Yo-Yo (Nicola Roberts song)

Nicola Roberts, who began her musical career as one fifth of the band Girls Aloud, struggled with loneliness and increasing isolation during her time with the group.[1] A busy schedule and constant media criticism found her describing the time as a "blur". Her exhaustion and troubles with negative media comments led to a state in which she had to harden herself, claiming that inside she was "dying". These events inspired her debut album Cinderella's Eyes.[1] "Yo-Yo" was the first song she had written with Maya von Doll and Dimitri Tikovoi for the album. The recording was also one of the first songs Roberts wrote, and it helped define her musical style.[2] Roberts blogged about the production of the track, writing that:

The production’s incredible. The beat is just so constant and powerful. That was the first song that I wrote with Dimitri and Maya. I felt like I’d found my sound. And I was kind of looking at it like an outfit. So it was, 'if this was an outfit, what would this song need now?’ So we had the pretty dress, which was the chorus. We had the lovely shoes, which was the verse. 'But what do we need to really set this song off? A big, fancy, bow in the hair would really set this song off.' So when I got to the middle eight I wanted to go really erratic, almost like taTu on All The Things She Said. I wanted it to be proper fucked up and crazy – hands in the air.[2]

Roberts' debut single, "Beat of My Drum", garnered acclaim from critics,[3] but failed to impact commercially, charting at 27 in the United Kingdom.[4] She released a follow-up single, "Lucky Day", which likewise garnered positive responses,[5] but was even less successful commercially, charting at number 40 on both the Scottish and UK Singles charts.[6][7] Writing as a guest blogger on the website Holy Moly in September 2011, Roberts announced that "Yo-Yo" would be released as the third single from Cinderella's Eyes, initially citing a November release date;[2] the release was later delayed until January 2012.[8] Roberts had originally intended for "Yo-Yo" to be the first single from the album, but "Beat of My Drum" was instead chosen at the "last minute". Roberts stated that "it felt right to go with" the latter song.[2] "Yo-Yo" was released digitally on 2 January 2012, with Roberts announcing on her official website that the single would be released in CD format featuring a live performance of the song in addition to the demo version of her song "Sticks + Stones" seven days later.[8] Additionally, two EPs were released on 6 January 2012.[9][10]

"Yo-Yo" features 808 drums with a "dramatic" 1950s-inspired pop "pastiche".[11] However, the 1950s concept "goes completely out of the window" for an "unhinged" bridge, which features a club mix which speeds up the drums featured in the song.[11] The lyrics of the track discuss an uncertain relationship, leading to vulnerability, with Roberts describing it as a "dark" song.[8] The song references a yo-yo; this is a metaphor for Roberts herself, a spinning yo-yo "on the finger of a hot 'n' cold lover".[12] Described as "confessional" by Robert Copsey of Digital Spy, the song has a "conversational" performance, and Roberts' vocals were compared to that of singer Kate Bush.[13]

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Emily Mackay, writing for NME, described the chorus as a "winning" one, and noted that "the impulse-speed space synths are broken-heartedly beguiling".[12] In a separate review, Lisa Wright from NME found that while the song didn't match the success of "Beat of My Drum". Wright said that the song is "Not a cuss-ridden introduction to Nicola’s re-emergence as an English Syd Tha Kyd, but a questionable metaphor about being like a crap '90s toy."[14] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy found Cinderella's Eyes to be "frustratingly under-appreciated" with "Yo-Yo" being a "shining example of [Roberts'] pop sensibilities" calling it "unashamedly radio friendly".[15]

She pre-recorded a performance of "Yo-Yo" for UK television programme The Alan Titchmarsh Show during the same taping as a performance of "Lucky Day".[2] The taping came after deciding "Yo-Yo" would be released as the third single from the album, with Roberts saying, "I absolutely love performing Yo-Yo, it's my favourite one to do [...] So I feel really close to Yo-Yo. I feel like I lose myself when I'm performing it".[2] After the release of the single, Roberts performed on The Album Chart Show during a special dedicated to her, performing three tracks: "Yo-Yo", "Beat of My Drum" and "Sticks + Stones".[21] Roberts also performed the song on British chat show Loose Women[22] and on the Digital Music Awards.[23]

"Yo-Yo" debuted at its peak of number 111 on the UK Singles Chart.