No Matter What (Boyzone song)

"No Matter What"
Single by Boyzone
from the album Songs from Whistle Down the Wind and Where We Belong
Released3 August 1998 (1998-08-03)
Studio
  • Skratch, Metropolis, Sarm West (London, England)
  • FLM (Hollywood, California)
  • Barking Dog (New York City)
Length4:34
LabelPolydor
Composer(s)Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist(s)Jim Steinman
Producer(s)
Boyzone singles chronology
"All That I Need"
(1998) 		"No Matter What"
(1998) 		"I Love the Way You Love Me"
(1998)
Music video
"No Matter What" on YouTube

"No Matter What" is a song from the 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind that was popularised by Irish boyband Boyzone in 1998 when they recorded it to tie in with the show's first UK production. The song was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, while Lloyd Webber, Steinman and Nigel Wright produced the track, with additional production by Franglen & Lupino. The song was also featured on the US edition of the soundtrack to the 1999 film Notting Hill, and was released to American radio on 10 May 1999.

The song became their fourth number-one on the UK Singles Chart, with its three-week stay atop the chart making it Boyzone's longest-running number-one single. It also became the band's first and only song to have any chart success in the US. Jewels & Stone did a remix for the song for dance clubs which was popular. In the UK, the song has sold 1.15 million copies and another 3 million worldwide.[1] The song was performed by Meat Loaf as part of a medley with another number from Whistle Down the Wind, "Home by Now", in his 1998 compilation album The Very Best of Meat Loaf and individually as a B-side to his 1998 single "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" and to his 1999 single "Is Nothing Sacred", and by Luciano Pavarotti as a duet with Boyzone in the live concert and album Pavarotti & Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo.

Critical reception

[edit]

British newspaper Birmingham Evening Mail wrote, "Tina Arena has already had one hit from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman stage musical 'Whistle Down The Wind' - but expect this one to do even better. As a change Stephen Gately shares lead vocals on what is essentially a simple but hugely memorable ballad. Prepare that number one spot now."[2] A reviewer from Daily Record noted that it "shows a depth of maturity that bodes well for the future",[3] later adding that the band "are continuing their efforts to evolve into a group which will be able to appeal to an older audience."[4]

Music video

[edit]

A music video was made to accompany the song. It shows an African man leaving in a hot air balloon. The members of Boyzone are standing on the ground watching him depart, joined by a shirtless boy with a guitar and an apple, a girl in a white tank top and grey trousers, and an East Asian woman. The African man eventually drops a small golden crucifix, in reference to the Christian themes of Whistle Down the Wind.[5]

An alternate version was later produced as a tie-in for Notting Hill, using alternate footage of Boyzone from the same shoot as the original video and clips from the film.[6]

Track listings

[edit]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are lifted from the By Request album booklet.[13]

Studios

Personnel

  • Andrew Lloyd Webber – music, production, executive production
  • Jim Steinman – lyrics, production, executive production
  • Tracy Ackerman – backing vocals (London)
  • Andy Caine – backing vocals (London)
  • Friðrik Karlsson – guitar (London)
  • Michael Thompson – electric and acoustic guitars (Los Angeles)
  • Nigel Wright – keyboards (London), production
  • Lee McCutcheon – keyboard programming (London)
  • Franglen & Lupino – additional production, arrangement
    • Angela Lupino – bass (Los Angeles)
    • Simon Franglen – keyboards, programming, engineering (Los Angeles)
  • Steve Rinkoff – mixing, engineering (London)
  • Mick Guzauski – mixing (Los Angeles)
  • Robin Sellars – engineering (London)
  • Alex Black – engineering assistant (London)
  • Tom – engineering assistant (Los Angeles)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[62] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[63] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[64] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[65] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[66] 2× Platinum 150,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] Platinum 10,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[68] 2× Platinum  
Sweden (GLF)[69] Platinum 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[70] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 3 August 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 Polydor [72]
Japan 6 January 1999 CD [73]
United States 10 May 1999 Contemporary hit radio
[74][75]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Copsey, Rob (17 March 2017). "The UK's 40 biggest selling singles by Irish acts of the last 20 years". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Single of the Week". Birmingham Evening Mail. 4 August 1998. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Chartslot". Daily Record. 18 September 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Chart Slot". Daily Record. 2 October 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Boyzone - No Matter What (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Boyzone - No Matter What (Alternate Version)". YouTube. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  7. ^ No Matter What (UK CD1 liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1998. 567 567-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ No Matter What (UK CD2 & Australian CD single liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1998. 567 609-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ No Matter What (UK cassette single sleeve). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1998. 567 566-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ No Matter What (European CD single liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1998. 567 566-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ No Matter What (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1998. 567 823-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ No Matter What (Japanese CD single liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. POCP-7353.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ By Request (UK CD album booklet). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. 547 599-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Boyzone – No Matter What". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
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  60. ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 1999" (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2021.
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  63. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Boyzone – No Matter What" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  64. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  65. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Boyzone; 'No Matter What')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  66. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Boyzone – No Matter What" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter No Matter What in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1998 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  67. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Boyzone – No Matter What". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
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  73. ^ "ノー・マター・ホワット | ボーイゾーン" [No Matter What | Boyzone] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
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  75. ^ Olson, Catherine Applefeld (8 May 1999). "Soundtracks And Film Score News". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 19. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510.
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