ^ "Alexandra Burke Start Without You lyrics". directlyrics.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  4. ^ a b "New Song: Alexandra Burke – 'Start Without You'". That Grape Juice. 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  5. ^ "Alexandra reveals leak source'". Digital Spy. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  6. ^ "Music - Interview - Alexandra Burke". Digital Spy. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  7. ^ "New Blog!". Syco. 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2010-08-07. {{cite web}}: Text "Alexandra Burke Official Website" ignored (help); Text "News and Diary" ignored (help)
  8. ^ "News of The World" (2010-08-15). "Alex gets sultry for summer". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-18-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Love, Ryan (2010-08-19). "Alexandra Burke calls in the gymnasts". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  10. ^ "It's the astonishing new Alexandra Burke 'Don't Let Me etc' video". Popjustice. 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  11. ^ Sam (2010-08-19). "New Video: Alexandra Burke – 'Start Without You'". That Grape Juice. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  12. ^ Love, Ryan (2010-08-20). "Burke: 'I wanted to come out of my box'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  13. ^ "Video: Alexandra Burke Performs 'Start Without You' Live". That Grape Juice. 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  14. ^ "Video: Alexandra Burke Performs 'Start Without You' At Summertime Ball". That Grape Juice. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  15. ^ "Photo: Alexandra Burke shakes her Rump at Midlands Music Festival…". Zimbio. 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  16. ^ "Photo: Alexandra Burke shakes her Rump at Midlands Music Festival…". You Tube. 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  17. ^ "Alexandra Burke Performs 'Start Without You' On Magic Numbers". That Grape Juice. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  18. ^ Nick Levine. Spy%5d%5d "Alexandra Burke ft. Laza Morgan: 'Start Without You'". digitalspy.co.uk. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  19. ^ %5b%5bPopjustice%5d%5d "'Start Without You' By Alexandra Burke". popjustice.com. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  20. ^ "Video : Alexandra Burke - Start Without You". Femalefirst.co.uk.
  21. ^ "Review: Alexandra Burke 'Start Without You'". Showbiz-i.com.
  22. ^ a b "Start Without You (feat. Laza Morgan) - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  23. ^ "Start Without You". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  24. ^ "Start Without You (Single)". HMV. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  25. ^ "Start Without You (Single)". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
  26. ^ "Start Without You". Syco. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
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