No One (Alicia Keys song)
Encyclopedia
"No One" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys
from her third studio album, As I Am
. Written and produced by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and George M. Harry, and released as the album's lead single
in September 2007. This is overall Keys' biggest hit, having topped several singles charts, including the Billboard Hot 100
for five consecutive weeks and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
for ten consecutive weeks. It is her second solo number-one single in the United States after 2001's "Fallin'
". "No One" was ranked at number forty-two on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and number fourteen on the Top Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In 2009 the song was placed at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.
The song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
and Best R&B Song
at the 2008 Grammy Awards
on February 10, 2008. During the ceremony, Keys performed it in a duet with John Mayer
. "No One" was also the most listened song on U.S. radio of 2008 with 3.08 billion listeners. The song sold over 3 million dowloand on USA and sold over 5.6 millions dowloand on worldwide.
Canada that the song "is really talking about the way that in relationships, the way that so many things are around you all the time to try to distract you. And even though people may talk and say whatever they may want to say, but then no one can get in the way of this."
The song was first heard in August 2007 after Keys included a clip of the song in a newsletter on her official website and fan club. It was released officially on September 10, 2007, and its radio premiere was on Atlanta's WVEE on August 29.
Keys performed a medley
of "No One" with George Michael
's "Freedom! '90
" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
on September 9. Remix
es of the song featuring Lil' Kim
, Damian Marley
, Junior Reid
, Beenie Man
, Barbee, and Kanye West
exist. The official remix has a different but similar beat from the original version and features rapper Cassidy, it was produced by Swizz Beatz
.
, "No One" debuted at number sixty-five on the U.S. Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart on the issue dated September 8, 2007. Seven weeks later, it reached the top position for ten weeks—becoming Keys' fifth number-one single on the chart—before being knocked out by her own song "Like You'll Never See Me Again
" during the first charting week of 2008. The song initially debuted at number fifteen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
for the week of September 15, 2007, and managed to jump to the Billboard Hot 100
at number seventy-one the following week without the benefit of download
sales. The following week, it rose to number fifteen because of digital downloads, and reached the top spot the charting week of December 1, 2007, staying atop for five weeks, preventing Timbaland
and OneRepublic
's hit "Apologize
" from reaching the summit. In the week between October 22–25, 2007, "No One" gained 14.3% in radio airplay and audience impressions which marks the single at number one. It is Keys' first solo single to reach number one on the Hot 100 since her debut single 2001's "Fallin'
" and her third single, to date, to top the chart. The song's success marked Keys' return to the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 in three years; her last appearance occurred with the number-twenty entry "Karma". Furthermore, "No One" went on to top eleven other Billboard charts
: the Hot 100 Airplay (for fourteen weeks in a row, the longest run atop the chart since Mariah Carey
's 2005 hit "We Belong Together" spent sixteen weeks at number one), the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
, the Hot Adult R&B Airplay, the Pop 100
, the Pop 100 Airplay
, the Top 40 Mainstream
, the Rhythmic Top 40
, the Hot Digital Songs
, the Hot Digital Tracks
, the Hot RingMasters
, and the Hot Videoclip Tracks. The song was ultimately ranked number three on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008
and number six on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.
"No One" was a massive success in Europe, peaking at number two on the composite European Hot 100 Singles as well as reaching the top position Hungary and Switzerland, while charting inside the top five in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovakia, and the top ten in Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Norway, and the United Kingdom (where the single became Keys' first solo top ten hit since "Fallin'", peaking at number six and selling over 200,000 copies). "No One" has re-entered the UK Singles Chart twice since its official release, both times due television exposure (firstly after being performed by an auditionee on Britain's Got Talent
and secondly after Keys herself performed it within a medley on The X Factor
). In May 2009 it re-entered at number fifty-four and in December 2009 it re-entered at number fifty-one. In total "No One" has spent twenty-nine weeks inside the UK top one hundred singles, making it her longest-charting single in the UK at that point. It also charted highly in Oceania, spending three consecutive weeks at number three in Australia and six non-consecutive weeks at number two in New Zealand.
