This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points.(September 2022) |
"A Thousand Miles" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Vanessa Carlton | ||||
from the album Be Not Nobody | ||||
B-side | "Twilight" (live) | |||
Released | February 18, 2002 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:00 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Vanessa Carlton | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Vanessa Carlton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"A Thousand Miles" on YouTube |
"A Thousand Miles" (originally titled "Interlude") is the debut single of American pop singer Vanessa Carlton. Produced by Curtis Schweitzer and Ron Fair, the song was released as the lead single for Carlton's first album, Be Not Nobody (2002). First released to US radio in February 2002, it became Carlton's biggest hit in the United States and her only single to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also experienced commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, number three in Ireland, and the top 10 in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"A Thousand Miles" is a piano-driven pop song supported by a string orchestral arrangement. Carlton says that the song was inspired by a crush she had on a Juilliard student (who is now a "very famous actor") whom she met while she was attending the School of American Ballet. [2] [3] She further stated that because she never actually spoke to her crush due to her shyness, she felt like she had "a better chance of falling up than ever having a relationship with this person". [3]
She has also called the song "a combination of reality and fantasy. It's about a love that so consumes you that you do anything for it. That's how I felt at that time." [4]
"A Thousand Miles" is written in the key of B major and composed with a tempo of 95 beats per minute. [5] Carlton wrote the song's piano riff in the summer of 1998 at her parents' house in Philadelphia; her mother, who had been listening to her, said, "Vanessa, that's a hit song." [4] Carlton was unable to finish the song because of a case of writer's block, and did not return to it for several months. While looking for a record label that would sign her, Carlton played the beginning of the song for a record producer, who said, "You have to finish that." [2] She returned to her parents' home and finished it in an hour one evening, naming it "Interlude."
Some years later, Carlton recorded a demo tape (which featured several tracks, including "Interlude") and sent it to various producers and labels in the hopes that one would sign her. Some expressed interest, but Carlton did not agree with their suggestions for alternative titles for the song. One of the tapes found its way to Ron Fair, head of A&M Records, who recalled that "It was extraordinary, but also in some respects kind of screwed up as a record. It didn't press the emotional buttons the way I envisioned it." [2] Carlton met with Fair for a piano session to alter the arrangement of the song, "so the heartbeat came in a different way", Fair said.
During the session, more transitions were inserted into the song, and the timing of the repetition of the chorus was changed. Additionally, the instrumental opening was shortened and an orchestra section was added by Fair; the lyrics, however, remained the same. He explained: "It has a lot of starts and stops to it, which makes it hard to achieve a flow, but I wanted to make a really dramatic record. The song is like a mini musical of its own." [2] "A Thousand Miles" took 14 sessions to record, and was the first song recorded for Be Not Nobody. As well as conducting the orchestra, Fair also organized a small band for its recording: John Goux played guitar on the track, Leland Sklar played bass guitar, and Abe Laboriel, Jr. played drums. Carlton later said, "after listening to it I realized I was going to make an album that I was very proud of." [2]
The selection of the song's title was accompanied by a minor disagreement between Carlton and Fair, who was reportedly "adamant" about changing it. Fair said, "Vanessa Carlton is an incredible talent, but she's also very stubborn... I had to say, 'Look, I'm the president of the label, we're not calling it "Interlude". ' When you're trying to launch a career, people need a handle to pick things up from, and the word 'Interlude' is never in the song". [2] In its finished form, the song was first heard during a scene in the Reese Witherspoon film Legally Blonde (2001), and was featured on the film's soundtrack under the title "A Thousand Miles (Interlude)". [6] The final title of the song, "A Thousand Miles", was based on a suggestion by Fair's nephew. After the song's completion, Fair said that he listened to it repeatedly and "it made me weep. That's usually my litmus test. If I cry, I know it's a hit". [2]
Despite this, he was concerned that the song's piano basis would put it at a disadvantage in the marketplace if it were to be released as a single. Fair played "A Thousand Miles" in front of his superior Jimmy Iovine, the co-chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Iovine was very impressed with the song, and requested that a music video be filmed immediately for it. After the video had been completed it was presented to Tom Calderone, the Vice President of Programming for MTV, in early 2002. Calderone expressed a desire to begin broadcasting the video at once and Fair agreed to his request, even though the album was still in production at the time and Carlton's marketing "image" had not yet been developed. [2]
In the United States, "A Thousand Miles" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 later that month; it peaked at number five for three weeks in May 2002 and remained on the chart for 41 weeks. [7] The album Be Not Nobody was released on April 30 and, partly because of the popularity of "A Thousand Miles", debuted in the U.S. top five with first-week sales of over 101,000 copies. [8] [9] It was 2002's sixth most-played single on U.S. radio (ranking sixth on the Hot 100 2002 year-end chart [10] ), and sold well in other countries (where it was promoted and released over the summer months). It was a top-five hit in Ireland and France, and managed to reach the top ten in other parts of Europe such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands. It was most popular in Australia, where it became the sixth most successful single of the year [11] and held the number-one position on the ARIA Singles Chart for two weeks, from August 11 to 24. It replaced a Junkie XL remix of "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley, and was itself replaced by Avril Lavigne's "Complicated". It also reached the top 20 in Germany. E! Online said the song was "a bona fide hit for good reason. Catchy pop on the surface, it has melodic complexity beneath that bodes well for repeated listening". [12] It failed to chart in Japan.
