"Heart Skips a Beat" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, In Case You Didn't Know. The song features vocals from English hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, and was released as the album's lead single on 19 August 2011. It was written by Alex Smith, Preston, Kish Mauve and Rizzle Kicks. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number one with first-week sales of over 109,000 copies, becoming his second number-one single. It also served as the closing song at Murs' 2012 arena tour.
The song achieved further success topping the charts in Germany and Switzerland, until it was overtaken by Murs' 2012 single "Troublemaker". The song has charted at number six in Ireland, becoming his second highest-charting single in the country at the time. The song gave Murs his second consecutive nomination for "Best British Single" at the 2012 BRIT Awards, after "Please Don't Let Me Go" was nominated at the 2011 ceremony. The track was released as Murs' debut single in the United States on 22 May 2012. The track was remixed for the American market, removing Rizzle Kicks and including a new verse from Chiddy Bang. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #96, and managed to peak at #25 on the Pop chart.
Background
"Heart Skips a Beat" was written by Alex Smith, Preston, Jim Eliot and Rizzle Kicks. It is the only song Murs did not co-write for the In Case You Didn't Know album. Of the track, he said: "It was a curve ball and nothing like anything else on the album, but I loved the production and the writers wrote it for me." The song had originally been put forward for his debut album but Murs' team held it back in order to launch his second album In Case You Didn't Know, with Rizzle Kicks being implemented on the track two weeks before the final version was made.
The U.S. version of the song features Philadelphia hip hop duo Chiddy Bang. The decision to replace Rizzle Kicks for the U.S. release was received negatively by both UK and U.S. fans of Murs, and in an interview with Murs for the Metro in August 2012, it emerged that it had been Columbia's decision to change the track for the U.S. release: "It wasn't my decision, it was the label. It said UK rappers don't go down well in the US. The boys [Rizzle Kicks] knew that and were fine about it. I called them and told them Chiddy Bang was going to be on it instead and they were fine. I'd like it if they were on it because it's been a hit with them on it in the UK and Europe but I understand the American market is different. There are no hard feelings."
Critical reception
Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song a four out of five stars, stating, "Murs confesses over a ska-flecked melody, reggae beats and the cheeky vocal twang that grabbed Si's attention first time out – while a skit from street-rapping duo Rizzle Kicks ensures the whole thing remains child and chart-friendly. The result is another infectious summer-pop ditty of the back garden barbecue variety – meaning his chops can rest easy... at least for now." Entertainment website 4Music gave the song a positive review: "We're loving the new track, which has a danceable chorus and some sweet rhymes from Rizzle and Harley Sylvester, who make up our new favourite hip hop duo."
Music videos
A total of three official music videos have been made to accompany the different releases of "Heart Skips a Beat". The first, for the original UK version, was first released onto YouTube on 15 July 2011. The video was filmed at Mile End Skate Park in East London in early July 2011. It features Murs dancing on what looks like a giant record player, with a giant record labelled as the single. The video features numerous dancers and skateboarders as extras. "Rose", the papier-mâché figure of a woman, as seen in the music video of his single "Busy", also makes a cameo appearance. Murs parodied this version of the video along with his The Xtra Factor co-host Caroline Flack for the first episode of the show's ninth series in August 2012.
A separate music video for the U.S. remix of the song was shot on 14 May 2012 at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Murs confirmed on his Twitter account that same day that Chiddy Bang would feature in the U.S. version of the video, and he released a picture of himself dressed as a football coach. This version of the video was released onto YouTube on 1 June 2012 and sees Murs playing a spectator in a crowd at a football match, as well as a coach and a midfielder, trying to entice the rest of the all female team with his dance moves and tricks.