Unwritten (song)
Encyclopedia
"Unwritten" is a song by English singer Natasha Bedingfield
. Bedingfield, Danielle Brisebois
, and Wayne Rodriguez wrote it for her debut album, Unwritten
. The single was released as the album's third UK single (November 2004) and second US single (2006). It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100
, becoming her first top-ten hit in the United States.
"Unwritten" is Bedingfield's most successful single in the US, along with "Pocketful of Sunshine
"; both songs peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song earned Bedingfield a Grammy nomination in Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
at the 49th Grammy Awards but she lost to Christina Aguilera
's "Ain't No Other Man
".
s were made for the promotion of the song: one was shot in 2004 in the UK to promote it internationally; the other one was shot in New York in 2006 to promote the single in North America. Both versions received airplay in Latin America.
International version: directed by Michael Gracey, shows Bedingfield as the cover of a small animated book in a large library as it climbs an amazingly large bookshelf. As it gets higher the shelf becomes more like a cliff, even snowing at the top. At the top the book sees a dove and falls off. As the small book is torn apart in the fall, people pick up the pages and look up into the sky. The video may be seen to elaborate the lyric as an oblique spiritual narrative of striving to ascend (and reach a heavenly dove), while the lyric also reflects Bedingfield's concerns at this time with the process of writing, concerns perhaps more clearly expressed in "These Words", another song featured on the "Unwritten" album.
North American and Spanish version: directed by Chris Applebaum
, shows Bedingfield on a lift, and as the lift stops, she experiences new things in her life on some floors of the building (singing with a church choir, seeing a couple kiss madly, watching a janitor throw away his money and watches, comforting a goth who later grows happy and shares her joy with a man who comes in the elevator) and even finds a love interest (that stops with her in the first floor, with their end being "unwritten"). According to an TRL
interview, Bedingfield chose to make a scene where she gets wet
because while filming the North American version of her "These Words
" video it was a very hot and sunny day in Rio de Janeiro
. This scene occurs the second time Bedingfield sings "Feel the rain on your skin." She and several children jump and dance as they are sprayed by water.
. "Unwritten" stayed in the Hot 100 for 38 weeks, thirteen of those inside the top ten, estimated sales in the United States for "Unwritten" are 2,731,000 as of June, 2011. This was the third highest ranking for a female artist for 2006 behind "Hips Don't Lie
" by Shakira
and Wyclef Jean
, and "Promiscuous
" by Nelly Furtado
and Timbaland
.
The song also proved to be very popular in other radio formats in the United States. The Johnny Vicious and Hani Club Mixes peaked at number one on the Dance Club Play and number two on the Dance Radio Airplay chart, while the original version went to number two on the Adult Top 40 and spent ten weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It spent 13 weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100. "Unwritten" was not as successful in the United Kingdom as her previous chart-topping hit "These Words
", but made an impressive showing on the charts, peaking at number six. It is one of her few singles to peak higher in the U.S. than in the UK.
UK 2-track CD
(Released November 29, 2004)
UK maxi CD
(Released November 29, 2004)
International CD maxi
(Released February 7, 2005)
US ringle CD
(Released October 23, 2007)
Remixes/Official versions
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
. Bedingfield, Danielle Brisebois
Danielle Brisebois
Danielle Anne Brisebois is an American actress, producer, songwriter and singer. In the 1990s she recorded two solo albums, Arrive All Over You and Portable Life, and was a member of the New Radicals...
, and Wayne Rodriguez wrote it for her debut album, Unwritten
Unwritten (album)
Unwritten is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the UK on 6 September 2004, where it debuted at number one, and in the U.S. on 2 August 2005, where it debuted at number twenty-six...
. The single was released as the album's third UK single (November 2004) and second US single (2006). It reached number five 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...
, becoming her first top-ten hit in the United States.
Song history
"Unwritten" was the most played song on U.S. radio during 2006 as confirmed before her performance at the Diana concert, and as of March 2006, was certified platinum in the U.S."Unwritten" is Bedingfield's most successful single in the US, along with "Pocketful of Sunshine
Pocketful of Sunshine (song)
"Pocketful of Sunshine" is a pop song performed by Natasha Bedingfield for her second North American album Pocketful of Sunshine. It was released as the album's second single in 2008. The single was supposed to be released in the UK as Natasha's second single from the re-release of N.B. on 7 July...
"; both songs peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song earned Bedingfield a Grammy nomination in Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
at the 49th Grammy Awards but she lost to Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
's "Ain't No Other Man
Ain't No Other Man
"Ain't No Other Man" is a song written by Christina Aguilera, Charles Roane, DJ Premier, Harold Beatty, and Kara DioGuardi for Aguilera's third studio album Back to Basics...
".
Music video
Two different 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...
s were made for the promotion of the song: one was shot in 2004 in the UK to promote it internationally; the other one was shot in New York in 2006 to promote the single in North America. Both versions received airplay in Latin America.
International version: directed by Michael Gracey, shows Bedingfield as the cover of a small animated book in a large library as it climbs an amazingly large bookshelf. As it gets higher the shelf becomes more like a cliff, even snowing at the top. At the top the book sees a dove and falls off. As the small book is torn apart in the fall, people pick up the pages and look up into the sky. The video may be seen to elaborate the lyric as an oblique spiritual narrative of striving to ascend (and reach a heavenly dove), while the lyric also reflects Bedingfield's concerns at this time with the process of writing, concerns perhaps more clearly expressed in "These Words", another song featured on the "Unwritten" album.
North American and Spanish version: directed by Chris Applebaum
Chris Applebaum
Chris Applebaum is an American music video director, who has worked with a diverse range of artists, among them Rihanna, Hilary Duff, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mandy Moore, Natasha Bedingfield, Fountains of Wayne and Britney Spears...
, shows Bedingfield on a lift, and as the lift stops, she experiences new things in her life on some floors of the building (singing with a church choir, seeing a couple kiss madly, watching a janitor throw away his money and watches, comforting a goth who later grows happy and shares her joy with a man who comes in the elevator) and even finds a love interest (that stops with her in the first floor, with their end being "unwritten"). According to an TRL
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...
interview, Bedingfield chose to make a scene where she gets wet
Wetlook
Wetlook is the enjoyment of a person or people wearing wet clothing. It can also refer to the act of getting wet while wearing clothes, and having fun either in doing so or in watching others do it...
because while filming the North American version of her "These Words
These Words
"These Words" is a song written by Natasha Bedingfield, Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins for Bedingfield's 2004 debut album Unwritten. The song is the album's opening track, and was released as its second single...
" video it was a very hot and sunny day in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. This scene occurs the second time Bedingfield sings "Feel the rain on your skin." She and several children jump and dance as they are sprayed by water.
Chart performance
Peaking at number five for two weeks in the United States, "Unwritten" charted at number six on the 2006's Hot 100 year-end chartTop Hot 100 Hits of 2006
This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 2006.-See also:*2006 in music*List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2006...
. "Unwritten" stayed in the Hot 100 for 38 weeks, thirteen of those inside the top ten, estimated sales in the United States for "Unwritten" are 2,731,000 as of June, 2011. This was the third highest ranking for a female artist for 2006 behind "Hips Don't Lie
Hips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop song based in a salsa and cumbia performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
" by Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
and Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, and "Promiscuous
Promiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
" by Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
.
The song also proved to be very popular in other radio formats in the United States. The Johnny Vicious and Hani Club Mixes peaked at number one on the Dance Club Play and number two on the Dance Radio Airplay chart, while the original version went to number two on the Adult Top 40 and spent ten weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It spent 13 weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100. "Unwritten" was not as successful in the United Kingdom as her previous chart-topping hit "These Words
These Words
"These Words" is a song written by Natasha Bedingfield, Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins for Bedingfield's 2004 debut album Unwritten. The song is the album's opening track, and was released as its second single...
", but made an impressive showing on the charts, peaking at number six. It is one of her few singles to peak higher in the U.S. than in the UK.
Uses in media
- Bedingfield performed this song at the Concert For DianaConcert for DianaConcert for Diana was a concert held at the then new Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 1 July 2007, which would have been her 46th birthday; 31 August that year brought the 10th anniversary of her death...
