"You Are" is a song by English pop girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Paul Gendler, Wayne Hector, Ali Tennant, and Steve Mac for the reissue of the band's debut album, Right Now, while production was helmed by Mac. The string-led pop song was released as the group's seventh overall single and second single from re-release. It became the group's lowest charting single, failing to chart in Asia, the United Kingdom, or Ireland, however, it did find success in Flemish Belgium, New Zealand, and Switzerland, reaching the top 40 in every country.
Background
The song was originally intended to be recorded by boy bandWestlife. When Atomic Kitten recorded it, it was introduced on the re-issue of Right Now. The album version of "You Are" differs from the single version, as the single version features newly recorded vocals and a new musical arrangement. On the album version, Natasha performs every solo in the song. However, for the single version, Liz performs half of the verses, whilst Jenny performs the background vocals and responses.
Chart performance
"You Are" is one of Atomic Kitten's least successful singles worldwide. The record company originally thought the single was going to be a huge success, due to be written by Steve Mac, a songwriter that has produced 20 number-one singles. However, the song was never promoted internationally—only in the United Kingdom and partially in Germany. The single did, however, become a top 20 hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 13, staying in the top 50 for 15 weeks—a third of which were in the top 20; it was the song's highest peak anywhere. "You Are" also did well in Flemish Belgium, where it peaked at number 24. It stayed in the chart for 11 weeks. It was their fourth longest single in the chart over there, lasting eleven weeks in the top fifty. In Wallonia, the song was less successful, only reaching number 9 on the Ultratip chart, which roughly corresponds to number 59 overall. In neighboring Netherlands, the song debuted at number 84 and climbed to its peak of number 35 five weeks later, totaling 10 weeks on the chart. In Sweden, the song peaked at number 52 on its second week in, but only stayed on the chart for three weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, the song did not reach the top 20, although it was planned to be released in the UK for a Christmas number one, but it was not released for unknown reasons. However, the song did make it into the top 100 due to imports, peaking at number 90 in the United Kingdom. In German-speaking Europe, the song managed to peak at number 61 in Germany and stayed on the charts for 9 weeks. It first appeared on the charts in December 2001, and appeared on the charts again in January 2003. In Switzerland, the song peaked at number 40 and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks—the longest out of any country it was released in. The song debuted and peaked at number 46 in Austria, and lasted seven weeks on the chart. In France, it attained a peak of number 86, subsequently lasting three weeks in the top 100. The song was a success in South Africa, earning a double Platinum certification.
Music video
The music video was originally planned to be filmed at Grand Central Station in New York City; however, plans had to be scrapped due to the September 11 attacks. Instead, the video was filmed on a specially built stage set. Throughout the video, the group are on a glass stage with a plain white background and two large speakers either side of the stage. The video starts off with the group in a line sitting on chairs. A basic dance routine accompanies the chorus. After the chorus, the group walk about on the stage at a non stylised pace, and doing the jog moves on the stage, and close-ups of the members' eyes, lips and faces conclude the video. Throughout the video, various scenes of a young couple are also spliced in.
