A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins song)

"A Girl Like You" is a song by British singer-songwriter Edwyn Collins from his third solo studio album, Gorgeous George (1994).^[3] It was released as a single in December 1994 by Setanta Records and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "A Girl Like You" topped the charts of Flanders and Iceland and peaked within the top 10 in several countries, including Australia, France, Germany and Sweden.

"A Girl Like You"
Single by Edwyn Collins
from the album Gorgeous George
B-side	"If You Could Love Me"
Released	5 December 1994 (1994-12-05)
Genre	Alternative rock[1] glam rock[2] Northern soul[2]
Length	3:59
Label	Setanta
Songwriter(s)	Edwyn Collins
Producer(s)	Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins singles chronology
"If You Could Love Me" (1995) "A Girl Like You" (1994) "Make Me Feel Again" (1995)
Music video
"A Girl Like You" on YouTube

There were different versions of the music video made for the song, directed by John Flansburgh and Gavin Evans. NME ranked "A Girl Like You" number 38 in their "NME Writers' Top 50 Singles of 1995",^[4] while Spin ranked it number eight in their list of the 20 best singles of 1995.^[5] The song was later sampled by Uniting Nations in their song "Everything About You^[6]".

Background and production

Collins both wrote and produced the song, and has told that it was about a "mythical girl".^[7] The Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook performed on the recording.^[8] The song had started out as "a more thrashy kind of guitar thing.^[9]

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from Cash Box felt that Collins "has one of the year's more surprising hits with this very Bowie-esque song that's been all over Modern Rock for the past month." He added, "Slightly funky and very catchy, 'A Girl Like You' is a track that will get under your skin."^[10] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton declared it as "magical", noting that here "hardcore Northern Soul meets the 1990s to delicious effect."^[11] Cathi Unsworth from Melody Maker viewed it as a "John Barry-spiked thriller" and a "little mystery", where "Collins sings with demonic relish over creepy jazz piano and fretful guitars. Overtly cool."^[12] A reviewer from Music Week gave it four out of five, commenting, "Ignored by the UK last November but scoring throughout the rest of Europe, the white-soul-swinging track gets a timely re-release."^[13] Music & Media praised it as a "absolutely superb pop track", that "should serve as EHR's sound salvation."^[14] Music & Media editor Robbert Tilli named it a "wonderfully old-fashioned" pop single.^[15]

Keith Cameron from NME called it a "flared nostril Motown-patented stomp".^[16] Another NME editor, Mark Sutherland, wrote, "So while, to us, the chart success of 'A Girl Like You' may seem but a curious sideshow to the whole Britpop fandango, to Edwyn it must surely be glorious vindication: proof positive that the world will listen. Even if Belgium, where 'A Girl Like You' reached Number One FIRST time around, has to lead the way." Sutherland also felt that its "mix of pop classicism and indie off-kilterness is a great deal more at home in a Top 40 where something as bonkers as Robson & Jerome rules the roost."^[17] Charles Aaron from Spin commented that here, Collins "opens his throat (and maybe even his heart), crooning with what sounds like aching conviction, "You've made me acknowledge the devil in me / I hope to God I'm talkin' metaphorically." The production is irresistibly off-beat with Spectorish drums, tinkling vibes, laconically searing fuzz guitar and squishy faux-turntable scratches. Plus, I love the way he pronounces "protest singers" (rhymes with "Miss Otis lingers")."^[18]

Track listings

CD single "A Girl Like You" – 3:59 "A Girl Like You" (Macramé remix by Youth) – 5:42 French CD single "A Girl Like You" – 3:59 "Out of This World" (Remixé par St-Etienne) – 4:58 CD maxi "A Girl Like You" "Don't Shilly Shally" "Something's Brewing" "Bring It On Back"

Cassette single "A Girl Like You" – 3:59 "If You Could Love Me" (acoustic version) CD maxi "A Girl Like You" "If You Could Love Me" (acoustic version) "Don't Shilly Shally" (spotter's 86 demo version) "You're on Your Own"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[19] 6 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 7 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[22] 5 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[23] 16 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[24] 9 Denmark (IFPI)[25] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[26] 13 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] 11 France (SNEP)[28] 4 Germany (GfK)[29] 3 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[30] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[31] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[32] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 18 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 36 Norway (VG-lista)[35] 7 Scotland (OCC)[36] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 9 UK Singles (OCC)[39] 4 UK Indie (Music Week)[40] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[41] 32 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[42] 7 US Top 40 Mainstream (Billboard)[41] 32 US Cash Box Top 100[43] 28 Chart (2012) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[44] 56

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Australia (ARIA)[45] 56 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[46] 38 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[47] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[48] 10 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[49] 25 France (SNEP)[50] 19 Germany (Media Control)[51] 14 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[52] 22 Sweden (Topplistan)[53] 34 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[54] 31 UK Singles (OCC)[55] 51 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[56] 32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[45]	Gold	35,000^
France (SNEP)[57]	Silver	125,000*
Germany (BVMI)[58]	Gold	250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59]	Gold	400,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Australia	5 December 1994	CD: CD1	MDS Setanta	[60]
	12 December 1994	CD: CD2		[61]
United Kingdom	5 June 1995	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	Setanta	[62]
Japan	6 December 1995	CD	Rail	[63]

Appearances

The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Empire Records^[64] and on that of 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.^[65] It was featured in season 1, episode 5 of Lucifer ("Sweet Kicks"),^[66] and in the 2022 horror film Goodnight Mommy. It plays over the end credits in season 5, episode 7 of The Crown.^[67] Sabrina Spellman and her date Chad Corey Dylan dance to this song in season 1, episode 5 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ("Dream Date"^[68]) as well as Ted Lasso in Season 3. It is used in the pilot episode of The Decameron.^[69]

See also

• Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 1995