The song was ranked at number three on the recap of "The 10 Best Songs of 2007" by Entertainment Weekly
, while it was voted number twenty-three on The Village Voice
s 2007 Pazz & Jop
critics' poll (tied with Modest Mouse
's "Dashboard
", R. Kelly
's "I'm a Flirt" (Remix) featuring T.I.
and T-Pain
, and Avril Lavigne
's "Girlfriend
"). "No One" was also the most listened song on U.S. radio of 2008 with 3.08 billion listeners.
, directed by Justin Francis
, premiered on BET
on September 24, 2007; it debuted on 106 and Park at number ten the following day, and has since peaked at number one. It premiered on Yahoo! Music
on September 25 at number five and peaked at number one, and it premiered on Total Request Live
on October 4 and peaked at number one. It debuted on VH1
's VSpot Top 20 Countdown
at number three, peaking at number one. The video was ranked at number twenty-two on VH1's "Top 40 Videos of 2007" and at number two on BET's "Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007".
The video for "No One" consists of four settings: the first one shows Keys lying on a chair in an empty room; the second one is a musical instrument
-decorated room in which Keys sings accompanied by a keyboard
; in the third one Keys is initially alone, playing the piano
on a rainy street, and she later finds herself surrounded with dozens of people; in the fourth and final one Keys is in a blue
-lit nightclub. The video ends with a gear
divided into four fractions, each one featuring a previously shown setting, and with Keys lying on the chair in the same room shown at the very beginning of the video.
27 Dresses
, as well as in the Ugly Betty
episode "Burning Questions
", originally aired on May 1, 2008. Felicia Barton sang the song in the top 36 night on the March 3 show of American Idol
. Ten-year-old Natalie Okri performed the song on Britain's Got Talent
in auditions 6 of the show, which aired on May 16, 2009, receiving rave reviews from the judges and a standing ovation from the audience. On the 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
album (released on December 1, 2009), The Chipettes
sing the song with Filipina singer Charice. In the actual 2009 "Squeakquel" film itself, it was covered only by Charice. Prima J
made a Spanish
cover of this single for their album, the title 'No One' translates from Spanish to Nadie.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
from her third studio album, As I Am
As I Am
As I Am is the third studio album by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It was released in the United States on November 13, 2007 by J Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording studios during 2005 to 2007...
. Written and produced by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and George M. Harry, and released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
in September 2007. This is overall Keys' biggest hit, having topped several singles charts, including 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...
for five consecutive weeks and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
for ten consecutive weeks. It is her second solo number-one single in the United States after 2001's "Fallin'
Fallin'
"Fallin" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Released to radio and music video outlets in 2001, it is generally considered her signature song. "Fallin'" became Keys' first number-one single in the United States...
". "No One" was ranked at number forty-two on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and number fourteen on the Top Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In 2009 the song was placed at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.
The song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
and Best R&B Song
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
at the 2008 Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
on February 10, 2008. During the ceremony, Keys performed it in a duet with John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
. "No One" was also the most listened song on U.S. radio of 2008 with 3.08 billion listeners. The song sold over 3 million dowloand on USA and sold over 5.6 millions dowloand on worldwide.
Composition
Song information and release
Keys told MTV NewsMTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
Canada that the song "is really talking about the way that in relationships, the way that so many things are around you all the time to try to distract you. And even though people may talk and say whatever they may want to say, but then no one can get in the way of this."
The song was first heard in August 2007 after Keys included a clip of the song in a newsletter on her official website and fan club. It was released officially on September 10, 2007, and its radio premiere was on Atlanta's WVEE on August 29.
