Someone's Watching over Me
Encyclopedia
"Someone's Watching Over Me" is a song by American recording artist Hilary Duff
. It was written by Kara DioGuardi
and John Shanks
, and produced by Shanks for Duff's self-titled third studio album Hilary Duff
(2004).
, and performs it at the film's climax in front of the students, staff and parents.
Musically, "Someone's Watching Over Me" is a moderately paced pop
song, moving at a tempo of 78 beats per minute. Written in the key of C# Minor, the song has the sequence of C#m—F#m—B—B/A—Abm—Ab/C as its chord progression. Lyrically, the song speaks about "holding on no matter what happens in life, believing that someone's watching over".
Singles Chart
and remained in the top forty for nine weeks. The single's B-side is a cover of The Who
's "My Generation".
According to Paul Broucek, executive vice president of music for New Line Cinema
, in November 2004, "Someone's Watching Over Me" was one of the studio's possible contenders for an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song
at the 77th Academy Awards
. The Herald Sun
wrote of "Someone's Watching Over Me", which it awarded one star
, "Yeah, that'd be Lindsay Lohan
. They're single-white-femaling
each other when it comes to music, though Duff got in first with the polite Avril
-lite soft rock
. However, this positivity-laden ballad sucks." The Sunday Telegraph
published a two-star review of the song, editorializing that "The banging migraine kicked in somewhere around the lyrics: "I've seen that ray of light/It's shining on my destiny" [...] a brainless, infectious dose of made-to-order teen empowerment pop."
, which premiered on the program Rage
on ABC
Broadband in mid January 2005.
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
. It was written by Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
and John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
, and produced by Shanks for Duff's self-titled third studio album Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff (album)
Hilary Duff is the eponymous third studio album by American recording artist Hilary Duff. The album was released on September 28, 2004 by Hollywood Records as a follow up to the internationally successful, Metamorphosis . Duff cited the album as being more mature than her previous, stating...
(2004).
Background and composition
The song was written by DioGuardi and Shanks for the film Raise Your Voice, in which Duff stars. In the movie, which is set at a performing arts summer school, Duff's character, Terri, writes the song with her fellow student Jay, played by Oliver JamesOliver James (entertainer)
Oliver James is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his roles in the American films What a Girl Wants and Raise Your Voice.-Acting career:...
, and performs it at the film's climax in front of the students, staff and parents.
Musically, "Someone's Watching Over Me" is a moderately paced pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song, moving at a tempo of 78 beats per minute. Written in the key of C# Minor, the song has the sequence of C#m—F#m—B—B/A—Abm—Ab/C as its chord progression. Lyrically, the song speaks about "holding on no matter what happens in life, believing that someone's watching over".
Chart performance and reception
During the week of the single's radio release in Australia in January, it was the fifth most added song to station playlists. After its release as a single the following month, it peaked at number twenty-two on the ARIAAustralian 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...
Singles Chart
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...
and remained in the top forty for nine weeks. The single's B-side is a cover of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's "My Generation".
According to Paul Broucek, executive vice president of music for New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, in November 2004, "Someone's Watching Over Me" was one of the studio's possible contenders for an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
at the 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
. The Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
wrote of "Someone's Watching Over Me", which it awarded one star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
, "Yeah, that'd be Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
. They're single-white-femaling
Single White Female
Single White Female is a 1992 American erotic thriller based on John Lutz's novel SWF Seeks Same. The film stars Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh and is directed by Barbet Schroeder.-Plot:...
each other when it comes to music, though Duff got in first with the polite Avril
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...
-lite soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
. However, this positivity-laden ballad sucks." The Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph (Australia)
The Sunday Telegraph is an Australian newspaper published every Sunday across New South Wales and parts of Queensland. As of 2011, The Sunday Telegraph is Australia's biggest selling newspaper.- Publication :...
published a two-star review of the song, editorializing that "The banging migraine kicked in somewhere around the lyrics: "I've seen that ray of light/It's shining on my destiny" [...] a brainless, infectious dose of made-to-order teen empowerment pop."
Music video
The performance scene on the movie served as the single's 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...
, which premiered on the program Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Broadband in mid January 2005.
Track listing
CD single- "Someone's Watching Over Me" – 4:11
- "My Generation" – 2:41
Charts
| Chart | Peak Position |
|---|