Released 12 March 2001 Recorded 2001 Length 3:47 | Format CD single Genre Pop Label Polydor | |
"Pure and Simple" is a song by British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was a cover of the original version recorded three years earlier by English-Dutch girl group Girl Thing, who were dropped from Polydor Records before the song was given to Hear'Say. The song was released on 12 March 2001 as the lead single from Hear'Say's debut studio album Popstars (2001). The B-side is a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water". The song was co-written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes and Betty Boo (under her real name of Alison Clarkson).
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"Pure and Simple" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after selling 550,000 copies in its first week, which, at the time, made it the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the UK. It spent a total of three weeks at the top and has sold over 1.08 million copies in the UK. As of 2012, it is the seventh biggest-selling debut single of the 21st century.
In 2006, "Pure and Simple" was covered by America's Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan on her self-titled album.
Critical reception
Many critics noted that the song had an uncanny resemblance to Oasis's "All Around the World" and All Saints' "Never Ever". BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles even recorded a parody version of "Pure and Simple" that included the song lyrics from these two songs. Despite this, when it was suggested that Oasis take legal action, Noel Gallagher simply laughed at the hypocrisy of such an act from a man who was famous for "borrowing" from other artists.
Commercial reception
On 18 March 2001, "Pure and Simple" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. It sold almost 550,000 copies in its first week, making it (at the time) the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the UK, a record beaten a year later by Will Young, the winner of the first series of Pop Idol, with his debut single "Evergreen" / "Anything Is Possible". The song spent a total of three weeks at the top of the UK chart.
"Pure and Simple" sold 1.07 million copies in 2001, making it that year's second best-selling single. It was beaten only by Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me", which sold 80,000 copies more. By the time Hear'Say split up in 2002, the song had been certified double Platinum for sales of over 1.2 million copies, making it one of the few singles to achieve that feat during the 2000s. It is also one of only 167 singles ever to sell 1 million copies in the UK, and has sold over 1.09 million as of November 2016. "Pure and Simple" is the seventh biggest-selling debut single of the 21st century in the UK, the second biggest seller by a mixed-gender group and the UK's 96th best-selling song of all time.
The song was also a huge hit in New Zealand, where it was number one for five consecutive weeks.
Track listing
- "Pure and Simple"
- "Bridge over Troubled Water"
- "Can't Stop Thinking About It"
Other versions
"Pure and Simple" was covered by America's Got Talent winner Bianca Ryan for her self-titled debut album in 2006.