Who’s Cheryl Cole? I’m sure 99% of Vampire Weekend fans in the U.S. were asking themselves that question upon hearing the band had covered her song, “Fight For This Love,” for an appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

Count me among the 1% here that knows Cheryl Cole (well, not personally). Cole rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a group that came together on the UK talent show, Popstars: The Rivals, in 2002. After releasing five successful albums with production team Xenomania and signing a new three-album deal, Girls Aloud went on hiatus in 2009 so members could pursue solo projects. Having already stepped out on her own as a judge on Simon Cowell’s The X Factor, a gig Cole began in 2008, she’s capitalized on the group’s break, recording two solo albums, both of which reached number one in the UK.

“Fight For This Love” was Cole’s debut solo single, released in October 2009. The track was written by Steve Kipner (Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle”), Wayne Wilkins (Natasha Bedingfield’s “These Words,” Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield”) and Andre Merritt (who sang on the demo). Here’s Cole’s original version of the R&B-hued song:

But like most in the U.S., Cheryl Cole wasn’t on Vampire Weekend’s radar either. “Being American, we’ve got very little cultural context for this artist. I was surprised to find out she’s quite famous over here,” frontman Ezra Koenig told Live Lounge host, Fearne Cotton. “But really, just one day we were in the car, driving to the airport, and we heard this song that kind of reminded us of K-Ci and Jojo’s “All My Life,” which is a very important song for, you know, people our age. And we were like, ‘This song is awesome. What is this song?’ and later we found out.”

So thus, we get Vampire Weekend’s left-field cover of “sexy lady” Cheryl Cole’s “Fight For This Love,” just the sort of musical distraction the band must be happy to serve up to fans following the endless airings of their single-turned-jingle, “Holiday,” back home in the U.S. You know, the peppy tune currently soundtracking TV commercials for both Tommy Hilfiger and the Honda Civic. Especially the Honda Civic — the carmaker must have sleighfuls of Christmas cash, now filling the pockets of Vampire Weekend.

Listen to “Fight For This Love,” on which Vampire Weekend brought along trumpets, and snag a free download (sanctioned by the band’s label) below that.

Free download of Vampire Weekend – “Fight For This Love” via Abeano Music.

Purchase Cheryl Cole’s original version of “Fight For This Love” via iTunes.