Keys performed a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of "No One" with George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's "Freedom! '90
Freedom! '90
"Freedom '90" is a song written and performed by George Michael, and released on Columbia Records in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with an international hit by Michael's former band, Wham!, also titled "Freedom".It was the third single taken from Listen...
" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
on September 9. Remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of the song featuring Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
, Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....
, Junior Reid
Junior Reid
Delroy "Junior" Reid is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician, best known for the songs "One Blood" and "Funny Man", as well as being the man that replaced Michael Rose as lead vocalist for Black Uhuru.-Biography:...
, Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
, Barbee, and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
exist. The official remix has a different but similar beat from the original version and features rapper Cassidy, it was produced by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
.
Chart performances
With only one full day of airplayAirplay
* 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...
, "No One" debuted at number sixty-five on the U.S. 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...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart on the issue dated September 8, 2007. Seven weeks later, it reached the top position for ten weeks—becoming Keys' fifth number-one single on the chart—before being knocked out by her own song "Like You'll Never See Me Again
Like You'll Never See Me Again
"Like You'll Never See Me Again" is a song by American R&B and soul singer–songwriter Alicia Keys from her third studio album, As I Am . Written and produced by Keys and Kerry Brothers, Jr., it was released in November 2007 as the album's second single...
" during the first charting week of 2008. The song initially debuted at number fifteen on the 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...
for the week of September 15, 2007, and managed to jump to 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...
at number seventy-one the following week without the benefit of 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...
sales. The following week, it rose to number fifteen because of digital downloads, and reached the top spot the charting week of December 1, 2007, staying atop for five weeks, preventing Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
's hit "Apologize
Apologize (song)
"Apologize" is a song written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder for OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud. A remix version was included on the Timbaland album, Shock Value and on the deluxe version of Dreaming Out Loud...
" from reaching the summit. In the week between October 22–25, 2007, "No One" gained 14.3% in radio airplay and audience impressions which marks the single at number one. It is Keys' first solo single to reach number one on the Hot 100 since her debut single 2001's "Fallin'
Fallin'
"Fallin" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Released to radio and music video outlets in 2001, it is generally considered her signature song. "Fallin'" became Keys' first number-one single in the United States...
" and her third single, to date, to top the chart. The song's success marked Keys' return to the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 in three years; her last appearance occurred with the number-twenty entry "Karma". Furthermore, "No One" went on to top eleven other Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
: the Hot 100 Airplay (for fourteen weeks in a row, the longest run atop the chart since Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's 2005 hit "We Belong Together" spent sixteen weeks at number one), the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart is the airplay component chart of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It is not the R&B subset of The Hot 100 Airplay, but rather a separate panel of R&B stations in urban markets used for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart...
, the Hot Adult R&B Airplay, 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...
, the Pop 100 Airplay
Pop 100 Airplay
The Pop 100 Airplay was a chart created in 2005 and released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It measured mainstream radio airplay, and was one of the three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot Digital Songs charts, that determined the chart positions of singles...
, the Top 40 Mainstream
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
, the Rhythmic Top 40
Rhythmic Airplay Chart
The Rhythmic Airplay Chart is an airplay chart that is featured weekly in Billboard Magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on Rhythmic stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/Hip-Hop, Rhythmic pop, and some Dance tracks...
, the 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...
, the Hot Digital Tracks
Hot Digital Tracks
The Hot Digital Tracks chart is a song popularity chart that ranks the best selling digital tracks in the United States according to Billboard magazine...
, the Hot RingMasters
Hot RingMasters
Hot RingMasters is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. First published in the December 9, 2006 issue , it is compiled by Nielsen Mobile's RingScan service, which collects the amount of ringtones sold each week...
, and the Hot Videoclip Tracks. The song was ultimately ranked number three on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008
This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 2008....
and number six on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.
