Fade Like a Shadow
Encyclopedia
"Fade Like a Shadow" is a 2010 song by Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall
. It was released as the U.S. lead single for her third studio album Tiger Suit
(2010) in August, 2010. Tunstall performed an acoustic rendition of the track in July 13 at the Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan
, using live looping to get the layering and harmonizing effects in the chorus. The song talks about accepting that a relationship has run its course, with the lovers parting ways.
". The singer's record company chose it for the American market
as they felt the tune would play better at US
radio
. Tunstall told Billboard magazine just after the song's release: "I may lose some fans of the old stuff, but I get the feeling I've already made a few new ones by embracing a bit of experimentation."
The song talks about a person who haunted Tunstall for many months. She told Music Remedy, "The person is still very much alive, but my interactions with them led to these weird, almost visitation-like feelings that I found difficult to shake off." Tunstall expanded on the song to M Is For Music: "The song is about when I met someone who had a really negative effect on me, and even though they were still alive, I experienced these almost visitation-like hauntings that I couldn't shake off. I took to wearing a t-shirt with the person's name on to try and exorcise them, which finally worked."
said, that:" There's the energy of electronic input underpinning some songs, but the moments that leave marks include the xylophone and acoustic guitar marching drum twinkle-fest ‘Fade Like A Shadow', which ticks over like it's chasing racing heart-beats. Jeff Tamarkin from The Boston Phoenix has said that: "The first single, "Fade like a Shadow," is emblematic of the denser, rowdier sonics that permeate much of the record. A dance-floor trifle that never lets up, it utilizes Tunstall's wall of guitars (and glockenspiel) not so much for melodic purposes as to fortify the muscle flexing of the rhythm makers on hand". Charlotte Richard Andrews from The Guardian
said, positively, that: "The uptempo, chime-sprinkled Fade Like a Shadow – affirm Tunstall's skill at penning catchy yet credible pop hits".
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
. It was released as the U.S. lead single for her third studio album Tiger Suit
Tiger Suit
Tiger Suit is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released by Relentless Records in Ireland on 24 September 2010, in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States and Canada on 5 October 2010...
(2010) in August, 2010. Tunstall performed an acoustic rendition of the track in July 13 at the Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, using live looping to get the layering and harmonizing effects in the chorus. The song talks about accepting that a relationship has run its course, with the lovers parting ways.
Background
The song is more upbeat and urgent than Tunstall's UK lead single, "(Still a) Weirdo(Still a) Weirdo
" Weirdo" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the UK lead single from her third studio album Tiger Suit , on 26 September 2010. Written by Tunstall herself and Greg Kurstin, and produced by Kurstin, the song is an acoustic rock ballad and talks about still the...
". The singer's record company chose it for the American market
American Marketing Association
The American Marketing Association is a professional association for marketers. As of 2008 it had approximately 40,000 members. There are 76 professional chapters and 250 collegiate chapters across the United States....
as they felt the tune would play better at US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
. Tunstall told Billboard magazine just after the song's release: "I may lose some fans of the old stuff, but I get the feeling I've already made a few new ones by embracing a bit of experimentation."
The song talks about a person who haunted Tunstall for many months. She told Music Remedy, "The person is still very much alive, but my interactions with them led to these weird, almost visitation-like feelings that I found difficult to shake off." Tunstall expanded on the song to M Is For Music: "The song is about when I met someone who had a really negative effect on me, and even though they were still alive, I experienced these almost visitation-like hauntings that I couldn't shake off. I took to wearing a t-shirt with the person's name on to try and exorcise them, which finally worked."
Reception
Sara Anderson from AOL Music said that "The song's title may sound melancholy, however, the track's chord progression is quite the opposite, backed by peppy, uplifting keyboard chords. James Berry from Yahoo! MusicYahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
said, that:" There's the energy of electronic input underpinning some songs, but the moments that leave marks include the xylophone and acoustic guitar marching drum twinkle-fest ‘Fade Like A Shadow', which ticks over like it's chasing racing heart-beats. Jeff Tamarkin from The Boston Phoenix has said that: "The first single, "Fade like a Shadow," is emblematic of the denser, rowdier sonics that permeate much of the record. A dance-floor trifle that never lets up, it utilizes Tunstall's wall of guitars (and glockenspiel) not so much for melodic purposes as to fortify the muscle flexing of the rhythm makers on hand". Charlotte Richard Andrews from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said, positively, that: "The uptempo, chime-sprinkled Fade Like a Shadow – affirm Tunstall's skill at penning catchy yet credible pop hits".
Background
She compliments the hidden video cast orchestrating the flashlights and the fluorescent strobes for the video: "I loved making this vid with the rad, roller-skating ninjas, although I had serious whiplash the next day after all the headbanging."Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | August 6, 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |