"Switch It On"
Single by Will Young
from the album Keep On
B-side"I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"
Released14 November 2005 (2005-11-14)
GenreAvant-pop[1]
Length3:47
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Lipson
Will Young singles chronology
"Friday's Child"
(2004)
"Switch It On"
(2005)
"All Time Love"
(2006)

"Switch It On" is a song by English singer Will Young. It was written by Young, Stephen Lipson, Ronnie Peterson, Karen Poole and Steven Wolf, and produced by Lipson for third studio album, Keep On (2005). The song was released as the album's first single on 14 November 2005, a week before the album. The single reached number five in the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The video for "Switch It On" was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed at Thunder City in Cape Town, South Africa.[2] It is based on the 1986 American action drama Top Gun. The video opens with the titles "Will Young in Hot Gun", and features Young in the Tom Cruise fighter pilot role, playing beach volleyball and serenading a woman in a bar.[2] In a 2005 interview with The Guardian, Young commented: "The video was the director Vaughan Arnell's idea – I'd had something different, a performance video, in mind. But he convinced me it was such a universal idea that covered so many areas – blokes love it, women like it. It's not in-your-face homoerotic. Homoeroticism should be subtle. It's not about dancing in leather pants. Mixed with humour, homoeroticism is fantastic."[2]

Track listings

UK CD1[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Switch It On"
Stephen Lipson4:46
2."Switch It On" (Freeform Reform)
  • Young
  • Lipson
  • Peterson
  • Poole
  • Wolf
6:01
UK CD2[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Switch It On"
Lipson4:46
2."I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"Al KooperLipson5:16
3."Switch It On" (Freeform Reform)
  • Young
  • Lipson
  • Peterson
  • Poole
  • Wolf
  • Lipson
  • Freeform Five[a]
6:01
4."Exclusive Picture Gallery and Will Young Screensaver"   

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes remix producer
  • "Switch It On" is based on the composition "Ho Diddley" as performed by Chitlin Circuitry.

Charts

Release history

Release history for "Switch It On"
Region Date Label Format Ref(s)
United Kingdom 14 November 2005 [10]

References

  1. ^ Southall, Nick (30 November 2005). "Will Young - Keep On - Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "'I'm a very strange pop star'". The Guardian. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  3. ^ Switch It On (UK CD1 liner notes). Will Young. Sony BMG, 19 Recordings. 2005. 82876 752292.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Switch It On (UK CD2 liner notes). Will Young. Sony BMG, 19 Recordings. 2005. 82876 752302.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "The ARIA Report: European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 28th November 2005" (PDF). ARIA. 28 November 2005. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Switch It On". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  9. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2005" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 12 November 2005. p. 37.

External links