Whistle for the Choir

"Whistle for the Choir"
Single by the Fratellis
from the album Costello Music
Released27 November 2006 (2006-11-27)[1]
Length3:35
LabelDrop the Gun
Songwriter(s)Jon Fratelli
Producer(s)Tony Hoffer
The Fratellis singles chronology
"Chelsea Dagger"
(2006) 		"Whistle for the Choir"
(2006) 		"Flathead"
(2007)

"Whistle for the Choir" is a song by Scottish rock band the Fratellis. It was released on 27 November 2006 as the band's third single and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart, marking their second UK top-10 single. In the band's native Scotland, the song reached number two, becoming their second song to reach that position after "Chelsea Dagger".

The working title for the song was "Knickers in a Handbag", named after a line from Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.[2] The artwork points toward the old name by showing a girl on the cover handling a pair of knickers above a handbag. The "wistful" song is the most light-hearted and sentimental of the entire album and has drawn comparison to "What Katie Did" by the Libertines[3]

Music video

The video shows the band singing on darkened streets. It was filmed in Glasgow city centre, including Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street.

Track listings

CD Single, Limited Edition Shaped Vinyl Picture Disc
No.TitleLength
1."Whistle for the Choir" 
2."Nina" 
8-inch Blue Coloured Vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Whistle for the Choir" 
2."Lay Down Easy" 
iTunes Download
No.TitleLength
1."Whistle for the Choir" 
2."Baby Fratelli" 
3."Flathead" 

This is listed in the iTunes Store as the Whistle for the Choir - EP even though it contains two other singles from the Fratellis' debut album, Costello Music.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Whistle for the Choir"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 25 November 2006. p. 27.
  2. ^ Ryan, Gary (22 April 2022). "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – The Fratellis". NME. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Slant Magazine - Music Review: The Fratellis: Costello Music". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  4. ^ "Romanian Top 100 – Issue nr: 4/2007 (05 Februarie – 11 Februarie 2007)" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  7. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2006" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  8. ^ "British single certifications – Fratellis – Whistle for the Choir". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  9. ^ Fogarty, Paul (2 August 2021). "The Suicide Squad soundtrack: Every song in the DC movie explored". HITC.
  10. ^ Trenholm, Richard (9 August 2021). "The Suicide Squad: All the classic songs and awful murders, ranked". CNET.
  11. ^ Fratelli, Barry [@BazFratelli] (4 August 2021). "I'm interrupting this social media break because I've just learned that @JamesGunn has used "Whistle for the choir" in @SuicideSquadWB movie…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.