Pray (Tina Cousins song)

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"Pray"
Pray single.jpg
Single by Tina Cousins
from the album Killing Time
Released2 November 1998 (1998-11-02)
Length3:56
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Mark Topham
  • Karl Twigg
Producer(s)Pete Waterman
Tina Cousins singles chronology
"Mysterious Times"
(1998) 		"Pray"
(1998) 		"Thank ABBA for the Music"
(1999)
Music video
"Pray" on YouTube

"Pray" is a song recorded by British singer Tina Cousins. It was written by Mark Topham and Karl Twigg and released on 2 November 1998 as the lead single from her debut album, Killing Time (1999). The song was her second consecutive top-20 hit in the United Kingdom and her first top-10 hit in Australia, where it achieved gold status. In Europe, "Pray" also reached the top 10 in Finland and Scotland, and it peaked at number 48 on the Eurochart Hot 100 in November 1998.

Critical reception[]

AllMusic editor MacKenzie Wilson said that the "high-tempo R&B sounds on "Pray" are so energetic and exciting, the club/dance scene can only be heightened".[1] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel noted that "it's hard to escape the hope of the histrionic first single "Pray"".[2] Music & Media wrote in their review of the song that "Ms. Cousins' first real claim to fame was her presence on Sash!'s huge hit Mysterious Times earlier this year. With this effort, she proves that she is perfectly capable of going it alone. This song is well suited to a fairly broad range of formats, and should do well on the dancefloor as well."[3]

Chart performance[]

"Pray" was a hit on the charts in several countries. In Europe, it managed to climb into the top 10 in Finland and Scotland. It was a top-20 hit in Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single peaked at number 20 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 15 November 1998.[4] But on the UK Indie Chart, it was a even bigger hit, reaching number five. Additionally, "Pray" was a top-30 hit in Sweden, a Top 40 hit in the Netherlands and a top-50 hit on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it reached number 48. Outside Europe, it was very successful in Australia, where it hit number eight. It was awarded with a gold record there, after 35,000 singles were sold. In New Zealand, it went to number 48.

Music video[]

A music video was made to accompany the song. It was filmed in the North East England town of Whitley Bay. It features scenes shot in the town's Spanish City leisure complex which was by the late 1990s past its heyday and only a few years away from partial demolition and dereliction. Other scenes are staged in St Mary's Lighthouse, around its island, along the coast and in a terraced back street at the rear of Whitley Bay Baptist Church. "Pray" was published on YouTube in March 2009. By September 2020, the video had more than 4.7 million views.[5]

Track listing[]

CD single – Europe (1998)

  1. "Pray" (Radio Edit) - 3:55
  2. "Pray" (Original Version) - 4:23

Charts and certifications[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 2 November 1998 (1998-11-02)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[20]
United States 22 May 2000 (2000-05-22) Hot adult contemporary radio Republic [21]
23 May 2000 (2000-05-23) Contemporary hit radio [21]

References[]

  1. ^ "Tina Cousins - Killing Time". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Olsson's new 'Words' don't make a point". Daily News. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 49. 5 December 1998. p. 17. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  5. ^ "Tina Cousins - Pray". YouTube. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Tina Cousins – Pray". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tina Cousins – Pray" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  8. ^ "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 48. 28 November 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Tina Cousins: Pray" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  10. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tina Cousins – Pray" (in French). Les classement single.
  11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tina Cousins – Pray" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Tina Cousins – Pray". Top 40 Singles.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Tina Cousins – Pray" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tina Cousins – Pray". Singles Top 100.
  17. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  18. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000". ARIA. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  19. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  20. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 October 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1351. 18 May 2000. pp. 48, 87. Retrieved 3 August 2021.

External links[]

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