Critical response

"Shape" received generally mixed reviews from critics. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian criticised the track as a "lumbering, mirthless AOR ballad, grown-up in the worst sense of the phrase".^[8] The Birmingham Post's Andrew Cowen panned the song as "horrible", and regarded the sample from "Shape of My Heart" as "not big or clever".^[9] Andy Kellman of AllMusic called "Shape" a "bum moment" on the album, and dismissed it as a "misguided re-configuration" of the sample.^[10] Alex Needham of NME considered it a "massive faux pas" on the album.^[11] The Jerusalem Post writer Harry Rubenstein viewed "Shape" as "[a] sing- along, more than a cover, that sounds completely uninspired and out of place amongst the faster-paced R&B tracks on the rest of the album".^[12] In contrast, David Byrne of RTÉ.ie called the track a "nice touch" on the album,^[13] while Daily Record writer Julie MacCaskill complimented the sample of Sting's "Shape of My Heart", which she felt produced the song's powerful hook.^[5] Alan Poole from the Coventry Evening Telegraph wrote that the Sugababes "underline their versatility" on the track.^[14] A writer from South Wales Echo felt that "Shape" was equally good as "Freak like Me" and "Round Round", the group's number-one singles from the same album.^[15] A critic from Daily Mirror described it as a "clever" cover that depicts the Sugababes "on top form".^[16]

Commercial performance

"Shape" debuted at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart on 22 March 2003.^[17] It became the first single from Angels with Dirty Faces to not reach the top ten.^[18] By early 2010, it had sold 55,000 copies in the UK.^[19] The song was more successful on the Irish Singles Chart, where it debuted and peaked at number nine, and in turn became the third single from Angels with Dirty Faces to reach the top ten.^[20][21] "Shape" also achieved commercial success in Continental Europe. In Belgium, the song reached number two on the Ultratip chart in Wallonia,^[22] and number 49 on the Ultratop chart in Flanders.^[23] The single debuted at number 16 on the Netherlands' Dutch Top 40 chart, and peaked at number seven three weeks later.^[24] It ended as the chart's 76th best-performing single of 2003.^[25] The song peaked at number 16 on the Norwegian VG-lista chart and spent four weeks in the top twenty.^[26] "Shape" attained top-forty positions on the German and Swiss singles charts,^[27][28] and reached the top fifty on the Austrian chart.^[29] The single debuted and peaked at number 75 on the Australian Singles Chart, where it charted for a total of four weeks.^[30][31]

Music video

The music video for "Shape" was filmed in Sydney, Australia.

The accompanying music video for "Shape" was directed by Michael Gracey and Pete Commins.^[32][33] It was filmed during December 2002 in Sydney, Australia, and was released on 24 February 2003.^[34] Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! team assisted in its production.^[34] Sting did not appear in the video due to a busy schedule.^[34] The video was subsequently re-shot after being deemed "too raunchy".^[35] The video features computer-generated butterflies around the group members' bodies and was described as displaying "a wonderland".^[34][35][36]

The video opens with a scene of the ocean at night.^[37] It then shows a mansion by the water, in which Buena is seen standing by a balcony.^[37] The following scene shows Range entering the mansion as two men open the doors for her.^[37] Buena is shown walking in the middle of a masquerade ball, in which she captures the attention of a man.^[37] The Sugababes are shown on a couch, where Buchanan holds a man's hand; they all then walk down the mansion's staircase.^[37] Each group member begins to dance with a man at the ball.^[37] Buena walks towards a mirror which depicts a reflection of the Sugababes, while Buchanan drops her white mask which subsequently shatters.^[37] Towards the end of the video, they are shown leaving the ball before Buchanan jumps off the balcony and into the water.^[37] All three members are shown collectively in the water, which begins to fade out into the sky.^[37] The last scene shows the men that were in the mansion walking away.^[37]

Live performances

The Sugababes performed "Shape" on GMTV on 20 February 2003 which was the same day of the 2003 BRIT Awards.^[38] They performed the song on 30 March 2003 at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.^[39] An acoustic version of the song was performed during their tour in support of Three (2003), the group's third studio album.^[40] The group sang "Shape" at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on 18 August 2004 as part of a set list.^[41] The third line-up of the Sugababes, comprising Buchanan, Range and Amelle Berrabah, played the single while on the Taller in More Ways tour as part of a medley with "Stronger".^[42] The trio also performed these two songs as an acoustic medley at the 2006 V Festival,^[43] and at the 100 Club in London to promote the release of their greatest hits album, Overloaded: The Singles Collection.^[44]