Carlton told the website Contactmusic.com of the first time she watched the single's music video, in which she is seen playing the piano while traveling through a variety of settings:
I was in the studio and had just taken a break, when someone ran in the room and said, "You're on MTV!" We put it on and I just stared at the screen. After a few minutes, I just covered my eyes and started to laugh. It seemed so surreal. The night after that, I heard the song on the radio for the first time. It was all so unbelievable. [13]
It received heavy airplay on the channel following its premiere on the top-ten video program Total Request Live on January 4, 2002, [14] and was popular enough to be retired from the show's countdown. [15] There was speculation that bluescreen techniques had been utilized during its creation, but according to Carlton it was "100 percent real"; she also said she felt that Marc Klasfeld (the video's director) "captured who I was in that video", [4] and he was selected to direct the video for the album's follow-up single, "Ordinary Day".
Both the album and single were given substantial promotion on the Internet. AOL Music reported that a 20-minute selection of video content involving Carlton that the website had hosted, including the "A Thousand Miles" video and Carlton's performance of the song for Sessions@AOL, drew over one million requested downloads and streams prior to the release of Be Not Nobody. [16] [17] The Sessions recording of "A Thousand Miles" was later included on the album Sessions @ AOL, released in October 2003.
The song was highly acclaimed by music critics. Billboard magazine opined, "it's the song's classical-tied piano hook that endures with urgency throughout the song that lends it spectacular charm, along with the artist's vulnerable vocal style... A truly auspicious opening." [18] Most other critics gave Be Not Nobody mixed reviews, but generally praised the song. AllMusic wrote: "as it moves from its solo orchestral-backed choruses, the result isn't overwhelming, it's sweet, multi-layered, and appealing". [19] Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix made favourable comparisons between "A Thousand Miles" and Michelle Branch's debut single "Everywhere", saying, "it's a good-natured reverie, with none of the troubled soul searching that characterizes the work of Tori and Fiona. She occasionally evokes her piano-playing predecessors by raising her girlish voice to a howl, but she's better off being herself". [20] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters magazine said the song was "catchy and hard to dislike", but characterized it as "the sort of girly-voiced, introspective pop that is made to please people who are looking for singer/songwriters who look and sound profound, but actually have nothing to say". [21]
"A Thousand Miles" continued to receive regular rotation on Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 radio stations two years after its original release, and Billboard magazine has named it "one of the most enduring songs of the millennium". [22] Carlton has said that rappers such as Fabolous and Ja Rule "really like this song." [23]
In the film White Chicks (2004) a group of girls refer to the song as their "jam" when it's played on the radio. It's played again two more times in the film: when Terry Crews' character sings this song to Marlon Wayans' character, and when Terry Crews' character sings it to the Wilson twins. Terry Crews' character in the film sings along with it and shakes his head hard when he hears the orchestrated hook. [24] The song is also prominently featured in the Season 3 finale titled "Flashback in the Day" of the television sitcom Workaholics .
Directed by Marc Klasfeld, the music video was filmed in Newbury Park, California, and in portions of Downtown Los Angeles such as State Theatre (Los Angeles). There was no use of green screen or visual effects, only a custom built dolly for the piano and a safety belt on Carlton. [25] It begins with Carlton entering her garage and uncovering her piano. When she starts playing and the song begins, the piano starts to move through the neighborhood outside. While playing, she passes by bikers and footracers on the road, near a parade downtown, along the beach, and across other parts of the city, gradually taking place until the sun sets. In the end, she and the piano finally return to her garage, where she gets up and reenters the house.
