1973 (song)
Encyclopedia
"1973" is the first single released from James Blunt
's second studio album, All the Lost Souls
. First performed by Blunt during his Autumn 2006 North American tour, "1973" was released for radio play on July 23, 2007, to selected radio stations around the world. It was made available for download exclusively from the Verizon Wireless network in the United States on the same date. Starting on August 7, 2007, the song was made widely available for digital download, with physical releases being made available from September 3, 2007. The single peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart
.
and James Blunt
. "He was trying to write an English singer-songwriter song, and I was trying the Dr. Dre
end of the scale," says Blunt. The song was inspired by the club scene in Ibiza
, where Blunt maintains a residence and enjoys the social scene. The song has been remixed by Pete Tong
and Dave Spoon as part of their Ibiza 2007 Remix Project, and Tong started playing the remix in July 2007 when acting as DJ at Pacha
, the Ibiza club that inspired the song and opened in 1973. Blunt has stated in a radio interview with KISFM on 8 September 2007, that the girl from his lyrics "Simona" was indeed based on a real woman he had met at the club.
The lyrics include references to a few American popular songs: "As Time Goes By
," written in 1931 by Herman Hupfeld
and popularized by Dooley Wilson
playing the character of Sam in the 1942 film Casablanca
; "It's the Same Old Song
," written by the legendary songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland and recorded in 1965 on the Motown label by The Four Tops; "Here We Go Again
," popularized in 1967 by Ray Charles
and re-popularized as a duet with Nora Jones upon the 2005 posthumous release of Charles' masterwork album, Genius Loves Company
, and; "I Can See Clearly Now
," written and recorded by Johnny Nash
, a song which spent November at the #1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100
in 1972.
in Los Angeles
.
CD2
7" Vinyl
, then peaked at #4, making it Blunt's third top 10 single and his fifth-released single debuting in the UK Singles Chart. In Switzerland
the song debuted at #1 making it his second top 10 hit. It also peaked at #1 in Venezuela
. In the U.S. the song made its first appearance on the Billboard
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
where it peaked at #2. It later debuted at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100
with the release of All the Lost Souls. The song peaked at #60 on the Pop 100
. From number 86, the song made a jump two number 2 on Billboard
's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
. "1973" is also featured on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 68.
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
's second studio album, All the Lost Souls
All the Lost Souls
All the Lost Souls is the second studio album by James Blunt, released on 17 September 2007. It is the follow-up to his hugely successful 2004 debut album, Back to Bedlam....
. First performed by Blunt during his Autumn 2006 North American tour, "1973" was released for radio play on July 23, 2007, to selected radio stations around the world. It was made available for download exclusively from the Verizon Wireless network in the United States on the same date. Starting on August 7, 2007, the song was made widely available for digital download, with physical releases being made available from September 3, 2007. The single peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Background
"1973" is written by Mark BatsonMark Batson
Mark Batson is an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter from Bushwick, Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles.As a co-writer and producer with Dr. Dre, he is responsible for Jay-Z's 2006 single "Lost One", as well as tracks for Eminem, 50 Cent, Game and Snoop Dogg. As a co-writer and...
and James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
. "He was trying to write an English singer-songwriter song, and I was trying the Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
end of the scale," says Blunt. The song was inspired by the club scene in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, where Blunt maintains a residence and enjoys the social scene. The song has been remixed by Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
and Dave Spoon as part of their Ibiza 2007 Remix Project, and Tong started playing the remix in July 2007 when acting as DJ at Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
, the Ibiza club that inspired the song and opened in 1973. Blunt has stated in a radio interview with KISFM on 8 September 2007, that the girl from his lyrics "Simona" was indeed based on a real woman he had met at the club.
The lyrics include references to a few American popular songs: "As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1992 to 2005. Starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, it follows the relationship between two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years....
," written in 1931 by Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was "As Time Goes By."-Biography:Hupfeld studied violin in Germany at 9. He was in the military during World War I, and he entertained camps and hospitals during World War II...
and popularized by Dooley Wilson
Dooley Wilson
Arthur "Dooley" Wilson was an American actor and singer. He was born in Tyler, Texas, and is remembered as piano-player "Sam" who sings "As Time Goes By" at the request of Ilsa Lund in the 1942 film, Casablanca - the Sam in the famously misremembered line "Play it again, Sam" -- a phrase which...
playing the character of Sam in the 1942 film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
; "It's the Same Old Song
It's the Same Old Song
"It's the Same Old Song" is a 1965 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is today one of The Tops' signature songs, and was notably created—from initial concept to commercial...
," written by the legendary songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland and recorded in 1965 on the Motown label by The Four Tops; "Here We Go Again
Here We Go Again
-In film and television:* Here We Go Again , a 1970s American sitcom starring Larry Hagman* Here We Go Again , a 1942 film featuring Fibber McGee and Molly, Edgar Bergen and Ginny Simms-Albums:...
," popularized in 1967 by Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and re-popularized as a duet with Nora Jones upon the 2005 posthumous release of Charles' masterwork album, Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004 on Concord Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004...
, and; "I Can See Clearly Now
I Can See Clearly Now
-Certifications:-Charts:-Other covers:The song also appears in various other films, such as Grosse Pointe Blank, The Break-up, Thelma & Louise, Antz, Deep Blue Sea, Envy, Hitch, Shrek 2s Far Far Away Idol, Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man and Jennifer's Body, as well in a 2009 advertisement for Lipton...
," written and recorded by Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
, a song which spent November at the #1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1972.
Release
The single was released on three physical formats. CD1 features a brand new track, "Dear Katie", which was written by Blunt's long-time keyboardist Paul Beard. Beard also provides backing vocals for the song. CD2 includes a live version of "Annie", the video for "1973", plus a further new track, "So Happy", which was written by Felix Howard and Blunt. The 7" Vinyl also includes "So Happy".Music video
The video, in which a modern-day Blunt strolls among '70s street scenes, reflects the song's nostalgic tone. "The '70s sound like they were a time of excess and great flamboyance," he says, "but a sense of fun as well." The video was shot in the Universal BacklotsUniversal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Track listings
CD1- "1973" - 4:44
- "Dear Katie" – 2:20
CD2
- "1973" – 4:44
- "Annie" (Live From The Garden Shed) – 3:26
- "So Happy" – 3:36
- "1973" (Video) – 3:58
7" Vinyl
- "1973" - 4:44
- "So Happy" – 3:36
Reception
The song debuted at #10 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, then peaked at #4, making it Blunt's third top 10 single and his fifth-released single debuting in the UK Singles Chart. In Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
the song debuted at #1 making it his second top 10 hit. It also peaked at #1 in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. In the U.S. the song made its first appearance on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
where it peaked at #2. It later debuted at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with the release of All the Lost Souls. The song peaked at #60 on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
. From number 86, the song made a jump two number 2 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...
. "1973" is also featured on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 68.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 11 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 3 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... Singles Chart |
13 |
| Czech Singles Chart | 6 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 9 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
3 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 11 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
2 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Top Digital Download Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 9 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
7 |
| Romanian Singles Chart | 31 |
| Slovak Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... Airplay Chart |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| Turkish Top 20 Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
| UK Download Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
73 |
| U.S. Billboard Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... |
59 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
60 |
| Venezuelan Singles Chart | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Year | Chart | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | German Singles Chart | #95 |
Year-end charts
| Charts (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 76 |
| German Singles Chart | 17 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Gold | 2007 | 150,000 + |