Disciplinary
| "Disciplinary" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Alesha | ||||
| from the album The Second Coming | ||||
| A-side | "Guerrilla" | |||
| B-side |
"Icarus" "Sobriety" | |||
| Released | September 8, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | March 2008 | |||
| Genre | Electronic, pop | |||
| Label | Ensemble | |||
| Writer(s) | Shell Ruin | |||
| Producer | Shell Ruin | |||
| Certification | Platinum | |||
| Alesha singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Disciplinary" is a song performed by British recording artist Alesha. It was released on September 8, 2008, by Ensemble Entertainment, as the third single from her fifth studio album The Second Coming. The song was written and produced by singer-songwriter Shell Ruin, a recurring collaborator of Alesha's. Inspired by Ruin's third studio album The Dirty Is Done (2007), Alesha approached Ruin about working further on Alesha's album. "Disciplinary" is a pseudo-sequel to Ruin's "My Teaches".
"Disciplinary" is an upbeat electro-pop song with militaristic themes. Uncredited guest vocalist Jon Farley performs an army cadence in the song's introduction. The song is an early example of the "Shellesha" sound popularized by Alesha and Ruin. "Disciplinary" received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom felt it was redundant. However, released alongside "Guerrilla," "Disciplinary" topped the singles chart and became Alesha's best-selling single at that point in her career.
Alesha never recorded music videos for "Disciplinary" or "Guerrilla" due to her intense touring schedule, her second consecutive single release with no music vieo. Live footage from the Jesus Christ Supertour was serviced to music video channels instead. In the United States, "Disciplinary" benefitted heavily from airplay. The single release was nominated for Best Single / Album Art at the 16th Urapopstar Awards.
Background and composition[edit | edit source]
"Disciplinary," along with five other songs featured on The Second Coming (2008), was written by Shell Ruin. Alesha and Ruin had previously collaborated on the 2007 single "Power Power", while Alesha had contributed songwriting to Ruin's albums. Impressed by Ruin's third studio album The Dirty Is Done (2007), Alesha tapped Ruin to write and produce. "Disciplinary" has been self-described by both artists as a pseudo-sequel to Ruin's earlier single "My Teaches".
Musically, "Disciplinary" is an electronic pop song with a heavy use of military snare beat. The lyrics bear militaristic themes, most prominently the army cadence performed by guest vocalist Jon Farley in the song's introduction. "Disciplinary" was released as a single alongside "Guerrilla" in September 2008. B-sides included previously unheard tracks "Icarus" and "Sobriety." Alesha also included two authorized mash-ups, one of "Disciplinary" and "My Teaches" and another of "Guerrilla" and Putanovska's "Commander in Chief."
Reception[edit | edit source]
"Disciplinary" received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. While many reviewers appreciated the song's catchiness and mainstream appeal, some critics felt that the song was "redundant" with "My Teaches" having come out only a year prior. Much of the widespread success of "Disciplinary" is attributed to the cult classic status of "My Teaches." In more recent years, critics have come to appreciate "Disciplinary" more as one of Alesha's most famous hits.
Eric R. Danton of The Hartford Courant deemed it as a "crunk-style thumper", while calling it one of the "killer tracks" off the album along with "Tsunami of the Soul" and "Blow Your Speakers Out". Nick Levine of Digital Spy called it "a booming slice of multi-layered electro R&B" and said that along with "Tsunami of the Soul", "are as avant-garde as pop gets in 2008". Jennifer Vineyard of MTV said the song "might have been a stronger album leadoff track than 'Tsunami of the Soul.'"
"Disciplinary"/"Guerrilla" debuted on the official singles chart at number one, becoming Alesha's sixth (and second consecutive) number one. The single, despite a lack of music videos or any real promotional push, went on to become the best-selling single of Alesha's career at that point in her career. "Disciplinary"/"Guerrilla" sold 398,122 copies and was certified platinum.
Live performances[edit | edit source]
"Disciplinary" was performed for the first time on 2008's Jesus Christ Supertour, which launched on August 1 in Dublin, Ireland. The song is performed with Shell Ruin's "My Teaches" as an introduction, the first song in a the show's second set. Alesha performed "Disciplinary" as the encore number on 2009's Apocalypse City Live. It was also sung in the final set of 2010's The Reckoning and featured prominently at 2010's Judgment Day, a televised greatest hits concert at Wembley Stadium.
Track listing[edit | edit source]
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Artwork[edit | edit source]
CD1 / Main
CD2
Digital remix EP
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart | 1 |