. - Natasha performed this, along with "Pocketful of SunshinePocketful of Sunshine (song)"Pocketful of Sunshine" is a pop song performed by Natasha Bedingfield for her second North American album Pocketful of Sunshine. It was released as the album's second single in 2008. The single was supposed to be released in the UK as Natasha's second single from the re-release of N.B. on 7 July...
" in the season 7 finale of Degrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
. - It is the theme song to the globally popular MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
series, The HillsThe HillsThe Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
. Bedingfield later re-recorded another, slower version of "Unwritten" with production team Carney for use in the final episode of The Hills. - "Unwritten" has been featured in the following motion pictures: Ice PrincessIce PrincessIce Princess is a 2005 American figure-skating film directed by Tim Fywell, Starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall, Hayden Panettiere, Trevor Blumas, and Kirsten Olson...
, The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
, Because I Said SoBecause I Said So (film)Because I Said So is a 2007 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann and starring Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo and Stephen Collins. It was released on February 2, 2007.-Plot:...
, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling PantsThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (film)The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a 2005 American film, based on the novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Delia Ephron.The film's production budget was $25 million...
. - 2006 World ChampionWorld Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
figure skater Kimmie MeissnerKimmie MeissnerKimberly Claire "Kimmie" Meissner is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 World Champion, the 2007 U.S. National Champion, and the 2007 Four Continents Champion...
has done multiple exhibition programs to the song as well. - The song appears in the video games Karaoke Revolution Presents: American IdolKaraoke RevolutionKaraoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
and Thrillville: Off the RailsThrillville: Off the RailsThrillville: Off the Rails is a theme park simulation video game developed by Frontier Developments. The sequel to the 2006 game Thrillville, it is again published by LucasArts...
. - The song was used for the 2006-2007 Pantene shampoo television and radio advertisements in English-speaking and other markets.
- The song is the theme for Ayla Besemer's video weblog, From the PilotHouse (about life on the ship Three@Sea).
- The song appears in the Rumspringa episode of Cold Case
- This song was the longest theme song in a commercial in the Philippines for the Shampoo, PantenePantenePantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1947 by Hoffman-LaRoche of Switzerland, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient...
. This commercial was from 2000 - 2010.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Unwritten".UK 2-track CD
(Released November 29, 2004)
- "Unwritten" (album version)
- "Wild Horses" (live in Sydney)
UK maxi CD
(Released November 29, 2004)
- "Unwritten" (album version)
- "The Scientist" (live at BBC Radio One Live Lounge)
- "If You're Gonna" (Paul Oakenfold Remix 7" Remix)
- "Unwritten" (video)
International CD maxi
(Released February 7, 2005)
- "Unwritten" (radio edit)
- "The Scientist" (live at BBC Radio One Live Lounge)
- "If You're Gonna" (Paul Oakenfold Remix 7" Remix)
- "Unwritten" (album version)
- "Unwritten" (video)
US ringle CD
(Released October 23, 2007)
- "Unwritten" (album version)
- "Unwritten" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix)
- "Wild Horses" (live at the Nokia Theatre, New York)
- "Unwritten" (ringtone)
Remixes/Official versions
- "Unwritten" (Johnny Vicious Club)
- "Unwritten" (Johnny Vicious Radio)
- "Unwritten" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse)
- "Unwritten" (Johnny Vicious Mixshow Edit)
- "Unwritten" (Hani Num Club)
- "Unwritten" (Hani Num Radio)
- "Unwritten" (Hani Num Dub)
- "Unwritten" (Special live acoustic performance for The N)
- "Unwritten" (Ultimix Pt.1)
- "Unwritten" (Ultimix Pt.2)
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Worldwide | |
| United States |
Charts
| Chart (2004/2005/2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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... |
5 |
| Irish Singles Chart 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... |
9 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 15 |
| Russia Singles Chart | 18 |
| German Singles Chart | 22 |
| Australia ARIA 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... |
26 |
| Spain Singles Chart PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... |
18 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
26 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 32 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
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... |
5 |
| 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... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 2 |
| Hot 100 of 2006 Year-end charts | 6 |
See also
- List of number-one dance singles of 2006 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 2006 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 2007 (U.S.)