3 Words

Album: 3 Words (2009)
Charted: 4
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This robo-pop R&B duet with Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas is the title track of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole's debut solo album. It is also the second single from the LP. Cole previously collaborated with Will.I.Am on a re-mixed version of his 2007 track, "Heartbreaker," which was a #4 hit in the UK.
  • This is one of four tracks on 3 Words, which are Cole/Will.I.Am collaborations. She explained in publicity materials that after she guested on "Heartbreaker:" "We became friends and he said he was interested in working with me again. It was a massive compliment but I didn't even register it, really. I was working hard with the Girls. They were my complete focus.'"

    After Girls Aloud finished their Out of Control Tour, Cole's record company asked if she was interested in Will.I.Am's offer and so the singer decided to take some time out to work with him in the studio. She explained: 'The way we work with Girls Aloud is that we'll go into the vocal booth and do our lines on a track that's already almost completed. With Will I was seeing music being made right from the ground up. He'd ask my opinion on the beats and the words. He'd send me off to write hooks.'"

    The recording process gathered momentum after Will and Cheryl had alighted on this song, which became the album's title track. Said Cole: "I still can't quite believe that that song is mine. Right from the start with this I knew what I wouldn't sing. If I heard a thumping dance beat or a phrase I wouldn't use, it'd go. If I was going to make a solo record it had to be a record that I'd play in the house. I love what the Girls do. I love the quirkiness and I love that it is our sound. But this time it had to be personal."
  • Cole said in a promotional video that this is her favourite song on the album, adding that it was "totally different from anything I've done [with Girls Aloud] or liked before."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.