| "Pure and Simple" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Hear'Say | ||||
| from the album Popstars | ||||
| B-side | "Bridge over Troubled Water" | |||
| Released | 12 March 2001 | |||
| Studio | Mayfair, The Strongroom (London, England) | |||
| Length | 3:47 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jiant | |||
| Hear'Say singles chronology | ||||
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"Pure and Simple" is a song by British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was a cover of the original version recorded three years earlier by British-Dutch girl group Girl Thing, who were dropped from BMG before the song was given to Hear'Say. It was written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, and Betty Boo (under her real name, Alison Clarkson). The song was released on 12 March 2001 as the lead single from Hear'Say's debut studio album, Popstars (2001). The B-side is a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water".
"Pure and Simple" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after selling 550,000 copies in its first week, which, at the time, made it the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the United Kingdom. It spent a total of three weeks at the top and has sold over 1.08 million copies in the UK. As of 2012, it is the seventh biggest-selling debut single of the 21st century in that country. The song also topped the New Zealand Singles Chart for five weeks and reached number three in Ireland.