The song reached a peak position of number 6 on the UK Singles Chart, where it sold a total of 138,000 copies. It also reached the top ten in Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Germany, where it peaked at number 3 and was certified gold by the IFPI with sales over 150,000 copies.
Critical response
"Overload" received a generally positive response from music critics. A review by Aidin Vaziri from Rolling Stone called the song "a pulsating, cool-headed R&B concoction" and praised the group for their mature sound which made "other girl groups...look utterly lightweight in comparison".
Debbie Guirand, in a review for ManHunt.com, called the song "catchy" and was impressed by the Sugababes' ability to write their own lyrics as they had done for "Overload". James Kimmitt, in a review for Drowned in Sound, was also impressed by the group's writing abilities and called the song "brilliant".
Although The Portland Mercury was not impressed by the Sugababes' debut album, giving it only two and a half stars out of five, the online entertainment website did give "Overload" positive reviews. The website called the song "joyously overwhelming" and gave it four out of five stars.
Music video
Sugababes in the music video for "Overload". From left to right: Mutya Buena & Keisha Buchanan.The music video for "Overload" was directed by Phil Poynter and filmed in London, England in mid-2000.
The video has no plot and is known for its fresh and simplistic style, a theme that they would continue in their early videos. It features the group in a variety of ever-changing outfits, singing the song in front of a plain white background, either by themselves or together as a group.
Overload
Sugababes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The boy's coming and I'm close to tears, I can't let go of you now.
Imagination's playing round for free, in my world I take him out for tea,
Oh my god, can't say no.
Skipping school, go walk for air, I just had to get out of bed,
I'm on overload in my head.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
Life is a dream, time does come true, and in my sleep I think of you,
Feather bed by myself.
Basically probability says that fate's come side with me,
It's been so long on my shelf.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
The tension is incredible, boy I'm in charge,
You know how I feel for you.
Will you stop, or will you just keep going,
Please don't say no, no, no, no.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
Train comes, I don't know its destination,
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
The lyrics of Sugababes's song "Overload" convey a sense of longing and desire for someone the singer has not seen in a long time. The first verse talks about a strange fear that the singer hasn't felt in years, as they anticipate the arrival of someone important. They can't let go of this person and even let their imagination run free, thinking of taking them out for tea. The singer feels overloaded in their head, unable to focus on anything else.
In the chorus, the metaphor of a train conveys a sense of uncertainty and instability. The singer doesn't know where the train is headed, and it feels like a one-way ticket to a madman's situation. This could be interpreted as a representation of the risk involved in pursuing this strong attraction the singer feels towards this person.
The second verse mentions life as a dream, and how the singer thinks about this person even in their sleep. Probability says that fate may be on their side, but the singer has not acted on their feelings for a long time. The tension is "incredible," and the singer asks this person not to say no to them.
Overall, the lyrics of "Overload" capture the excitement and uncertainty of a strong attraction, as the singer navigates their feelings and fears and wonders where this could all lead.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange fear I ain't felt for years
I'm feeling an unfamiliar sense of anxiety
The boy's coming and I'm close to tears
I'm so overwhelmed by the coming of this boy that I'm on the verge of crying
I can't let go of you now
I'm unable to stop thinking about this boy
Imagination's playing round for free
My mind is running wild with fantasies
In my world I take him out for tea
In my imagination, I'm going out with him for tea
Oh my god, can't say no
I'm so taken by this boy, I can't refuse him
Skipping school, go walk for air
I'm skipping school to clear my head
I just had to get out of bed, I'm on overload in my head
My thoughts are overwhelming me and I had to get out of bed to escape them
Train comes, I don't know its destination, It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation.
I'm unsure of where my feelings for this boy will take me, but it's a one-way ticket to a potentially dangerous situation
Life is a dream, time does come true, and in my sleep I think of you, Feather bed by myself
I'm fantasizing about a life with this boy, even in my sleep
Basically probability says that fate's come side with me, It's been so long on my shelf.
I feel like this boy and I are destined to be together, despite the fact that we've been apart for so long
The tension is incredible, boy I'm in charge, You know how I feel for you.
There is a lot of tension between us and I feel like I'm in control, but this boy knows how I feel about him
Will you stop, or will you just keep going, Please don't say no, no, no, no.
I'm worried that this boy will reject me, so I'm pleading with him not to say no
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Kiesha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan, Mutya Buena, Siobhan Emma Donaghy, Felix Starbuck Howard, Jony Lipsey, Cameron Andrew Mcvey, Paul Simm
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mariarioalger-sermona8116
Strange fear I ain't felt for years
The boy's coming and I'm close to tears
I can't let go of you now
Imagination's playing round for free
In my world I take him out for tea
Oh my God, can't say no
Skipping school, go walk for air
I just had to get out of bed
I'm on overload in my head
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
Life is a dream, time does come true
And in my sleep I think of you
Feather bed by myself
Basically probability
Says that fate's come side with me
It's been so long on my shelf
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
The tension is incredible, boy I'm in charge
You know how I feel for you,
Will you stop, or will you just keep going
Please don't say no, no, no, no
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
Train comes I don't know its destination
It's a one-way ticket to a madman's situation
@slamcheck
my right ear enjoyed this
edit : they fixed the audio now, before you could only hear sound from the right earphone, this was/is my most liked comment on youtube gg wp
@cryptnick_
I just laughed out loud. 😂😂
Feeling you. 😂😂
@jozsefalfaro2350
I was gonna comment the same thing danm you beat me to it
@arvy9254
Thought I needed new headphones until this comment lol
@danthegaff216
I put my headset on backwards to I could enjoy it in my left ear.
@felipecoello5253
Why is that?
@brendamegastar
So fresh even today. One of the greatest debut singles of all time 🥇
@trinah9024
Doesn't make sense
@WedrownyGrajek
I agree!
I remember when it came out and I thought it was groundbreaking!, making pop music cool and refined.
Love it to this day.
@svenheimes9379
Word!