"Whole Again" was the fifth single for Atomic Kitten, and their first single released in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
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This single was given a release from Virgin Records, explaining in November 2000 that Atomic Kitten were to be dropped. However they persuaded Innocent Records to release one more single, first being released in the UK to see if their first single was to be a success in their region. Atomic Kitten scored their first number-one hit in the UK in 2001 with "Whole Again". This was the final single to feature original band member Kerry Katona due to announcing her departure after the single went to #1 due to falling pregnant with her first child
This single was given a release from Virgin Records, explaining in November 2000 that Atomic Kitten were to be dropped. However they persuaded Innocent Records to release one more single, first being released in the UK to see if their first single was to be a success in their region. Atomic Kitten scored their first number-one hit in the UK in 2001 with "Whole Again". This was the final single to feature original band member Kerry Katona due to announcing her departure after the single went to #1 due to falling pregnant with her first child
Song information
The track is available on Atomic Kitten's debut album Right Now, both the original and the re-issue. It also appeared on the edition of the group's second album Feels So Good released in continental Europe and Asia, with Katona's spoken-word vocals in the final verse dubbed out and replaced with new ones by Frost. The group asked UK radio stations to play this mix instead of the original, but none complied. It is also available on Atomic Kitten's Greatest Hits album, with Frost's vocals as opposed to those of Katona.
Music videos
The song and video for "Whole Again" originally featured Kerry Katona; however, she left the group several days prior to the number-one position because of her pregnancy. The video was remade when Jenny Frost was added to the line-up as a replacement. The video included the girls in a variety of ever-changing outfits. It was criticised because of its similarities to the Sugababes single "Overload". The music video was so simple and basic because after Follow Me failed to make a big impact on the charts, the record company were low on money and released "Whole Again" on a very low budget.
A second music video was made for the US release of the single which featured the three girls in New York City walking into the countryside, gradually picking up more people along the way. At the end of the music video, the camera zooms out and Atomic Kitten's old logo is visible. Clips of this video were used in the video for the 2005 re-release of Cradle.
Chart performance
The single opened with a first week's sale of 69,286 copies and the success of "Whole Again" with 960,600 copies sold in the United Kingdom was such that it was decided to remaster and rerelease the album which went straight to number one on its second appearance in the chart and to release "Eternal Flame", which was not featured on the original album, as a single as well.
"Whole Again" has become the longest stay since Westlife at New Year in 1999/2000 and also the 4th biggest selling single of 2000 and the only single which increased the weekly sales during each week on number 1. "Whole Again" entered number 1 in 19 countries and is the 4th best selling girl group single of all time, after "Wannabe" and "2 Become 1" by the Spice Girls, and Never Ever by All Saints, as well as being the best-selling girl group single of the decade.
It is the 13th best-selling single of the decade in the UK.
Thus far Atomic Kitten was only released in the UK, Japan and Asia, but it was decided to release the single globally and to release the album in Europe and Australia as well. In the UK, "Whole Again" stayed at number one for 4 consecutive weeks, and a month later was released in Australia, where it peaked at number two in the charts, being certified double platinum for sales of over 140,000 copies.
The single was also released in Germany and New Zealand where it secured a number one position for six consecutive weeks In both countries. In Germany, the single was certified platinum, one of three singles by a girl group to ever be certified Platinum. The others being Daylight in Your Eyes by No Angels and Shame by Monrose. The single was certified double platinum in New Zealand- one of the best selling singles by a girl group of all time over there. Due to this foreign success, Atomic Kitten decided to release another single from the album Right Now, titled "You Are". It was released for the audiences in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
"Whole Again" went to number one in Germany, New Zealand, Austria, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, The Republic Of Ireland, Turkey, Singapore and South Africa as well as 10 other countries.
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