"Unwell" is a song by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

group

Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty (also known as Matchbox 20 and MB20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, r ...

. Released on February 3, 2003, as the second single from their third album, '' More Than You Think You Are'' (2002), it was written by Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas. It was successful on US radio, spending 18 weeks atop the US ''

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chart and two weeks atop the ''Billboard''

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chart. Whitburn, Joel (2004). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications) It also reached 5 on the ''Billboard''

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and became a top-20 hit in Australia and New Zealand. The song was nominated for a

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in 2004 for

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

Content

On the live DVD ''Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty'', Rob Thomas states that he wrote the song as a metaphor for humanity in general, a song for people who are "messed up and feel alone like that. We all feel a little messed up sometimes... you're not alone."

Reception

The song was the second most-played song in the United States in 2003 according to ''

'' magazine. The music video was No. 1 on VH1's Top 40 Videos of 2003. In 2011, VH1 named the song as the 82nd best song of the 2000s.

Music video

Directed by Meiert Avis, the music video predominantly features lead singer Rob Thomas seeing various odd occurrences throughout, all the while singing along to the song. The other band members only appear in cameos, notably when Thomas boards a subway and they are seen in the background. The appearance of the other band mates is also altered like most of the video (their noses are rather large). The other band members are also seen at the end of the video gathered in Thomas' room, and each takes their turn waving goodbye to the camera before Thomas does so as well at the end of the video. One of the reasons Thomas picked Avis to direct is because his concept for the video was the closest thing to an acid trip out of every other idea.

Track listing

US promo CD # Callout research hook – 0:13 # "Unwell" (album version) – 3:48 Australian CD single # "Unwell" (Avid Rough Cut 1) – 3:55 # " All I Need" (live) – 3:41 # "Unwell" (acoustic) – 4:12

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 songs 2003 singles Atlantic Records singles Matchbox Twenty songs Music videos directed by Meiert Avis Song recordings produced by Matt Serletic Songs about depression Songs about mental health Songs written by Rob Thomas (musician)