Proud (Heather Small song)
| "Proud" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Don't Give Up the Fight", "Wonderful World" |
"Proud" is a song by M People singer Heather Small, which was released in mid-2000, peaking at #16[1]. It was the title track from the album Proud, and was released as her first single, becoming a worldwide hit.The song was co-written with, and produced by, Peter-John Vettese.
In 2005, the song was adopted as the official theme for the London 2012 Olympic bid, and was featured in a widely-seen promotional video for the bid.[2] Re-released in honour of this the same year, the song returned to the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #33 and remaining in the Top 75 for two more weeks.[3] The song was also re-released on The Biggest Loser soundtrack in 2006. It peaked at #34.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Proud" | Small, Vettese | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Don't Give Up the Fight" | Small, Schogger | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Wonderful World" | Thiele, Weiss | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Proud" (video) |
In the media
- Heather Small performed "Proud" at the 60th anniversary of VE day in Trafalgar Square.[5]
- She also performed the song for the launch of the Queen Mary 2.[5]
- She appeared at a performance to celebrate Britain's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[5]
- Proud was featured in the American version of the popular hit series Queer as Folk
- Small also appeared in the Visa London 2012 Party at The Mall on August 24 2008 to celebrate official countdown of the Olympic Games coming to London
- In 2005, Small performed for the Tsunami Relief Concert at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium. This concert was able to raise over £1.25 million and bring awareness to distressed countries.[5]
- In November 2005 Small made her US television debut performing "Proud" on The Oprah Winfrey Show whereupon Winfrey named it as the new theme for the program.[5]
- "Proud" is used as the theme music for the season two onwards of NBC's weight-losing reality show The Biggest Loser.
- The song is being used on the soundtrack of the film Akeelah and the Bee. The soundtrack was released in the US on April 4th, 2006 and the film on April 28th, 2006 in US theatres.
- In 2006, the song "Proud" was used as the main campaign song for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick.
- On December 14 2008, she sang the song at the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. This was to celebrate the achievements of British Olympians at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
- The song is also widely used in many videos and events as an unofficial theme for the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.
- The song was at a time the school song for AKIS-BS.
- In the British sitcom, Miranda, Miranda's best-friend Stevie has a cardboard cut-out of Heather Small's face. She is regularly seen holding it up and singing the main line of the chorus ("What have you done today to make you feel proud"), then replying to herself by stating an achievement she has accomplished that day (eg. "Well Miss Heather Small, today I've completed the expenditure-chart for our joke-shop, and taken the delivery of hen-night stock").
- It is also used as the company song within the Thomas Cook group. Employees follow the 'PROUD' values (Pioneering our future, Results oriented, Obsessed with customer service, United as one team and Driving robust decisions).
Covers
- Power Music remixed multiple versions of Proud at specific beats per minute and included the song in several workout compilations.
References
- ^ "UK Top 40 Database". Retrieved 2007-09-16.
- ^ "Celebrations across the UK as countdown to 2012 begins". London 2012. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
- ^ "UK Top 40 Database".
- ^ "Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks". Billboard.com. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. [2006-07-01]. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Gage, Simon. "Heather Small:Biography". Graymedia. Retrieved 2007-09-14.