Put Your Arms Around Me (Texas song)

"Put Your Arms Around Me" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released on 3 November 1997 by Mercury as the fourth single from their fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997). The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The Autumn Breeze mix, which was the version released as a single, was included on the soundtrack to Ever After.^[2]

"Put Your Arms Around Me"
Single by Texas
from the album White on Blonde
B-side	"Never Never" "You're All I Need to Get By"
Released	3 November 1997 (1997-11-03)[1]
Studio	The Church (London, England)
Length	4:32 (album version) 4:28 (Autumn Breeze mix)
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Johnny McElhone, Sharleen Spiteri, Dave Stewart, Robert Hodgens
Producer(s)	Dave Stewart, Texas
Texas singles chronology
"Black Eyed Boy" (1997) "Put Your Arms Around Me" (1997) "Insane" (1998)
Music video
"Put Your Arms Around Me " on YouTube

Release and promotion

"Put Your Arms Around Me" was released as the fourth single from the bands fourth studio album White on Blonde (1997), released via Mercury Records on 3 November 1997.^[3] During the time of its release, Texas were said to be one of the most played artists on radio stations across Europe, with previous singles "Say What You Want", "Halo" and "Black Eyed Boy" spending five and two weeks atop radio airplay respectively.^[4] During the release week of "Put Your Arms Around Me", it lodged a total of 616 plays on radio airplay, with 19 plays on Capital Radio and eight on BBC Radio 1.^[5] To promote the single release, Texas performed an acoustic, stripped back, version of "Put Your Arms Around Me" on Later...with Jools Holland, featuring Jools Holland on piano.^[6]

Upon its release, "Put Your Arms Around Me" was described as one of a number of "a batch of strong releases" by Music and Media.^[7]

Commercial performance

In their native Scotland, "Put Your Arms Around Me" debuted at number six on the official Scottish Singles Charts.^[8] In the United Kingdom, it charted just within the UK Top 10 and number ten on the official UK Singles Charts, and remained in the UK Top 100 Singles Charts for a total of eight weeks.^[9] In France, it debuted at number sixty-seven, and spent a total of five weeks on the French Singles Charts, and on the European Hot 100 Singles, it debuted at number twenty-eight.^[10]

During the week of 22 November 1997, "Put Your Arms Around Me" was the seventh best selling single of the week in the United Kingdom.^[11]

Critical reception

Andy Gill from The Independent remarked that "looming strings are carried on a slowed-down breakbeat" on songs such as "Put Your Arms Around Me".^[12] A reviewer from Music Week gave it four out of five, adding, "Sharleen Spiteri's voice has rarely sounded better than on this re-recorded version of the White On Blonde ballad which is likely to be championed on Chris Evans' Virgin Radio Breakfast Show."^[13]

Track listings

• UK CD1 (MERCD 497)^[14]

1. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Autumn Breeze mix) – 4:28
2. "Never Never" – 3:45
3. "You're All I Need to Get By" (Mary Ann Hobbs session) – 4:08
4. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Ambient mix) – 5:30

• UK CD2 (MERDD 497)^[15]

1. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Autumn Breeze mix) – 4:28
2. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Breath mix) – 8:35
3. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Spooky Soul mix) – 5:06
4. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Shimmering Sun mix) – 5:34
5. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Electric for Bird mix) – 5:31
6. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Spooky Dub mix) – 5:48

Note: Limited edition with four postcards.

• UK cassette single (MERDD 497; 568 208-2)^[16][17]

1. "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Autumn Breeze mix) – 4:28
2. "You're All I Need to Get By" (Mary Ann Hobbs session) – 4:08

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from The Greatest Hits album booklet.^[18]

• Texas – production
  • Johnny McElhone – writing, keyboards, programming
  • Sharleen Spiteri – writing, programming
  • Ally McErlaine – guitars
  • Eddie Campbell – keyboards, programming
  • Richard Hynd – programming
• Dave Stewart – writing, guitars, production
• Robert Hodgens – writing
• Alex Silva – additional programming and keyboards
• Terry Disley – additional programming and keyboards
• Ash Howes – mix engineering

Charts

Chart (1997–1998)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[19]	166
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[20]	28
France (SNEP)[21]	67
Scotland (OCC)[22]	6
UK Singles (OCC)[23]	10

References

1. "Reviews – November 3, 1997" (PDF). Music Week. 25 October 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
2. "Ever After: A Cinderella Story [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]: George Fenton". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
3. "Music Week - 1997-10-25" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
4. "Music Week - 1997-10-25" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
5. "Music Week - 1997-10-25" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
6. "BBC Two - Later... with Jools Holland, Series 10, Episode 3, Sharleen Spiteri - Put Your Arms Around Me (Later Archive 1997)". BBC. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
7. "Music and Media" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 9/11/1997". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
9. "Put Your Arms Around Me - Texas". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
10. "Music and Media" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
11. "Music and Media" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
12. Gill, Andy (31 January 1997). "Pop Albums". The Independent.
13. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 October 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
14. Put Your Arms Around Me (UK CD1 liner notes). Texas. Mercury Records. 1997. MERCD 497, 568 209-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. Put Your Arms Around Me (UK CD2 liner notes). Texas. Mercury Records. 1997. MERDD 497, 568 211-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. Put Your Arms Around Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Texas. Mercury Records. 1997. MERCH 497, 568 208-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
17. Put Your Arms Around Me (European CD single liner notes). Texas. Mercury Records. 1997. 568 208-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
18. The Greatest Hits (UK CD album booklet). Texas. Mercury Records. 2000. 548 264-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
19. "Texas ARIA Chart history (complete 1988-2024)". ARIA. Retrieved 28 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
20. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 47. 22 November 1997. p. 18. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
21. "Texas – Put Your Arms Around Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2021.