Mysterious Girl

"Mysterious Girl"
One of the artworks used for the 1996 re-release
Single by Peter Andre featuring Bubbler Ranx
from the album Natural and The Long Road Back
B-side
  • "Take Me Back" (1995)
  • "Turn It Up" (extended mix) (1996)
Released14 August 1995 (1995-08-14)[1]
Genre
Length3:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ollie Jacobs
Peter Andre singles chronology
"Turn It Up"
(1995)
"Mysterious Girl"
(1995)
"Get Down on It"
(1996)

"Kiss the Girl"
(1998)

"Mysterious Girl"
(2004)

"Insania"
(2004)
Music video
"Mysterious Girl" on YouTube

"Mysterious Girl" is the second overall single and third British single from British singer-songwriter Peter Andre's second studio album, Natural (1996). The song was written by Glen Goldsmith, Philip Jackson, Ollie Jacobs and Andre, and produced by Jacobs & Mubs. It features guest vocals from Caribbean rapper Bubbler Ranx. It was first released as a single by Melodian Records in Australia on 14 August 1995 and was issued in the United Kingdom the same year, but it was not until a re-release in 1996 that the song became a commercial success there. The accompanying music video was filmed in Thailand.

During its original 1995–1996 release, "Mysterious Girl" peaked at number one in New Zealand and number two in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It was also a top-10 hit in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number 11 in September 1996. In 2004, the song was once again re-released in Ireland and the UK, where it topped the UK Singles Chart following extensive promotion. In 2023, the Official UK Chart revealed that "Mysterious Girl" ranked as number 148 in their ranking of the best-selling singles of all time.[4]

Critical reception

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Clem Bastow from The Guardian described "Mysterious Girl" as "a perennial classic from that peculiarly mid-90s period where reggae and dancehall had invaded the pop charts. It holds its own (perhaps due to the guest spot from Caribbean rapper Bubbler Ranx) alongside Maxi Priest's 'That Girl', Shaggy's 'Oh Carolina' and Chaka Demus & Pliers' ebullient cover of 'Twist and Shout'."[5] Daniel Booth from Melody Maker said it is "a slushy, mushy reggae mess that is as horrid as it is awful."[6]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote that "Andre's sunshine reggae single automatically conjures up tropical beaches, palm and coconut trees. As this summer seems to be without end, the chances look good for the Australian."[7] A reviewer from Music Week gave the song three out of five, adding, "After patiently building a UK fanbase, Australian Andre could make the Top 10 with this pleasant reggae track."[8] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "accomplished but derivative Chaka Demus & Pliers/UB40/Bitty McLean-ish catchy 85.9bpm pop-reggae roller".[9]

Chart performance

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The song reached the top of the charts in New Zealand and number eight in Australia, and it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Following a lengthy campaign on The Chris Moyles Show in 2004,[10] and Andre's appearance on the British reality show I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, the song was re-released as the first single from Andre's fourth studio album The Long Road Back, peaking at number one in February 2004.[11] In Ireland, "Mysterious Girl" reached number three upon its initial release in 1996, but the 2004 reissue saw the song reach a new peak of number two.[12]

Music video

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Filmed in Thailand, the music video for "Mysterious Girl" depicts Ranx and Andre on a beach. There are montages of several women, Andre, and Ranx dancing in a lagoon shirtless and in their jeans. The video was shot on on the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand and a Swiss Thai model called Champagne X (her name is Champagne Inthachak), who was a big star at the time, also played as a model in this video.[13] Andre is later seen dancing underneath a waterfall, a more iconic part of the video. Andre is last seen walking along the beach shirtless and later rolls in the sand as the sun sets. Clem Bastow from The Guardian wrote, "The video for the single was as much an advertisement for Andre’s personal trainer and spray-tan artist as it was a music video; the sight of him grooving in searingly blue tropical waters, proudly displaying his new look, was eye-popping (though not necessarily for the reasons he might have hoped)."[5]

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Mysterious Girl"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[46] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[59] Gold 25,000*
Germany (BVMI)[60] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[61] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Platinum 600,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases – Product Available from: 14/08/95 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 287)". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 December 2019 – via Imgur.
  2. ^ Fletcher, Alex (29 July 2009). "Ten Things You Never Knew About Peter Andre". Digital Spy.
  3. ^ a b ""Gotta Get Thru This": Dom Passantino's Survey of the New Millenium's UK #1 Singles". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 June 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2024. ...it's a perfectly serviceable slice of mid 90s pop ragga...
  4. ^ "The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart". Official Charts Company. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b Bastow, Clem (23 September 2014). "Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre – pop on the beach with a side of spray tan". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ Booth, Daniel (25 May 1996). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 54. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 34. 26 August 1995. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 18 May 1996. p. 8. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  9. ^ Hamilton, James (16 September 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Peter Andre | Free Music Download | Hot Topic at Peter-Andre.net". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  11. ^ a b c "Peter Andre: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  12. ^ a b c "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mysterious Girl". Irish Singles Chart.
  13. ^ "Peter Andre: 'I think I had a sense of arrogance that I now regret'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  14. ^ Mysterious Girl (Australian CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Melodian Records. 1995. D11921.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Mysterious Girl (Australian cassette single sleeve). Peter Andre. Melodian Records. 1995. C11921.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Mysterious Girl (UK CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Mushroom Records. 1995. D11921.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  21. ^ Mysterious Girl (Dutch CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Mushroom Records. 1996. 74321 402052.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Mysterious Girl (French CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Mushroom Records, BMG France. 1996. 74321 40250 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Mysterious Girl (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Mushroom Records. 1996. 74321 37847 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Mysterious Girl (UK CD single liner notes). Peter Andre. Warner Music UK. 2004. PA001CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  61. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 29 July 2019. Enter Mysterious Girl in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1996 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  62. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  63. ^ "British single certifications – Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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