"No One" was a massive success in Europe, peaking at number two on the composite European Hot 100 Singles as well as reaching the top position Hungary and Switzerland, while charting inside the top five in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovakia, and the top ten in Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Norway, and the United Kingdom (where the single became Keys' first solo top ten hit since "Fallin'", peaking at number six and selling over 200,000 copies). "No One" has re-entered the UK Singles Chart twice since its official release, both times due television exposure (firstly after being performed by an auditionee on Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
and secondly after Keys herself performed it within a medley on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
). In May 2009 it re-entered at number fifty-four and in December 2009 it re-entered at number fifty-one. In total "No One" has spent twenty-nine weeks inside the UK top one hundred singles, making it her longest-charting single in the UK at that point. It also charted highly in Oceania, spending three consecutive weeks at number three in Australia and six non-consecutive weeks at number two in New Zealand.
Rankings and honors
"No One" was ranked at number forty-two on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and number fourteen on the Top Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In 2009 the song was placed at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.The song was ranked at number three on the recap of "The 10 Best Songs of 2007" by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, while it was voted number twenty-three on The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s 2007 Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics' poll (tied with Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
's "Dashboard
Dashboard (song)
"Dashboard" is a song by American indie rock band Modest Mouse and is the second track on their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The song was released as the first single from that album and peaked at #5 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. It debuted at #59 in the Billboard...
", R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
's "I'm a Flirt" (Remix) featuring T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
, and Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
's "Girlfriend
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing . "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007...
"). "No One" was also the most listened song on U.S. radio of 2008 with 3.08 billion listeners.
Music video
The song's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Justin Francis
Justin Francis
Justin Francis is a New York-based director/photographer. He has directed music videos for Alicia Keys,Nickelback, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Nicole Scherzinger, Modest Mouse, Amos Lee, Weezer, Jaguar Wright, Timbaland, Obie Trice, Cashis, Stat Quo, Kill Hannah, Young the Giant, Dropping...
, premiered on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
on September 24, 2007; it debuted on 106 and Park at number ten the following day, and has since peaked at number one. It premiered on Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! 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...
on September 25 at number five and peaked at number one, and it premiered on Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on October 4 and peaked at number one. It debuted on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown is a weekly television show on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running series began in 1994 as the VH1 Top 10 Countdown, as part of VH1's "Music First" rebranding effort...
at number three, peaking at number one. The video was ranked at number twenty-two on VH1's "Top 40 Videos of 2007" and at number two on BET's "Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007".
The video for "No One" consists of four settings: the first one shows Keys lying on a chair in an empty room; the second one is a musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
-decorated room in which Keys sings accompanied by a keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
; in the third one Keys is initially alone, playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on a rainy street, and she later finds herself surrounded with dozens of people; in the fourth and final one Keys is in a blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
-lit nightclub. The video ends with a gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
divided into four fractions, each one featuring a previously shown setting, and with Keys lying on the chair in the same room shown at the very beginning of the video.
Covers
"No One" was used in the theatrical trailer for the 2008 romantic comedy filmRomantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
27 Dresses
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. The film stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released January 10, 2008 in Australia and opened in the United States on January 18....
, as well as in the Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
episode "Burning Questions
Burning Questions (Ugly Betty)
"Burning Questions" is the fifteenth episode in the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on May 1, 2008...
", originally aired on May 1, 2008. Felicia Barton sang the song in the top 36 night on the March 3 show of American Idol
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
. Ten-year-old Natalie Okri performed the song on Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent (series 3)
The 2009 series of Britain's Got Talent was the third series of the programme. It began airing on ITV on 11 April. The 2009 panel of judges consisted of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan...
in auditions 6 of the show, which aired on May 16, 2009, receiving rave reviews from the judges and a standing ovation from the audience. On the 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the licensed soundtrack based on the 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel...
album (released on December 1, 2009), The Chipettes
The Chipettes
The Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
sing the song with Filipina singer Charice. In the actual 2009 "Squeakquel" film itself, it was covered only by Charice. Prima J
Prima J
Prima J is an American musical group, composed of cousins Jessica and Janelle Martinez. Jessica, born on May 25, 1988, and Janelle, born on August 26, 1988, came up with the stagename "Prima J" by taking the letter "J" out of their first names, and the spanish word "prima" , and put it...
made a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
cover of this single for their album, the title 'No One' translates from Spanish to Nadie.
