"Single" is the debut single by British singer

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

. It was written by

Steve Kipner Stephen Alan Kipner (born 1950) is an American-born Australian songwriter and record producer, with hits spanning a 40-year period, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words", an ...

, Andrew Frampton,

Wayne Wilkins Wayne Wilkins is a British record producer, songwriter, record engineer and record mixer. He has produced and written for artists such as Rick Astley ("Cry for Help"), Natasha Bedingfield (" These Words", "Single" and " Love Like This"), Beyon ...

and Bedingfield for her debut album, '' Unwritten'' (2004), with production handled by the former three. It received a positive reception from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s and was released as the first single in the United Kingdom in May 2004, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom. In

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, "Single" was released as Bedingfield's third single in the second quarter of 2006 (see

2006 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006. Specific locations *2006 in British music *2006 in Irish music *2006 in Norwegian music *2006 in South Korean music *2006 in Swiss music Specific genres * 2006 i ...

). On the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart, the song reached number 57.

Commercial performance

"Single" entered 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 ...

on 17 May 2004 at number 3, remaining on the chart for ten weeks. The track also reached the top ten in Ireland, where it reached number 7. The single was also successful in other European countries. It reached number 16 in Norway and number 17 in Sweden."Single Chart Positions"
aCharts.us. Retrieved 20 December 2007. In North America, "Single" performed moderately well. The song debuted at number 72 on the ''

on 24 June 2006 and reached a peak position at number 57, remaining on the chart for six weeks. It did well on pop-oriented charts, reaching number 38 on the

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. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...

and number 26 on the

Top 40 Mainstream Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

. Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"">"Natasha Bedingfield > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 20 December 2007.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Single" was directed by

Jake Nava Jake Nava is a British director, mostly known for his work in music videos for Beyoncé, Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones. He also directs TV commercials, notably for Guinness and Levi Strauss & Co. Early life and ed ...

and premiered on 26 March 2004 in the United Kingdom. The video features four sequences. It begins with Bedingfield waking up and getting ready to go out. She is then shown walking down the street past various shops, stopping at a

photo booth A photo booth is a vending machine or modern kiosk that contains an automated, usually coin-operated, camera and film processor. Today, the vast majority of photo booths are digital. History The patent for the first automated photography ma ...

to take photographs with a guy she had met on the street. Dressed in jeans and a silver jacket, she is next shown performing a choreographed dance with three female dancers in a tunnel. The final sequence of the video features Bedingfield at a party sitting outside on a patio, singing to herself. As the video concludes, she is shown staring at the camera as her image gradually fades. In North America, a slightly different music video was released. The North American version featured extended photo booth and party scenes. The guy who Bedingfield meets at the photo booth is featured more prominently in the video, with Bedingfield singing the song to him. The music video, as well as

behind-the-scenes In film, cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the Filmmaking#Production, production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the E ...

footage, was released commercially on the song's CD single.

Track listings and formats

Australian maxi CD single # "Single" – 3:57 # "Single" (Delinquents "Right Now" Refix) – 5:03 # "Single" ( Martijn ten Velden & Mark Knight Future Funk remix) – 7:44 # "Single" (music video) # Picture gallery UK CD single # "Single" – 3:57 # "Single" (

K-Gee Karl Clive Gordon, known by the stage name K-Gee, is a British DJ, producer, rapper and songwriter and former member of the Outlaw Posse. Gordon was brought up listening to reggae by his father and was inspired to become a DJ after listenin ...

remix) – 3:44

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the '' Unwritten'' liner notes. * Natasha Bedingfield – lead and backing vocals *

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, programming * Kate Jeynes – keyboards, engineering, programming * Andrew Frampton – keyboards *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...

– mixing * David Treahearn – mixing assistant * Rob Haggart – mixing assistant * Herb Powers – mastering * Sarah Powell –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2004 songs 2004 debut singles 2006 singles Music videos directed by Jake Nava Natasha Bedingfield songs Phonogenic Records singles Songs written by Andrew Frampton (songwriter) Songs written by Natasha Bedingfield Songs written by Steve Kipner Songs written by Wayne Wilkins