Sugababes' Official Top 20 biggest singles

Sugababes are back! And we're talking about the original group: Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy. 

The first line-up may have been short-lived, but such was the power of their debut single Overload that, for girl group fans, they're impossible to forget. 

Now 20 years since their debut album One Touch, the trio have reunited for its anniversary, reissuing the collection with B-sides, previously unreleased demos and brand-new remixes. 

To celebrate, we're revealing Sugababes' Top 20 biggest songs in the UK, based on physical sales, downloads and streams combined. To date they've notched up 26 Top 40 singles in the UK, including six Number 1s. The full chart appears at the bottom of the page, but first, some highlights...

19. Run For Cover 
Released: 2001
Official Chart peak: 13

An often-forgotten gem in the Sugababes' discography, One Touch's third single Run For Cover crystallised the moody, don't-even-try-it attitude of the original lineup. With lyrics about being an outsider and the suggestion of being in an abusive relationship, it's quite possibly group's darkest single across all line-ups. 

Even the third lineup had its charm...

View Sugababes' full Official Chart history

Picture: Mike Lawn/Rex Shuttershock

Sugababes in 2006 (Mike Lawn/Rex/Shutterstock)

14. Red Dress 
Released: 2006
Official Chart peak: 4

The third lineup's first single, when Mutya Buena was replaced by Amelle Berrabah, still encapulates a lot of the group's original essence ("We're pulling the strings/ We're taking the lead"), albeit with a hefty layer of gloss applied to their sound, on this occasion by chief Girls Aloud collaborator Brian Higgins/Xenomania. Despite - or perhaps aided by - the member swap-out drama, Red Dress managed a Top 5 debut.

13. Walk This Way 
Released: 2007
Official Chart peak: 1

After being pitted against each other for close to five years, Sugababes and Girls Aloud decided to settle the score with the biggest UK girl group battle of the century (?) by poking fun at their fan-driven rivalry for charity. Their cover of Run DMC and Aerosmith's Walk This Way was a curious choice, but it reached Number 1 and did its bit for Comic Relief. As for the winner of Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud? We're going for Sugababes - if only because Nadine was awkwardly green-screened in to the music video.

Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud for Comic Relief

8. Overload 
Released: 2000
Official Chart peak: 6

As far as debut singles go, Overload is up there with the very best. A melting pot of pop, soul, R&B and hip-hop mixed with surf guitar and a distinctive vocal (led by Siobhan Donaghy) immediately set them apart. It was classy but fresh, sophisticated yet commercial. It may not be one of the group's six Number 1 singles, reaching Number 6 on the Official Singles Chart, but the bar for them was set high from the off.

4. Freak Like Me
Released: 2002
Official Chart peak: 1

After founding member Siobhan left the group in 2001, Sugababes emerged a year later with a new member in Hedi Range and an even fiercer sound. Helmed by electropop producer Richard X, Freak Like Me was unusual at the time for being both a cover and a mashup: a re-work of Adina Howard's '90s R&B original with Gary Numan's '80s classic Are Friends Electric?. It earned the group their first Number 1 single and ranks third in their Top 20 with 387,000 chart sales.

Original Sugababes lineup Keisha Buchanan, Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena

3. Too Lost In You
Released: 2003
Official Chart peak: 10

When it comes to which Sugababes ballad is the best, there are two primary contenders: Stronger and Too Lost In You. The latter ranks significantly higher in their Top 20 countdown, placing third with 407,000 chart sales. Surprisingly, it only went as far as Number 10 on the singles chart - it was released during an incredibly competitive Christmas chart week - but its popularity endures thanks to its inclusion in the Love Actually film soundtrack. Written by pop's go-to woman for power ballads, Diane Warren, Too Lost In You is as goose-pimple-inducing as they come. 

2. Push The Button
Released: 2005
Official Chart peak: 1

Written by the group about Keisha's failed attempts at flirting with another singer, Push The Button saw Sugababes branch out overseas, teaming up with US hitmaker Dallas Austin (TLC, Pink, Janet Jackson). The result was a dancey and joyous singalong that stood out for its quirky electropop production, and even drew comparisons to ABBA. The song became the group's fourth Number 1, and is their second biggest single overall with 775,000 chart sales. 

1. About You Now
Released: 2007
Official Chart peak: 1

Sugababes had a tradition for delivering killer album lead singles and About You Now was no exception. Co-written by Cathy Dennis, the track's perky production and fizzing synths pushed their sound into an electro-pop-rock territory that was big in the US at the time (see Kelly Clarkson's Never Again, Rihanna's Shut Up And Drive). About You Now spent four weeks at Number 1 - their longest chart-leader - and to date has notched up 1.02 million chart sales. 

Sugababes' Official Top 20 Singles

POS	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK	YEAR
1	ABOUT YOU NOW	SUGABABES	1	2007
2	PUSH THE BUTTON	SUGABABES	1	2005
3	TOO LOST IN YOU	SUGABABES	10	2003
4	FREAK LIKE ME	SUGABABES	1	2002
5	ROUND ROUND	SUGABABES	1	2002
6	HOLE IN THE HEAD	SUGABABES	1	2003
7	UGLY	SUGABABES	3	2005
8	OVERLOAD	SUGABABES	6	2000
9	GET SEXY	SUGABABES	2	2009
10	GIRLS	SUGABABES	3	2008
11	ABOUT A GIRL	SUGABABES	8	2009
12	STRONGER/ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES	SUGABABES	7	2002
13	WALK THIS WAY	SUGABABES VS GIRLS ALOUD	1	2007
14	RED DRESS	SUGABABES	4	2006
15	WEAR MY KISS	SUGABABES	7	2010
16	CHANGE	SUGABABES	13	2007
17	DENIAL	SUGABABES	15	2008
18	NEW YEAR	SUGABABES	12	2000
19	RUN FOR COVER	SUGABABES	13	2001
20	SHAPE	SUGABABES	11	2003

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Article images: Shutterstock