One Strike
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"One Strike" is a song recorded by English-Canadian girl group All Saints for their fourth studio album, '' Red Flag'' (2016). The track was written by group member
Shaznay Lewis Tricia Marie "Shaznay" Lewis (born 14 October 1975) is an English singer and songwriter. Lewis rose to fame as a member of the girl group All Saints (group), All Saints which she formed with Melanie Blatt in 1993. As a member of All Saints, Lewi ...
and its producer Hutch, inspired by the breakdown of group member
Nicole Appleton Nicole Marie Appleton (born 7 December 1974) is a Canadian singer and television presenter. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and the pop duo Appleton with her elder sister Natalie Appleton. Early life Appleton was born i ...
's highly publicised marriage to
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentBeady Eye Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar) and Andy Bell (guitar), and former Oasis touring musician Chris Sharrock (drums). The band was created when Oasi ...
frontman
Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...
. "One Strike" is a mid-tempo, R&B,
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
song that lyrically deals with the protagonist's emotions immediately after breaking up with their significant other. "One Strike" was released for digital download by
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on 23 February 2016 as All Saints' comeback single, and the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from the ''Red Flag''. Upon release, the song was met with critical acclaim; critics praised the group's dreamlike harmonies and the understated lyrics, likening it to that of their 2000 single " Pure Shores". An accompanying music video was directed by Tom Beard and released on 4 March 2016; the
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
and low fidelity music video features the group singing and dancing in moody fashion. All Saints promoted "One Strike" with a live performance on '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man''.


Writing and inspiration

All Saints member
Nicole Appleton Nicole Marie Appleton (born 7 December 1974) is a Canadian singer and television presenter. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and the pop duo Appleton with her elder sister Natalie Appleton. Early life Appleton was born i ...
and
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentLiam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...
were extensively portrayed in the British media as "the golden couple" of the 1990s music scene. Having been dating since 2000, the couple married in 2008, when their son, Gene, was six. However, in 2013, it was revealed to Nicole by the media that Gallagher had an affair and was expecting a child with American journalist Liza Ghorbani. Upon finding out about the affair, Nicole phoned fellow All Saints member
Shaznay Lewis Tricia Marie "Shaznay" Lewis (born 14 October 1975) is an English singer and songwriter. Lewis rose to fame as a member of the girl group All Saints (group), All Saints which she formed with Melanie Blatt in 1993. As a member of All Saints, Lewi ...
; the two spoke for several hours. Nicole's tribulation was at the forefront of Lewis' mind, being "the heaviest thing going on" at the time. Lewis, herself, was feeling the emotions Nicole was going through and was inspired to write about it as a friend in "One Strike". The track also resonated with the other All Saints members;
Natalie Appleton Natalie Jane Appleton Howlett (born 14 May 1973) is a Canadian singer. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and the duo Appleton with her younger sister Nicole Appleton. Appleton joined All Saints in 1996, becoming the fourt ...
admitted to crying during her first few listens of the song, while
Melanie Blatt Melanie Ruth Blatt (born 25 March 1975) is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints (group), All Saints. The group have gained five UK number-one singles, two multi-platinum albums and two BRIT Awards, ...
described it as a "fire analogy". Lewis wrote "One Strike" with Hutch, a new producer who she had taken notice of prior to the development of the song's parent album, '' Red Flag''. The song stemmed from the breakdown of Nicole's marriage and the phone call Nicole had with Lewis. It was the first track recorded for the album. Only months later did Lewis inform Nicole of the lyrical meaning; "I didn't even know and I was singing along to it, months later, and she went 'You know when you spoke to me and told me…' and I just went 'Oh my god'", Nicole recalled. Further inspiration came from the group's experiences where "things really come along and change just like that". In an interview for ''
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'' magazine, Nicole explained: "It's not about the divorce, it's about the moment I found out what allagherdid to me. It's pretty much that." While Lewis clarified:
The phrase 'one strike' is about how your life can just change in one instant. You can be walking down the road, you've just left your family at home and everything's hunky dory, then when you go back home they're gone. On one side of the door your life's amazing, on the other side it changes just like that.


Composition and lyrical interpretation

"One Strike" is a R&B,
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
song. It is mid-tempo and features production that is more minimal than most of All Saints' previous singles. A melodic and laid-back sound is aided by the group using composed and intimate vocals, complemented with electronic
reverberation In acoustics, reverberation (commonly shortened to reverb) is a persistence of sound after it is produced. It is often created when a sound is reflection (physics), reflected on surfaces, causing multiple reflections that build up and then de ...
. The group's harmonies throughout have a smooth and dreamlike quality. The track opens with a mellow,
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-indebted instrumental which comprises a progressive
synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
line and is later accompanied by rattling percussion instruments. Leading into the first verse, the production becomes less prominent, putting emphasis on the group's vocals and the lyrics which in this segment specifically detail the very moment Nicole found out about Gallagher's affair: "Stone cold / You wake me when the phone vibrates / Your voice sounds dulled, but loud enough to hear you." Guitar accompanies the instrumental in the chorus which begins with the
refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...
, "And with one strike..." A break-up song, the lyrics of "One Strike" have been widely interpreted as a "direct response" to Nicole's marriage dissolving, and as a
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
about Gallagher. Alec Soames of ''
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'' magazine viewed it as a "f*ck you track to Liam Gallagher". While Marina Hyde of ''
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'' referred to it as a "divorce-court single", and Harriet Gibsone from the same publication called it "a shrug of a shoulders, a nail-polish
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". Anna Gaca of ''
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'' magazine found the lyrics to be understated yet candid; "I don't want to be in this home / Broken promises, time to leave / I had everything that you need d.


