"Cannonball" is the debut single by American singer

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...

. The song was released onto

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on December 10, 2013 and made its radio debut on ''

Elvis Duran and the Morning Show Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

'' on December 16, 2013. The song was written by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also ...

, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Saud, and was produced by

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

and Blanco. "Cannonball" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised Michele's vocal delivery. The song peaked at number 75 on the official ''Billboard'' singles chart in the United States and sold 51,000 digital copies in its first week of sale.

Theme and composition

In an interview with

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, Michele said that "Cannonball" was the song that helped her cope in the aftermath of her boyfriend and co-star

Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series '' Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series bef ...

's death, in the summer of 2013. Initially, Michele did not plan on having the song be a part of the album, which she had finished recording in June; but after Monteith died aged 31 in July, Michele put her album on hold and took a moment to think if there was anything else she needed to get off her chest. Working with songwriters

and

, who co-wrote "Cannonball", she recorded the track and the single became her "mantra of survival."

Live performances

Michele's first live performance of the song was on December 12, 2013 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 ...

'', marking her first time as a musical guest. She also performed "Cannonball" live on the season 3 finale of ''

The X Factor USA ''The X Factor'' is an American reality television music competition show created by Simon Cowell and produced by FremantleMedia North America and SYCOtv, a partnership between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment, which aired on Fox. Based on t ...

'' on December 19, 2013, and on ''

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'' on March 4, 2014, where again she made her debut as a musical guest.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. ''

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'' wrote, "The song's booming pop chorus features a confident Michele, whose Broadway-bred voice is as on-point as you'd expect: "And now I will start living today, today, today. I closed the door / I got this new beginning, and I will fly, I'll fly like a cannonball." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' writer Ron Blistein gave Michele's "Cannonball" a favorable review, writing, "The track is instantly memorable, not surprising considering the number of top hit-makers behind it, including cowriters Sia Furler and Benny Blanco. Production comes courtesy of the Norwegian duo Stargate. Still, it's Michele's powerhouse vocals that take center stage on "Cannonball" as she deftly switches from her Broadway-trained belting and ''Glee''-honed pop chops."

Music video

Michele filmed parts of the music video for "Cannonball" on two separate occasions; on November 17, 2013 and December 16, 2013. The video premiered on

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and

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on January 9, 2014. The music video for the track was directed by

Robert Hales Sir Robert Hales ( – 14 June 1381) was Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitaller of England, Lord High Treasurer, and Admiral of the West. He was killed in the Peasants' Revolt. Career In 1372 Robert Hales became the Lord/Grand Prior of th ...

and styled by Estee Stanley. The video has over 18 million views on YouTube.

Formats and track listings

* CD single # "Cannonball" – 3:35 *

Dave Audé Dave Audé (born Oct 12, 1969) is an American Disc jockey, DJ, Record producer, producer and remixer. He operates his own label Audacious Records, and is known for having more number ones than any other producer on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club S ...

remixes – EP # "Cannonball" (Dave Audé Club Remix) – 6:50 # "Cannonball" (Dave Audé Radio) – 4:33 # "Cannonball" (Dave Audé Mixshow) – 5:47 # "Cannonball" (Dave Audé Club Instrumental) – 6:50 # "Cannonball" (Dave Audé Dub) – 6:19 * DVD single # "Cannonball" (Music Video) – 3:48 # "Cannonball" (Live in Studio) – 3:55

Charts

Release dates

References

{{authority control 2013 debut singles 2013 songs Lea Michele songs American pop songs Columbia Records singles Music videos directed by Robert Hales Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Songs written by Benny Blanco Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Sia (musician) Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen