Foundations (song)

"Foundations" is a song co-written by British singer-songwriter Kate Nash for her debut album, Made of Bricks (2007). It was released as the album's lead single in June 2007, her first single since signing with Fiction Records after the success of her debut single "Caroline's a Victim".

"Foundations"
Single by Kate Nash
from the album Made of Bricks
B-side
  • "Habanera"
  • "Navy Taxi"
  • "Old Dances"
Released18 June 2007
GenreIndie pop
Length4:05
3:44 (clean radio edit)
LabelFiction, Moshi
Songwriter(s)Kate Nash, Paul Epworth, Steve DaMar
Kate Nash singles chronology
"Caroline's a Victim / Birds"
(2007)		 "Foundations"
(2007)		 "Mouthwash"
(2007)
Music video
"Foundations" on YouTube

Music and structure

The song is written in C major and uses the three main chords of the key C, F and G as the riff which is used as a simple eight bar ostinato. It follows the A-B-A-B-A-B-C-B pattern.

During the writing process, producer Paul Epworth suggested to Nash to write "something like 'Cheree' by Suicide"[1] which has a similar chord progression.

Music video

The music video was directed by Kinga Burza[2] and makes use of video, still shots and stop motion animation. Colourful everyday items such as toothbrushes, shoes, socks and toys (one of which appears to be a Yellow Power Ranger) are prominent.

It follows the song closely, and is made up of several main scenes; Nash playing a card game, turning in bed, eating lemons ("you've said I must eat so many lemons, because I am so bitter"), sitting on a staircase, arm wrestling, decorating a cake and sitting in her lounge, but is not happy living with her boyfriend. The video ends as she packs her suitcase and walks out of the house.

Critical reception

The song has received almost universally positive reviews from British critics.[3] In August 2007, The Guardian gave the song a mixed review, citing its strong comparisons to Lily Allen, but praised the "indelible chorus".[4] In September 2007, Pitchfork Media gave a positive review of the song, citing Nash's "gift for communicating confusing romance with a keen eye for detail and scene-stealing turns of phrase".[5]

The Los Angeles Times also cited Nash's lyrical gift in Foundations in their review.[6] In January 2008, Rolling Stone gave the song a positive review stating, "The rushed verses of "Foundations" – in which Nash dissects a couple's argument – convey sadness and snarkiness at once, and those verses sound pretty inviting, too."[7] That same month, The New York Times gave the song an overwhelmingly positive review, hailing the song as her best and continuing with "The song is bright, peppy and mercilessly perceptive".[8] In February 2008, Slant Magazine hailed the track as "energetic and borderline sadistic".[9] In December 2008, Slant ranked the song at No. 17 on their list of the top 25 US released singles of 2008.[10]

Chart performance

The song spent five weeks at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, being held off by Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Timbaland and Keri Hilson's "The Way I Are" for three weeks and two weeks, respectively. In the week ending 4 August 2007, "The Way I Are" beat "Foundations" to the top spot by just 16 copies,[11] with the latter selling 33,562 copies.[12] The song has sold 435,000 copies in the UK, as stated by the Official Charts Company.[13]

Promotion

On 22 July 2007, Nash performed "Foundations" at 2007's T4 on the Beach in Weston-super-Mare. The single was a commercial success, ending 2007 as the year's 17th biggest-selling single in the UK.[14] On 15 January 2008, she performed the song on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Track listings

All songs written by Kate Nash.

UK CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Habanera"Nash2:24
UK Vinyl #1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Old Dances"Nash4:26
UK Vinyl #2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Navy Taxi"Nash5:30
Australian CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Habanera"Nash2:24
3."Navy Taxi"Nash5:30
4."Old Dances"Nash4:26
US CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Navy Taxi"Nash5:30
3."Caroline's A Victim"Nash3:01
4."Habanera"Nash2:24
US Digital EP
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations"Nash4:05
2."Navy Taxi"Nash5:30
3."Caroline's A Victim"Nash3:01
4."Habanera"Nash2:24
iTunes Digital Download
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations (Acoustic Version)"Nash3:36
7digital Digital Download
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foundations (Metronomy Version)"Nash3:55

Charts and certifications

References
  1. Sodajerker podcast, episode 172
  2. Un. "MySpace". MySpace. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  3. "Kate Nash Announces Dates – 30 Nov 2007 | Clash Music Latest Breaking Music News". Clashmusic.com. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  4. Petridis, Alexis (3 August 2007). "CD: Kate Nash, Made from Bricks | Music". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  5. Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Kate Nash: Made of Bricks Archived 15 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Cromelin, Richard (16 January 2008). "With 'Made of Bricks,' Kate Nash hopes to build on U.S. shores". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  7. "Made of Bricks : Kate Nash : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  8. Pareles, Jon (6 January 2008). "The New York Times – 'Not Too Famous to Mind Her Mum'". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  9. "Kate Nash: Made of Bricks | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  10. "2008: Year in Music". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  11. "Firm foundations". Belfast Telegraph. 9 November 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  12. Jones, Alan (18 March 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Mike Posner's I Took a Pill in Ibiza takes No.1 by slim margin". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  13. White, Jack (10 August 2017). "The closest ever UK chart battle happened 10 years ago this week". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  14. BBC Music. "Top 40 Singles of the Year 2007 ". Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  15. "ARIA Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 11th February 2008" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Kate Nash – Foundations" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Kate Nash – Foundations" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Kate Nash – Foundations" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  19. "Hitlisten.NU – Kate Nash – Foundations" (in Danish). Tracklisten.
  20. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119 no. 28. 17 July 2007. p. 59. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kate Nash – Foundations". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Foundations". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kate Nash – Foundations" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Kate Nash – Foundations". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. "Kate Nash Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten 2007" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  29. "End Of Year Charts: 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  30. "British single certifications – Kate Nash – Foundations". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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