"life got cold" was not originally the choice for girls aloud's third single. polydor records had originally chosen "some kind of miracle" to be released, but the plan was dropped after an overwhelming fan response to "life got cold". the single was released on 18 august 2003 in the uk. it was available on two different cd single formats and as a cassette tape. the first cd featured a cover of the duran duran song "girls on film" as the b-side, which would later become the title for a girls aloud dvd, as well as a remix of "no good advice". the disc's enhanced section features the "life got cold" music video and a photo gallery. the second disc included both the radio edit and album version of "life got cold", as well as the 29 palms remix edit and the stella browne edit. it also came with a free fold-out poster. the cassette also featured an exclusive b-side, an original track entitled "lights, music, camera, action". the photos featured on the single's artwork were reshot at the last minute, following the group's request.