Release

On 27 January 2016, All Saints announced "One Strike" as their comeback single and the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from ''Red Flag''. It was premiered on
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's ''
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'' on 23 February 2016, and subsequently released three days ahead of schedule as an "instant grat" from digital
pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
s of the album. A four-track remixes EP was released for digital download on 25 March 2016.


Critical response

Upon release, "One Strike" was met with critical acclaim. Owen Myers of ''
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'' regarded it as "up there with the best" of the group's discography and "exactly the song you need for when days are getting longer". Myers likened the guitar melody to
Blood Orange The blood orange is a variety of orange (fruit), orange with crimson, near blood-colored flesh. It is one of the sweet orange varieties (Citrus × sinensis, ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis''). It is also known as the raspberry orange. The dark flesh ...
productions and felt the group's harmonies "still sound so good". Lewis Corner and Amy Davidson from
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said the track is "as emotionally personal as it is a slice of absolute pop perfection". Stefan Kyriazis of the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' hailed the song as "a powerful return to form", deeming it "timeless" and "classic All Saints". Similarly, Sarah Deen of '' Metro'' wrote: "It's classic All Saints – chilled out and melodic, but with feisty, meaningful lyrics and lovely harmonies. These ladies have still got it – not that they ever lost it."
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said the track "sounds completely like All Saints without seeming dated", concluding: "Perhaps they were always more ahead of their time than we realised." Gibsone wrote that the song lived up to the group's legacy and likened it to their 2000 collaborations with producer
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, explaining: "Next to
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and
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, it suits the current casual climate of pop in 2016. Their veil of mystery, their aloof cool remains." Gibsone highlighted a lack of melodrama in the lyrics and considered "One Strike" to be "as elegant as a song about ivorcecan sound". Soames considered the "catchy" chorus and "energetic" refrain highlights. Caitlin McBride of the ''
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'' commented that the track was "actually pretty good". Several critics likened the song to the group's 2000 single " Pure Shores". Robbie Daw from Idolator viewed "One Strike" as "easily one of 2016's best pop songs so far" and noted that All Saints were "in fine form". Daw opined that the track shared the "musical magic" and "enthralling" qualities of "Pure Shores". Mark Savage, music reporter for
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, echoed Daw's view saying the song featured "sun-kissed harmonies that instantly recall the band's 'Pure Shores' heyday".
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said the track "ebbs and flows like ..'Pure Shores', with harmonies on point once more". Noisey called the song "glorious" and a "triumphant comeback single", and claimed that the group's harmonies and dreamlike sound were what pop music had missed. The website went on to describe the track as "what
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
couldn't pull off at all with ''
A Head Full of Dreams ''A Head Full of Dreams'' is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 2015, r ...
''", "the chill out session to
Little Mix Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...
's stomping workout" and "quite possibly, 2016's answer to 'Pure Shores'". Eleanor Margolis of the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'' commented, "You can pretty much smell the CK1 wafting off 'One Strike'", and described the song as "sort of like someone shook 'Pure Shores' out of the coma it went into when it did a dodgy E at Glasto". Conversely, ''
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'' magazine found the track "pretty good .. not 'Pure Shores' good, but definitely alright".


Music video

The accompanying music video for "One Strike" was directed by Tom Beard, and shot in
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, mon ...
and low fidelity. It was released on 4 March 2016. The visual strays from artifice and manipulation, instead focusing on the characters of All Saints. It is entirely in
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
and features glitches throughout, and the group singing and dancing in front of a white backdrop. Near the end, a burning candle is shown. The video ends with one group member dropping a
parka A parka, like the related anorak, is a type of coat (clothing), coat with a hood (headgear), hood, that may be lining (sewing), lined with fur or fake fur. Parkas and anoraks are staples of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from Reindeer, cari ...
on the floor – a reference to Gallagher who is known for wearing parkas. Katy Forrester of the ''
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'' said the video "takes us back to the days of ' Black Coffee'" and described it as "cool" and "artsy", adding: "It's a moody video and really matches the feel of the song." Similarly, Justin Myers from the
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opined, "The moody, atmospheric clip matches the vibe of the song", and concluded that it proved All Saints "still know where it's at". Lauren Murphy from Entertainment.ie deemed the clip "mean 'n' moody". The ''
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'' wrote that the video had a "definite 90s vibe", while Jennifer Ruby of the ''
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'' regarded it as "sticking with their trademark 90s style". Rishma Dosani of ''
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'' found it "pretty emotional".


Live performances

All Saints first performed "One Strike" during an acoustic set for ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' on 26 February 2016. They performed the track on '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' on 17 March 2016. "One Strike" was included as the encore on the setlist for their first headlining show in over a decade at London's KOKO, on 4 April 2016. The group also sang the song along with past single " Pure Shores" at Starnacht am Neusiedler See on 30 April 2016 in Austria. All Saints also performed the song with "Pure Shores" on the Energy Fashion Night event, which took place on 7 May 2016. "One Strike" was performed as part of the setlist of their 2016 Red Flag Tour, and as an opening act for
Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
's 2017 tour, Wonderland Live.


Track listings

*;Digital download # "One Strike"  – 3:33 *;Digital download (Remixes) # "One Strike" (
K-Gee Karl Clive Gordon, known by the stage name K-Gee, is a British Disc jockey, DJ, Record producer, producer, rapper and songwriter and former member of the Outlaw Posse. Gordon was brought up listening to reggae by his father and was inspired t ...
Big Tings Refix)  – 4:14 # "One Strike" (Sunhatch Remix)  – 4:35 # "One Strike" (Ogre Remix)  – 3:13 # "One Strike" (Beatnik Remix)  – 3:31


Charts


References


External links

* {{All Saints 2016 singles 2016 songs All Saints (group) songs Black-and-white music videos London Records singles Songs written by Shaznay Lewis Synth-pop songs