"Wunderkind" is a song written and recorded by Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...

, and produced by Mike Elizondo

Mike Elizondo

Michael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...

 for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...

Background

Morissette was inspired to write the song after watching a rough cut of the film; according to her, the song seemed to flow from her and "really touches me deeply". She wrote it on a Friday, recorded it on Saturday, and handed it in on Sunday. After the release of "Wunderkind", Morissette enlisted producer Mike Elizondo to co-produce her tenth album. The protagonist of the song, which is written from the point of view of the character of Lucy Pevensie

Lucy Pevensie

Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan...

, describes herself as "a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment", "a wunderkind" and "a princess on the way to [her] throne" during the chorus

Refrain

A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

. The string arrangements were in charge of Harry Gregson-Williams

Harry Gregson-Williams

Harry Gregson-Williams is a prolific British composer, orchestrator, conductor, and music producer. He is best known for his film scores, of which he has composed over sixty using electronic music and orchestral pieces...

, the movie's composer.

Release and reception

IGN Music wrote that it was "equally captivating" as Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...

's soundtrack contribution "Can't Take It In", with Morissette "letting her warble drip delicately over a 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...

 driven lament. It's one of the best things she's done in a long time." Sci Fi Weekly also described it as "captivating", writing "Morissette delivers [it] with a depth of feeling that makes one sit up and take notice." Movie Music UK called the song "wholly unremarkable ... it doesn't help that Alanis Morissette can't pronounce the word 'wunderkind' properly - it comes out as "wander" (as in walk around aimlessly) and "kind" (as in being nice to someone)." Similarly, Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks.com

Filmtracks.com

Filmtracks.com is a leading modern film score review website created and maintained out of Missoula, Montana by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen...

 wrote "wait until you hear Alanis Morissette belt out her classless pronunciation of '[w]underkind'", and compared it to Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...

's "Into the West

Into the West (song)

"Into the West" is an Oscar winning song, written by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox, and performed by Lennox. The song plays during the closing credits of the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...

", a song on the soundtrack for the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...

.

"Wunderkind" was nominated for the 2006 Golden Globe for "Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...

" (see 63rd Golden Globe Awards nominees). After the nominations were announced, Morissette's home was inundated with phone calls, leading her to assume that "something must be wrong, somebody must be hurt"; she later said she was "excited that some light is being shone on [the song]."

The song was premiered on AOL Music on November 18, 2005 (see 2005 in music

2005 in music

-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...

), ahead of the December release of the film and of the soundtrack album The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (soundtrack)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the soundtrack of the film of the same name. Harry Gregson-Williams composed the soundtrack, which was released on December 13, 2005 .-Background:...

, on which it is featured. It was subsequently released as a radio single in some parts of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 in early 2006 (see 2006 in music

2006 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....

).

On February 28, 2010, Morissette performed the song at the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony

The Closing Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics took place on February 28, 2010, beginning at 5:30 pm PST at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...

in Vancouver. Because of that, the song charted at #4 on iTunes Canada.