Atomic Kitten had three UK number one singles; Whole Again, the fourth best selling single by a girl group of all time; Eternal Flame and The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling). They also had two UK number one albums, Right Now, a re-issue of their debut album, and Feels So Good, both going double platinum in the UK alone. Atomic Kitten sold over 10 million records worldwide. In terms of sales, Atomic Kitten are the one of the most successful European girl groups of the twenty first century, alongside the Sugababes.
The group's first single, Right Now, debuted in December 1999 and reached the UK Top 10. After their initial success, Atomic Kitten performed an Asian tour and scored their first number one hit there with Cradle. The album, also titled Right Now, was first released in Japan on 16 March 2000, and subsequently released in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2000 with a slightly modified track list. In 2000, the group also recorded a cover version of The Locomotion for the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
The Right Now album was unsuccessful upon its first release, peaking only at #39 in the UK album chart. Initially, there were no plans to focus on the global market and Atomic Kitten's record label, Innocent Records, was even considering dropping them because of their limited success. However, the record company were persuaded to allow the group to record one more single. The single, Whole Again, became their first no. 1 hit in the UK in 2001, and stayed at the top for four consecutive weeks. Due to this success, "Whole Again" was released worldwide, and reached #1 in 18 other countries. The song and video for "Whole Again" originally featured Kerry Katona; however, she left the group several days prior to the number-one position because of her pregnancy. The single was remade when Jenny Frost was added to the line-up as Katona's replacement. This led to a decision to partially re-record and re-release the album, which then went to no. 1 in August 2001. The next single, Eternal Flame, a cover version of the 1989 hit by The Bangles, also became a no.1 hit in several countries, and sold a million copies worldwide.
Following the success of "Right Now", a new album, Feels So Good, was recorded. The songwriting and production agreement with Andy McCluskey was an increasing source of tension within the group, and the girls decided to terminate the contract with McCluskey halfway through the recording of the album.
The first single off the album was It's OK!. Even though this song performed well in the charts, securing a No. 3 position in the United Kingdom, and reaching the top 20 in many other countries, it was the next single The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling), a remake of the 1965 song by The Paragons (also made famous by Blondie in 1980), which attained Atomic Kitten their third number-one single in their homeland. The single became the Kitten's second largest hit, getting into the top 10 in over 25 countries. In April 2002, Hamilton announced that she was pregnant, but rather than leave the group, she opted to continue with the scheduled 2002 tour. Hamilton filmed the music video for "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", and made an appearance at Party in the Park before finally going on pregnancy leave.
In April 2003, the group released the album, Atomic Kitten in the United States. Until that time, the group had not focused on the American market, and the album consisted of tracks from their first two albums, Right Now and Feels So Good. Promotion for the album began with the single, The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling), appearing on the soundtrack for the Disney film, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" starring Hilary Duff, and managed to debut and peak at #42. However, the single plummeted to #88 in it's second week. In addition, after the album only managed to peak at #102 on the US Billboard 200, it was decided the group would focus solely on the European, Oceanian, and Asian markets.
Before recording their third album, Kool & The Gang approached the group about a collaboration of their hit Ladies Night and were looking for a girl group to sing the lyrics. Atomic Kitten liked the idea and enquired whether they could use it for their next album which was subsequently named Ladies Night in honour of this collaboration.
Their first single of the album, excluding Be with You, was If You Come to Me. It secured a #3 position on the UK top 40. It became Atomic Kitten's 6th best selling single in the United Kingdom for sales of 180,000 copies. Moreover, "If You Come to Me" reached the top 30 in every single country it charted, and reached the top 10 in over 10 countries.
Atomic Kitten spent late 2002 and early 2003 in the studio recording their third and final studio album. Up until the recording of Ladies Night, the group mainly relied on songwriters, though they had occasionally co-written songs featured on their albums. While recording Ladies Night, they decided to be directly involved in the creation of eight of the fifteen songs. Ladies Night was released on 10 November 2003, and peaked at no.5 in the UK album chart.
In early 2004, a tour to support the Ladies Night album and the upcoming release of their Greatest Hits album was planned. Shortly before the tour kicked off, the group announced they would be taking an extended break after the completion of the tour.
On 23 January 2004, Natasha Hamilton decided to devote more time to her young son and wanted to take a hiatus from the group. Atomic Kitten released the single Someone Like Me/Right Now 2004" as a "goodbye" to their fans. The reunited on Valentine's Day 2005 to release the charity single Cradle 2005", a new version of the original song from their album Right Now which was a no. 1 hit in Asia back in 2000. "Cradle 2005" peaked at No. 10, selling 35,000 copies worldwide, with proceeds going to World Vision.
In 2005, the group was featured on the soundtrack of Disney's Mulan II with the song (I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls. In 2005, they also performed together in Krakow, Poland on 28 August at the Coca-Cola SoundWave Festival.
In 2006, Atomic Kitten recorded a one-off single, All Together Now (Strong Together), in association with Goleo VI, the official mascot of the FIFA World Cup 2006. The track is taken from The Official FIFA World Cup Album and was released for digital download and in CD form on 6 June 2006, in Germany, where the World Cup was held ten days later. The single was listed by the HMV website for physical release in the UK many weeks prior to the competition but was later withdrawn due to the amount of competing football records that were being released at that time. The proceeds of the single went to SOS Children's Villages.