"A Thousand Miles" won in the Can't Get You Out of My Head category at the VH1 Big in 2002 Awards, [26] and it was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). It lost Song of the Year and Record of the Year to Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why", while the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) award went to "Mean Old Man", performed by James Taylor. The song became popular amongst U.S. troops serving in Iraq, and in April 2003 the Chicago Sun-Times reported that it had become the most requested song on the radio station British Forces Broadcasting Service Middle East. Carlton responded, "Perhaps, 'A Thousand Miles' conveys the feelings and longing and desperation that the U.S. soldiers feel for their loved ones. I don't know. But whatever peace I am able to bring to the hearts of the people at war is a contribution that I am proud of". [27] [28] By May 2003 the website Musicnotes had sold a record 10,000 pieces of digital sheet music for "A Thousand Miles", and it won the website's "Song of the Year" award. [29] The song's production team was nominated for a 2003 Technical Excellence & Creativity Award in the category of Outstanding Creative Achievement in Record Production — Single or Track. [30]
First appearing as a sample in the original soundtrack of the 2001 film Legally Blonde , the song is Carlton's most successful single, and her only top twenty hit in the U.S.; her next highest peaking single, "Ordinary Day", went no higher than number thirty on the Billboard Hot 100. Carlton told VH1 in 2004, "I just sit down and write my songs ... It just kind of happened and it will never happen again like that." [31] A writer for the Boston Phoenix said that with the song, Carlton "won favor with smart but awkward teenage girls who didn't see themselves in more evidently constructed teen-pop personalities like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera", [32] and Slant magazine said it "helped pave the way for an industry beginning to take a turn away from bubblegum pop". [33]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
2. | "Twilight" (live) | |
3. | "Enhanced Section" (includes video, photo gallery, hyperlink, and Universal Media Player skin) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
2. | "Paradise" (piano-vocal) | |
3. | "Red Ditty" (Non-LP version) | |
4. | "A Thousand Miles" (CD-ROM video) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
2. | "Paradise" (piano-vocal) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
2. | "Twilight" (live) | |
3. | "Wanted" (Ripe mix) | |
4. | "A Thousand Miles" (video) |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [90] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Belgium (BEA) [91] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [92] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [93] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [94] | Gold | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [95] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [96] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Japan (RIAJ) [97] | Gold | 100,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [98] | Gold | 5,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [99] Live Acoustic | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [100] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 18–19, 2002 | A&M | [101] [102] | |
Japan | May 2, 2002 | CD | [103] | |
Australia | May 20, 2002 | [104] | ||
United Kingdom | July 22, 2002 |
| [105] |
Vanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002), released by A&M Records, received a platinum certification in the United States, and her debut single and signature song "A Thousand Miles" spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations. The album also spawned the singles "Ordinary Day" and "Pretty Baby". Her next album, Harmonium (2004) debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200. The album marked a stalwart divergence from pressure from record label executives who wanted to influence the recording. After departing from A&M in 2005, Carlton released Heroes & Thieves in 2007. Despite minimal chart success, the album was a critical success, receiving praise from Metacritic, AllMusic, PopMatters, and USA Today.
Be Not Nobody is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on April 30, 2002, through A&M Records. As of late 2004 the album had sold 1.38 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Variety magazine reported in July 2003 that it had sold 2.3 million worldwide. Billboard magazine placed Carlton at number twenty-one on its year-end "Top Pop Artists" list for 2002.
Harmonium is the second album by American pop singer-pianist Vanessa Carlton, released by A&M Records in the US on November 9, 2004. Carlton co-wrote some of the album with Stephan Jenkins, her then-boyfriend and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, who produced the album. Harmonium debuted outside the top 20 on the US Billboard 200, and sales fell considerably short of those of Carlton's debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002). Its only single in the US, "White Houses", was not a top 40 hit; two other singles, "Private Radio" and "Who's to Say", were released only in Asia. The album was less commercially successful than its predecessor, which Carlton attributed to poor promotion, and led to her departure from A&M Records in mid-2005. She toured through the US during 2004 and '05 in support of the album.
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, and originally released on her album Ladies of the Canyon. It was a hit in her native Canada as well as Australia and the UK. It only reached No. 67 in the US in 1970, but was later a bigger hit there for her in a live version released in 1974, which peaked at No. 24. Charting versions have also been recorded by the Neighborhood, and most notably by Amy Grant in 1995 and Counting Crows in 2002. The song was also sampled in Janet Jackson's "Got 'til It's Gone" (1997).
"Everywhere" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch, co-written by Branch and American record producer John Shanks, who also produced the track. "Everywhere" is a pop rock song with ambiguous lyrics about having a crush on someone, with several music critics having compared the song's composition to works by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. Branch originally wrote the song in a more acoustic form, but at Shanks' suggestion, she recorded a more up-tempo version of the track in January and February 2001. "Everywhere" was released on July 10, 2001, in the United States as Branch's debut single and the lead single from her first major-label studio album, The Spirit Room (2001). The single was also released in Australia and Europe throughout 2001 and 2002.
"Fallin'" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys from her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Written and produced by Keys, "Fallin'" is generally considered her signature song. It was released as the lead single from Songs in A Minor on April 10, 2001, by J Records. The official remix features rappers Busta Rhymes and Rampage.
"Get the Party Started" is a song by American singer Pink, released on October 16, 2001, as the lead single from her second album, Missundaztood (2001). It received positive reviews and became an international success and reached the top ten in many countries, peaking at number one in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, and the Walloon region of Belgium. The song was Pink's biggest-selling song at that time. The song was originally intended for Madonna’s 2000 album Music but her team turned it down. It was later given to Pink.
"Can't Nobody" is a song performed by American recording artist Kelly Rowland. It was written and produced by Rich Harrison for Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep (2002). The song is built around a sample of "Let's Get Small" (1982) by American R&B band Trouble Funk. Due to the inclusion of the sample, band members Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed and Tony Fisher are also credited as songwriters. Musically, the uptempo track has been described as an "airy hip hop funk" song, that has Rowland describing an infatuation as she tries to convince the object of desire of her charms and advantages.
"White Flag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Dido, released as the lead single from her second studio album, Life for Rent (2003). The song was first released to US radio on 7 July 2003 and was issued in the United Kingdom as a physical single on 1 September 2003. The song performed well on record charts around the world, peaking at number one in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. In Dido's native UK, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, and in the United States, it climbed to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Born to Try" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, written by Goodrem and Audius Mtawarira and produced by Ric Wake for Goodrem's debut studio album, Innocent Eyes (2003). The song was released as the first single off the studio album on 11 November 2002 by Epic Records. It was later featured on her first Japanese compilation album Innocent Eyes (2006). The song was co-written by her while she was staying at her home in Sydney, Australia, for the production of the studio album, as well as written and producing four other songs together.
"White Houses" is a song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and Stephan Jenkins, and recorded for Vanessa Carlton's second album Harmonium (2004). Produced by Jenkins, it was released as the album's first single in 2004.
"Don't Know Why" is a song written and composed by Jesse Harris that originally appeared on his 1999 album, Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. A cover of the song was the debut single of American singer Norah Jones from her debut studio album, Come Away with Me (2002).
"Don't Let Me Get Me" is a song by American singer Pink. It was written by Pink and Dallas Austin and produced by the latter for her second studio album, Missundaztood (2001).
"Intuition" is a song by American singer Jewel from her fifth studio album, 0304 (2003). The song was written and produced by Jewel and Lester Mendez. It was released on April 7, 2003, as the album's lead single. Following the club success of "Serve the Ego", Jewel shifted to a more pop-oriented sound with the release of "Intuition". The song, which strays from her usual folk style with simple acoustic guitar instrumentation, starts off with a French accordion and then experiments with dance-oriented beats with subtle urban influences, using synthesizers. The song's lyrics contain a number of references to popular culture, including namechecking celebrities such as singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, model Kate Moss, actor Charlie Sheen, magazines, film culture, and commercialism.
"Nobody Knows" is a song by American singer-songwriter Pink, released as the fourth single from her fourth album, I'm Not Dead (2006). It was released on November 20, 2006, in Britain and during January 2007 in Australia and Germany.
"Pretty Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton from her 2002 debut album, Be Not Nobody. The song was released as the third single from the album in on December 2, 2002, but did not experience prolonged chart success in the United States or abroad.
"Ordinary Day" is a song written and performed by Vanessa Carlton from her 2002 debut album, Be Not Nobody. Carlton wrote the song when she was 17 and was the first song that she had ever written in only one sitting. Released as a single on July 1, 2002, the song peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Nobody Knows" is a song by R&B singer Tony Rich from his 1996 debut album, Words. Released as his debut single on November 7, 1995, the song peaked at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. It also became a hit in several other countries, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching number two in Australia and Canada, number four in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. Rich received a nomination for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Morning View. Released on August 14, 2001, it peaked at number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart that year. "Wish You Were Here" would later be included on the 2009 greatest hits compilation Monuments and Melodies.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton consists of six studio albums and 16 singles.
A Thousand Miles" is quintessential early 2000s pop-rock...
Vanessa Carlton tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution while in town that some top hip hop stars are big fans of her breakout hit. "I've been doing radio shows with Fabolous and Ja Rule and they really like this song," she said, before performing 'A Thousand Miles' to 100 Q100 listeners at a private Hard Rock Cafe show. "It must have some R&B vibe about it," she added.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)