Wake Me Up - Background and Release

Background and Release

"We've been interested in Brian for years. His production of Girls Aloud's Wake Me Up first caught my attention. I remember thinking: 'What the hell is that? It's amazing'. There was something about their sound which was immediate but dangerous - rare in a girl group. It was really edgy."

—Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, says the song inspired the band to work with "Wake Me Up" producer Brian Higgins.

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. Higgins explained that Polydor were not going to continue with the group's contract unless he produced songs for the album. He continued, saying that his initial reaction was that he thought he would only be required to produce a couple of songs, however Polydor insisted that he produce the album in its entirety and that they thought only he understood what they wanted. The album was recorded from April to September 2004, with the lead single being released in June 2004.

For the lead single from What Will the Neighbours Say?, Polydor presented the band four singles choices, including "The Show", "Wake Me Up", "Graffiti My Soul", and "Androgynous Girls". Although "Wake Me Up" was the preferred choice, and also Sarah Harding's favorite from the album, it was deemed as sounding too harsh and the record company didn't want to take the risk. They also added "Androgynous Girls" as a b-side to the album's second single three months later. "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. They decided to release "The Show", which was debuted on 28 June 2004, less than six months after the release of "Jump".

"Wake Me Up" was eventually released as the fourth and final single from the album on 21 February 2005. The first verse was recorded on the last day of sessions for What Will the Neighbours Say?. Kimberley Walsh's "dressed up and put on my make up" line was considered a "pivotal" point in the recording process. "Wake Me Up" was released on two CD single formats, as well as an additional 7" picture disc. The first disc included a remix of Girls Aloud's previous single, a cover version of The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You". The second CD format included the Tony Lamezma's Love Affair remix of "Wake Me Up", as well as an exclusive b-side: the previously unreleased ballad, entitled "History", which was co-written by the band. The 7" picture disc includes the Gravitas Club Mix of "Wake Me Up" and another new b-side: another ballad, "Loving Is Easy", which was also co-written by Girls Aloud. It only appeared on vinyl until its inclusion on the special edition rarities disc of Girls Aloud's first greatest hits album, The Sound of Girls Aloud, along with a demo version of "Wake Me Up", which features an alternate first verse.