"Beat Again" is the debut single by English

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

JLS. It was released on 12 July 2009 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album '' JLS'' (2009). The song was written by

Wayne Hector Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...

and Steve Mac and produced by Mac. The song's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

is a cover of "

Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

" by

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...

, which JLS covered during the semi-finals of the fifth series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in December 2008. The song debuted at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also peaked at number three in the Republic of Ireland. It has sold over 574,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of August 2018, making it the band's best-selling song.

Background and composition

After finishing as runners-up to

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series '' The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and S ...

on the fifth series of ''

'' in December 2008, JLS signed a record deal with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

. Epic managing director Nick Raphael said, "JLS are the best boy band to emerge from a TV talent show. The band already have an incredible fan base, and I look forward to launching their recording career." "Beat Again" was unusual for being a debut single from reality show contestant in that was not a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

, following in the footsteps of

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...

Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 an ...

and

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved natio ...

. Instead, this song written especially for JLS by

and Steve Mac. The song was originally titled 'No Beat' and supposedly took only two hours to write. Mac himself had originally presented the song to Nick Raphael, JLS' A&R at Epic Records, as a potential single."Interview With Wayne Hector"
, ''HitQuarters'', 1 February 2010. "Beat Again" is written in the key of

A-flat minor A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...

. Raphael had originally been looking for a ballad in the vein of

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

's " End of the Road" and had in fact already asked Mac for another "

Flying Without Wings "Flying Without Wings" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife, released on 18 October 1999 as the third single from their self-titled debut studio album (1999). It is the band's fourth-best-selling single on both paid-for and combined sales in th ...

". However, according to co-writer

, Raphael's response upon hearing the new song was, "this is the single. I can feel it. It's fantastic." Raphael had supposedly originally intended " Everybody in Love" to be the lead single but changed his mind at the last minute.

Critical reception

To date, "Beat Again" has garnered mixed to positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Giving the single three stars, Alex Fletcher of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

noted that JLS "have at least broken with '' X Factor'' convention on their debut single". Fletcher also drew positive comparisons to work by American R&B artist

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

. However, the reviewer went on to say the single is "cheesier than a

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

rom-com". Another review, giving the single three stars out of five, said "Beat Again seems to lack originality". It was included on the

Popjustice Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for '' NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cr ...

song of the day. The '' Daily Record'' wrote that the single had "the R&B electro sass of

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

ndwill surprise many". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked the song at number 69 in their list of ''75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time'' in 2020.

Chart performance

"Beat Again" made its chart debut on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' Euro Digital Tracks chart at number 13, and on the Euro Digital Songs at number 19. The song debuted on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

at number four. The song debuted at number one on the

. It sold 106,299 copies in its first week on sales, making it the second fastest-selling single of 2009, behind

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

's " Bonkers". "Beat" Again" has sold over 574,000 copies in the UK as of July 2018. The song was also released in the United States in July 2009, but failed to chart or garner commercial interest. The song won Best British Single at the

MOBO Awards 2009 The 2009 MOBO Awards took place on 30 September 2009 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, Scotland. This was the first time the awards took place outside London. A tribute performance was dedicated to Michael Jackso ...

and 2010 BRIT Awards.

Music video

The music video was shot in May 2009 and released on 4 June 2009. It features various scenes of JLS dancing to the song in front of blue, red, yellow and green lights, all of which represent the different band members. The dance choreography involves moves revolving around heartbeats, alluding to the title "Beat Again".

Track listing

# "Beat Again" – 3:19 # "Umbrella" – 4:21

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2009 debut singles Brit Award for British Single JLS songs Songs written by Wayne Hector Songs written by Steve Mac Song recordings produced by Steve Mac Number-one singles in Scotland UK Singles Chart number-one singles 2009 songs Epic Records singles