Love Machine (Girls Aloud Song) - Background and Release

Background and Release

Following a brief hiatus, Polydor Records enlisted Brian Higgins and Xenomania to produce Girls Aloud's second album in its entirety, following the success of their debut album Sound of the Underground. "When the second album came round, the label said, 'Listen, we're not going to do this group any more if you don't do it.'" Higgins explained. "I think my initial reaction was to do a few tracks and he said, 'No, you have to do this because I think you're the only person who understands exactly what it is'. So, that's how we took it on." The album was recorded from April to September 2004, although its lead single "The Show" was released in June 2004.

"Love Machine" was picked as the second single from What Will the Neighbours Say?, being released on 13 September 2004. "The pressure to come up with singles was, as always, immense. But we were able to have a lot of fun working on ideas that were maybe a little too odd to be on the radio," Higgins said. It was released on three different CD single formats, as well as an additional 7" picture disc, making it Girls Aloud's first single available on vinyl. The first disc included a Flip & Fill remix of "The Show". For the sleeve of the second CD, Artwork design group Form invented five fake magazines, one for each member, and used "Love Machine" lyrics as the headlines. The disc included an exclusive previously unreleased b-side entitled "Androgynous Girls", which had been initially considered to be released as the lead single of the album. The Gravitas Disco Mix of "Love Machine" was also included. The maxi-CD also included a task-based game, created by design agency Holler. The 7" picture disc included the radio edit and Tony Lamezma Remix of "Love Machine".