Track listings and formats
-
- Digital Download
- "No One" — 4:07
-
- Maxi-Single
- "No One" (Album Version) — 4:13
- "No One" (Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix) — 3:59
- "SuperwomanSuperwoman (Alicia Keys song)"Superwoman" is a song by American R&B-soul singer–songwriter Alicia Keys from her third studio album, As I Am . Written by Keys, Linda Perry, and Steve Mostyn, the track was released as the fourth and final single from the album...
" (Live) — 4:02 - "No One" (Video) — 4:10
-
- CD Single
- "No One" (Album Version) — 4:13
- "No One" (Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix) — 3:59
-
- Promo CD Single
- "No One" (Radio Edit) — 4:06
- "No One" (Instrumental) — 4:06
- "No One" (Call Out Hook) — 0:10
-
- 12" Vinyl
- A1 "No One" (Radio Mix) — 4:07
- A2 "No One" (Instrumental) — 4:07
- B1 "No One" (Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix) — 3:59
- B2 "No One" (Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix - Instrumental) — 4:03
Personnel
- Alicia Keys – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Jupiter synth, vocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, stringStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
programming - Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – producer, drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
- Brendan Dekora – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Dirty Harry – co-producer
- Zach Hancock – assistant engineer
- Manny MarroquinManny MarroquinManny Marroquin, born 21 September 1971 in Guatemala, is a Grammy winning mixing engineer. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was nine due to the Guatemalan Civil War....
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Ann Mincieli – engineer
- Steve Mostyn – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jared Robbins – mix assistant
- Stu White – assistant engineer
Chart positions
| Chart (2007/2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
3 |
| Austria (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... ) |
3 |
| Belgum (Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... Flanders) |
4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... Wallonia) |
5 |
| Canada (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... ) |
2 |
| Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... ) |
13 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... ) |
7 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) | 2 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | 17 |
| France (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... ) |
5 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts 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... ) |
3 |
| Hungary (Mahasz Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... ) |
1 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... ) |
8 |
| Italy (FIMI Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... ) |
2 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
61 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 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... ) |
4 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
2 |
| Norway (VG-lista 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... ) |
8 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... ) |
3 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... ) |
8 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... ) |
5 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 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 ... |
6 |
| 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... |
1 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Pop 100 Songs 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... |
1 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 48 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 84 |
| French Singles Chart | 67 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 19 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 55 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 23 |
| U.K Singles Chart | 49 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 76 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 30 |
| Chart (2008) | Position |
| Australian Singles Chart | 47 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 23 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 22 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 17 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 47 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 7 |
| French Singles Chart | 48 |
| German Singles Chart | 24 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart | 6 |
| Japan Hot 100 | 40 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 25 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 66 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 24 |
| U.K Singles Chart | 90 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 8 |
| U.S. Pop Songs | 15 |
| Worldwide | 8 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–09) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 47 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Pop Songs | 47 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 11 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| Belgium | Gold |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
2× Platinum |
| Denmark | Platinum |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Gold |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Gold |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Spain | 2× Platinum |
| Sweden | Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
3× Platinum |
Chart procession and succession
See also
- List of number-one digital singles of 2007 (Italy)
- New Zealand Top 50 Singles of 2007New Zealand Top 50 Singles of 2007This is a list of the Top 50 singles in 2007 in New Zealand, as listed by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand .-Chart:Songs in grey shading indicates a song of New Zealand origin.-External links:*...
- List of number-one hits of 2007 (Switzerland)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2007 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 2007 (U.S.)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2008 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 2008....
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
- List of best-selling singles worldwide
External links
- No One at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...