Raoul (song)

"Raoul"
Single by The Automatic
from the album Not Accepted Anywhere
B-side	"Trophy Wives" "On The Camping Trail" (re-release) "Gold Digger" "Easy Target"
Released	27 March 2006 (original) 8 January 2007(re-release)
Format	7", CD, CD (maxi), digital download
Recorded	Elevator Studio, Liverpool
Genre	Post-punk revival Alternative rock
Length	3:53 (original) 3:41(re-release)
Label	B-Unique Records Polydor Records
Writer(s)	James Frost Iwan Griffiths Robin Hawkins Alex Pennie
The Automatic singles chronology
"Recover" (2006) "Raoul" (2006) "Monster" (2006)
Re-release chronology "Recover (Re-release)" (2006) "Raoul" (re-release) (2007) "Steve McQueen" (2008) 2007 re-release artwork 2007 re-release artwork Original artwork created by Antar

"Raoul" is both the second and the fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the first album by the Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the band's record labels Polydor and B-Unique.

The songs lyrics deal with people's day-to-day lives – getting stuck in the same routines and casting aside ambitions. Raoul, a sandwich shop owner in Cardiff, was where the band went during days spent in their studio to get away from this drill. The vocals on Raoul were originally split three ways between Robin Hawkins (lead), Alex Pennie (shouts over the top) and James Frost (joint lead in the second verse and backing in the choruses). After Pennie's departure and the addition of Paul Mullen in 2007 the vocals continued to be split three ways. In 2008, the band re-worked the track, replacing the guitar and bass guitar in the first verse, with both Frost and Mullen playing synthesisers, building into two guitars in the choruses.

"Raoul" was originally released on 27 March 2006 on CD, digital download and limited edition 7" vinyl. Selected Tastemaker Stores stocked limited amounts of signed "Raoul" 7" vinyls. The release was promoted on the band's tour with Goldie Lookin Chain in March 2006, with "Raoul" pre-order passwords handed out on flyers on the tour dates. The release had two new tracks along with "Raoul" – "On The Campaign Trail" on the CD single and "Trophy Wives" on the 7" vinyl. Three in-store signings with performances were used to mark the single's release: Bridgend Jungle on 27 March, Cardiff Spillers on 28 March and Manchester Fopp on 30 March. The release was also celebrated by a sandwich giveaway courtesy of a Cardiff sandwich shop, Obriens, limited to 500 through the band's website. The band was asked in an interview with The Sun if "Raoul" had befitted from the song endorsement and in actuality the shop had been closed down.

In 2007, the band's record labels Polydor Records and B-Unique Records decided to re-release "Raoul" against the band's wishes to release another track from Not Accepted Anywhere or their newly recorded tracks "Steve McQueen" and "Revolution". The re-release was accompanied by a cover of Kanye West's "Gold Digger" as a B-side, as well as a new track, "Easy Target".