On 4 December 2006, the group reunited again for a one-off performance of "Whole Again" and two other songs at a benefit concert for the Michael Shields appeal at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.
On 31 December 2006, Atomic Kitten performed at the Ocean Terminal in Hong Kong at Nokia's New Year's Eve celebration. The marked their second international appearance since their extended break in 2004.
Atomic Kitten released another charity single, Anyone Who Had A Heart on 27 January 2008, a version of Dionne Warwick's 1963 hit as part of the Liverpool Number One Project. The single peaked at no.77 in the UK. Their last stage performance happened on 19 January 2008, Atomic Kitten had returned to the stage for The Number One Project, where they sang "Anyone Who Had a Heart", "Whole Again" and "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" live. Their last television performance happened on 25 January 2008, the group appeared on GMTV, talking about The Number One Project and performed "Anyone Who Had a Heart" in the studio.
Jenny Frost and Liz McClarnon embarked on solo careers, although neither were able to replicate the Kitten's success.
They returned on 12 March 2012
The group released a remake of "Whole Again" in support of England at UEFA Euro 2020, entitled "Southgate You're the One (Football's Coming Home Again)". The release of the track also marked Frost's return to the band for the first time since 2008.
Whole Again
Atomic Kitten Lyrics
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Staring at the sky and dragging my two feet
You just pass me by
It still makes me cry but you can make me whole again
And if you see me with another man laughing and joking
Doing what I can
I won't put you down, 'cause I want you around
You can make me whole again
Looking back on when we first met
I cannot escape and I cannot forget
Baby, you're the one
You still turn me on
You can make me whole again
Time is laying heavy on my heart
Seems I've got too much of it since we've been apart
My friends make me smile if only for while
You can make me whole again
Looking back on when we first met
I cannot escape and I cannot forget
Baby, you're the one
You still turn me on
You can make me whole again
For now I'll have to wait
But, baby, if you change your mind don't be too late
'Cause I just can't go on
It's already been too long
But you can make me whole again
Looking back on when we first met
I cannot escape and I cannot forget
Baby, you're the one
You still turn me on
You can make me whole again
Looking back on when we first met
I cannot escape and I cannot forget
Baby, you're the one
You still turn me on
You can make me whole again
Ooh, baby, you're the one
You still turn me on
You can make me whole again
Atomic Kitten's 2001 hit "Whole Again" is a song about heartbreak, longing, and the desire to be reunited with a lost love. The opening lines set the scene for the rest of the song, describing the singer as someone who is lost, wandering aimlessly through life. The line "It still makes me cry but you can make me whole again" suggests that the singer is still deeply affected by the breakup, but that the presence of the lost love would be enough to bring them back to life.
The chorus is where the song takes a hopeful turn, with the singer acknowledging that the presence of the lost love is the only thing that can make them feel whole again. The lines "Looking back on when we first met, I cannot escape and I cannot forget, baby you're the one, you still turn me on, you can make me whole again" are particularly poignant, as they capture the nostalgia and longing that the singer feels for their lost love. The second verse reinforces this theme, with the singer acknowledging that time has only made the situation worse, and that their friends can only provide temporary distractions.
The final verse finds the singer pleading with their lost love to reconsider the breakup, noting that it may be too late but still hoping for a reconciliation. The repeated lines "looking back on when we first met, I cannot escape and I cannot forget, baby you're the one, you still turn me on, you can make me whole again" drive home the idea that this is a love that is at once in the past and still very much alive in the present.
Overall, "Whole Again" is a powerful and deeply emotional song that captures the complexities of love and heartbreak. Whether you're going through a breakup or just need a reminder of the power of love, this song is sure to resonate with you.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see me walking down the street
If you happen to witness me strolling on the pavement...
Staring at the sky and dragging my two feet
...looking up at the sky, with my feet scarcely scraping the ground...
You just pass me by
...you just ignore me...
It still makes me cry but you can make me whole again
...and even though it still causes me to tear up, you're the only one that can make me feel complete once more.
And if you see me with another man laughing and joking
But if you ever see me in the company of another man, grinning and giggling...
Doing what I can
...doing whatever it takes to move on...
I won't put you down, 'cause I want you around
...I won't badmouth you, because deep inside, I still yearn for your presence.
You can make me whole again
It's just you that can heal my brokenness, and make me whole again.
Looking back on when we first met
Reflecting back, to when we met...
I cannot escape and I cannot forget
...I can't avoid or erase the memories...
Baby, you're the one
...because you were the one...
You still turn me on
...that still ignites my passion, even after all this time...
Time is laying heavy on my heart
The passage of time bears weight on my heart...
Seems I've got too much of it since we've been apart
...it seems like there's too much of it since we separated...
My friends make me smile if only for while
My pals bring a smile on my face, but only for a short while...
You can make me whole again
...but you are the only one who can truly make me feel whole again.
For now I'll have to wait
For the moment, I'll have to be patient...
But, baby, if you change your mind don't be too late
...however, if changing your mind ever crosses your thoughts, don't wait too long...
βCause I just can't go on
...because I simply cannot go on like this...
It's already been too long
...it has been too long already.
Ooh, baby, you're the one
Oh, you know, honey, you are the one...
You still turn me on
...who continues to light my fire, even now...
You can make me whole again
...and it's just you that can make everything feel right again.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andy McClusky, Bill Padley, Jeremy Godfrey, Stuart Kershaw
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind