"I Don't Want to Be" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...
from his 2003 debut album, ''
Chariot
A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...
''. The song gained exposure after being featured as the opening theme to
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
teen drama series ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'', and it was released as a radio single on February 17, 2004. It peaked at number 10 in the United States in 2005 and became a top-20 hit in Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
The song is certified gold in the US, having sold over 500,000 downloads. In 2012, the song reached number 27 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, its highest position, due to the finale of ''One Tree Hill''s ninth and final season airing, which also featured DeGraw. The song's music video follows the message of the lyrics, featuring a girl investigating her high school peers while they are frozen in time, and she eventually decides to be herself.
Background and composition
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...
wrote the song as a message to adolescents, encouraging them to be themselves and to not let outside factors change their personalities. DeGraw explained:
Upon finishing the song, DeGraw was happy with the results, but he was unsure if the song would become a hit despite being able to "have an impact on people's psyche and on their tapping toe". Musically, the track is written in the key of
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.
The C natural minor scale is:
:
Cha ...
and proceeds at a moderately slow
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 76 beats per minute.
Track listings
US promo CD
# "I Don't Want to Be" – 3:38
# "I Don't Want to Be" (call out hook) – 0:10
UK and Australian CD single
# "I Don't Want to Be" (album version) – 3:37
# "I Don't Want to Be" (''Stripped''/acoustic version)
# "Just Friends" (album version) – 3:24
# "I Don't Want to Be" (video)
European CD single 1
# "I Don't Want to Be" (album version) – 3:38
# "I Don't Want to Be" (''Stripped'' version) – 4:04
# "Get Lost" – 4:26
# "I Don't Want to Be" (video)
European CD single 2
# "I Don't Want to Be"
# "I Don't Want to Be" (''Stripped'' version)
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the UK CD single liner notes.
Studios
* Recorded at
Sunset Sound
Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...
The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano.
History
On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...
(New York City)
* Mixed at Larrabee North (Los Angeles)
Personnel
* Gavin DeGraw – lyrics, music, vocals, piano
* Michael Ward – guitars
* Alvin Moody – bass
*
Joey Waronker
Jon Joseph Waronker (born May 20, 1969) is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular drummer of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta.
Background
Waronker w ...
– drums
*
Mark Endert
Mark Endert is a Grammy award winning American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician.
Biography
From the early 1990s to the present, Endert is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90 mil ...
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
''. DeGraw performed the song on a
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
episode of ''One Tree Hill''. He returned for the season five finale to perform the song with
Jackson Brundage
Jackson Timothy Brundage (born January 21, 2001) is a retired American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jamie Scott on The CW's ''One Tree Hill'', a role he held from 2008 until the series' conclusion in 2012. Brundage was in the Ni ...
. In the eighth season, several artists covered it for the season's theme music, including
Spinnerette
Spinnerette was an alternative rock band formed in 2007. The band was a vehicle for the solo career of Brody Dalle following the breakup of her previous band, The Distillers, in 2006. The band featured Tony Bevilacqua (also from The Distillers) ...
,
Grace Potter
Grace Evelyn Potter (born June 20, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who formed Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in 2002. Potter released her debut solo record ''Original Soul'' on 2004 via Grace Potter Music. Potter and her b ...
,
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
,
Kate Voegele
Kate Elizabeth Voegele (; born December 8, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She made her musical debut in 2003, with the release of her ''The Other Side'' extended play. She performed numerous local live shows to promote the a ...
,
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumental ...
Patrick Stump
Patrick Martin Stumph (born April 27, 1984), known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Fall Out Boy, originally from Wilmette, I ...
. DeGraw also performed the song for the series finale to celebrate their 10th anniversary of Tric.
* The song appears in the game ''
Karaoke Revolution Party
''Karaoke Revolution'' and its sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube, Wii, Xbox (console), Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Or ...