"Soulmate" is a song written and produced by
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 ...
,
Mads Hauge
Mads Hauge (born 10 February 1977) is a Norwegian songwriter and producer from Bergen, Norway. He has written the Natasha Bedingfield hit Soulmate and various songs for Pixie Lott including Cry Me Out, Kiss the Stars and UK #1s Mama Do and Boys ...
and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, ''
N.B.'' (2007). The song is written in the key of
E-flat minor
E-flat minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature consists of six flats. Its relative key is G-flat major (or enharmonically F-sharp major) and its parallel key is E-flat major. I ...
and set in
time. Bedingfield's vocals range from F
3 to D
5. The lyrics discuss if there is a
soulmate
A soulmate is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity. This may involve similarity, love, romance, platonic relationships, comfort, intimacy, sexuality, sexual activity, spirituality, compatibility and trust.
Defini ...
for everyone and if Bedingfield will ever find the right partner. The song was released as the album's second single in July 2007. It was a commercial success, and the most successful single from ''N.B.'', reaching number seven in the United Kingdom and the top forty in the majority of the charts it entered. "Soulmate" is also the fourth single released in 2008 for the North American version of ''N.B.'', titled ''Pocketful of Sunshine''.
The song gained popularity in the U.S after it was played in an episode of the highly rated MTV program ''
The Hills''. Promotion for the single started months after its release, in April 2009. She performed it on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
'', 15 April and ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' on 21 April. The song was also used throughout the final episode of season 5 of the TV series ''Medium'' and the finale of
''The Bachelorette''s fourth season following
Jesse Csincsak's proposal to
DeAnna Pappas
DeAnna Marie Stagliano (née Pappas, born November 20, 1981) is a TV personality best known for her participation in season 11 of the ABC reality television show '' The Bachelor'', and season 4 of ''The Bachelorette''.
Early life
Pappas, of Gre ...
.
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews from critics in the United Kingdom. Paul Taylor of the ''
Manchester Evening News
The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 201 ...
'' called the song "impassioned", but IndieLondon.co.uk called the track "far too sentimental" and rated it two out of five stars. In a review for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, Lizzie Ennever named the song one of the "obviously 'not-so-great' tracks" from ''N.B.'', comparing it to Australian singer
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...
.
Chart performance
"Soulmate" debuted 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 ...
at number seventy on 17 June 2007, three weeks later the song climbed to the peak position of number seven. In Ireland, "Soulmate" debuted at number thirty-nine on 5 July 2007. It peaked at number twenty-eight a week later.
The single had moderate success in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. In Switzerland, "Soulmate" reached number seven and remained on the singles chart for a total of eighteen weeks.
["World Single Positions"](_blank)
aCharts.us. Retrieved 14 August 2007. Elsewhere, it reached the top ten in Norway and the top twenty in Austria, Finland, Germany, Poland and Spain.
In the United States, before even being released, it charted at No. 70 on Hot Digital Songs and No. 74 on the Pop 100, as well as on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 at No. 3. Airplay increased and the single reached No. 14 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. "Soulmate" also debuted on the US Hot 100 at No. 96. In Germany, the single was certified Gold in year 2009, two years after the release. It is her first certificate in that country.
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 ...
was directed by
Mark Pellington
Mark Pellington (born March 17, 1962) is an American film director, writer, and producer.
Life and career
Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Bill Pellington, an All-Pro linebacker who played football with the Baltimore Colts ...
and was filmed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
on 10 May and 11 May 2007. The video begins with a
close-up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...
of Bedingfield in a dark room. As the video proceeds, the camera slowly zooms out, revealing the room which contains a sofa and a mirror. Shots of Bedingfield in a grey dress in front of a light background, people kissing and skyscrapers are intercut throughout the video. It premiered 6 June 2007 on
Yahoo! UK.
Formats and track listings
UK CD single
(88697111992; Released 2 July 2007)
# "Soulmate"
# "
Chasing Cars
"Chasing Cars" is a song by Northern Irish-Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, '' Eyes Open'' (2006). It was released on 6 June 2006, in the United States and 24 July ...
" (Live at
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...
)
Australian CD single
(88697125472; Released 6 August 2007)
# "Soulmate"
# "Chasing Cars" (Live at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge)
# "
I Wanna Have Your Babies
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" is a song by British recording artist Natasha Bedingfield. It was written by Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins and Bedingfield for her second album, '' N.B.'' (2007). The song's musical-style and production ...
" (Kardinal Beats Remix)
# "Soulmate" music video
Digital download
(Released 5 June 2007)
# "Soulmate"
# "Chasing Cars" (Live at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge)
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
digital download
(Released 2 July 2007)
# "Soulmate" (AOL Session Live)
Official remixes
# "Soulmate" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit)
# "Soulmate" (Bimbo Jones Club Mix)
Personnel
The following people contributed to "Soulmate".
["Soulmate" (CD single liner notes). ]Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
. July2007.
*Natasha Bedingfield – lead
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, bongos,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
*
Patrick Leonard
Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), ''Who's ...
– production
*Michelle Andrews – guitar
*Mads Hauge – vocal production
*David Tench – vocal production
*Vanessa Freebirn –
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
,
string
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
arrangements
*Carla Campell, Neel Hammond –
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
–
mixing
*Jared Robbins – mixing assistant
*Darnell McEuchgain – beatboxing
*Kieran McGuiness – vocals
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
"Soulmate" cover and lyricson official website NatashaBedingfield.com
{{Authority control
2000s ballads
2006 songs
2007 singles
Music videos directed by Mark Pellington
Natasha Bedingfield songs
Pop ballads
Song recordings produced by Patrick Leonard
Songs written by Mads Hauge
Songs written by Natasha Bedingfield
Songs about heartache
Songs about marriage