Pop music is amazing and abundant. There are thousands of songs that could qualify for the title of “best” for so many different reasons, but it’s the eclectic masterpiece Biology, by Girls Aloud, that reigns supreme in my humble opinion. No other song seems to transcend the limitations of the genre while simultaneously remaining an absolute banger. It’s fun and infectious, yet is almost academic in its construction. It defined an era and dismantled it, both ridiculous and impressive in equal measure as it lies at the centre of a Venn diagram of pop, borrowing from a cornucopia of styles and influences. Biology highlights why this form is important and worthy of consideration, and that is why I believe it to be the best.

Background

Finding initial fame as the winners of Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, Girls Aloud dominated the charts for years, spanning a career defining and untouched record of 20 consecutive U.K. Top 10 singles. They were the clear flagship of pop music at the time, a bastion of consistency and quality.

The muses and mouthpieces for Xenomania, a songwriting and production team fronted by Brian Higgins, they crafted the most perfect pop tracks for the band over the course of their career, vaulting the girls far beyond their once treacherous status as manufactured. They collected a Brit Award, embarked on six tours and spawned four #1 singles, but, rather ironically, Biology was not one of them.

Peaking at #4 on the charts, Biology was released as a follow-up and response to the “failed” Long Hot Summer in 2005. Described by Higgins as a “disaster record”, he wanted a track that would better set-up their third album Chemistry. At a time when literal ringtones were rather unfortunately tearing up the charts, Biology was a salve and reprieve, reminding people how exciting and illustrious pop music can be.

The Main Event

Unique is not a descriptor that can be applied to many pop songs. Given their general, mainstream appeal, tracks that are released into to the maelstrom of the charts are commonly quite predictable. Rehashes and replications, the music is designed to be comfortable, akin to listening to an old friend tell a new story. It isn’t supposed to disrupt or subvert expectations, but Biology does not subscribe to this classification.

Rather like an unreliable narrator in a story, Biology coyly commences with a simple, bluesy piano riff that belies the beautifully circuitous journey the track is set to take. Nadine is then first to the podium, confidently landing some punchy vocals just before the song begins to level out. Lilting from the powerful piano strikes to soft synth beats, it steadily builds climatically to a rather quirky, Euro-pop style sensibility at the chorus before returning, once again, to the commanding chiming of those ivories.

It ducks and dives, keeping the listener on their toes, transitioning into distinctly new sections almost every 30 seconds. We don’t even get introduced to the chorus until around the two-minute mark. Biology seemingly defies all the structural norms of a generic pop song; it really shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does.

It’s a delicious sensory overload, Biology essentially comprises of 3 separate songs that have been skilfully woven into one stunning tapestry. The definition of being greater than the sum of its parts, it certainly breaks boundaries but, most importantly, remains aesthetically pleasing on the ear. As the kids would say — it’s a bop!

While the competent vocals are nothing to write home about (as they rarely are in pop music), they are delivered with aplomb. In fact, the seamless way they transition from one member’s lines to another is rather satisfying, but it’s the lyrics, the nonsensical, puzzling and frankly quite bizarre lyrics, that truly steal the show.

“So I got my cappuccino to go, and I’m heading for the hills again,” Cheryl sings, in perhaps the most iconic line of the entire orchestration and as good an example of a non sequitur as you’re likely to get in any pop song. The whole thing is raucously compelling, and almost avant-garde in its ridiculous presentation, but it’s also fantastically memorable. Full of energy and pomp, each line serves to prove that the flow of lyrics and the hooks they create can be just as important as meaning, maybe even more so, especially when it comes to pop music.

The Last Word

Lauded by The Guardian as “the best pop single of the last decade”, Biology exemplifies everything I love about pop music. Bombastic and unique for all the right reasons, this single is a magnum opus for Girls Aloud and Xenomania. Every second of this song works, it ebbs and flows with such reckless abandon that you can’t help but be entertained. It’s been almost 14 years since we were gifted with Biology and still to this day it sounds fresh and current. So, leave your reservations at the door and just revel in the sheer caprice of this majestic song.