'"Sweet Dreams My LA Ex'" is one of Britain's biggest pop songs of 2003 for Rachel Stevens. It story starts way back in March 2003. At the time, Justin Timberlake had controverstially released a song off his Justified album "Cry Me A River" which many people believed to be a song hitting back at his ex, Britney Spears.
Britney at the time was recording her fourth studio album, "In The Zone" out in L.A. and was working with Cathy Dennis on some new tracks. Cathy wrote "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex" with Bloodshy & Avant, the team behind Ms.Dynamite's first album, as a sort of answer back song to Cry Me A River. Britney however, decided she did not want the song because she felt it would have been silly to have hit back with an answer song (a theory that would prove true with the Eamon/Frankee phenomnena of the following year). But she did end up with another one of Cathy's songs - the popular 2004 #1 single "Toxic".
A few months later, Cathy still had the song, and that was when ex- S Club 7 star Rachel Stevens heard the track. Rachel, who was writing debut album "Funky Dory" at the time, decided it would make a good track for her first solo single. Cathy, who had worked with Rachel in S Club decided to let her have it. And upon release on the 15th September 2003, accompanied by a stunning promo video with Rachel and a few dancers tied up in a lot of red ribbons, it went onto become one of the year's biggest hits, and debuted at #2 on the UK chart, selling over 200,000 copies and even getting nominated for a BRIT. Since then, Rachel has had further solo success with tracks like "Some Girls" and "More More More" to name but a few.
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