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| "A Thousand Miles" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byVanessa Carlton | ||||
| from the albumBe Not Nobody | ||||
| B-side | "Twilight" (live) | |||
| Released | February 18, 2002 (2002-2-18) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:57 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Vanessa Carlton | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Vanessa Carlton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "A Thousand Miles" onYouTube | ||||
"A Thousand Miles" (originally titled "Interlude") is the debut single of Americanpop singerVanessa Carlton. Written by Carlton and produced by Curtis Schweitzer andRon Fair, the song was released as the leadsingle for Carlton's first album,Be Not Nobody (2002). First released to US radio in February 2002, it became Carlton's biggest hit in the United States and her only single to reach the top 10 of theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also experienced commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, number three in Ireland, and the top 10 in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"A Thousand Miles" is a piano-driven pop song supported by a stringorchestral arrangement. Carlton says that the song was inspired by a crush she had on aJuilliard student (who is now a "very famous actor") whom she met while she was attending theSchool of American Ballet.[2][3] She further stated that because she never actually spoke to her crush due to her shyness, she felt like she had "a better chance of falling up than ever having a relationship with this person".[3]
She has also called the song "a combination of reality and fantasy. It's about a love that so consumes you that you do anything for it. That's how I felt at that time."[4]
"A Thousand Miles" is written in the key ofB major and composed with atempo of 95 beats per minute.[5] Carlton wrote the song's pianoriff in the summer of 1998 at her parents' house inPhiladelphia; her mother, who had been listening to her, said, "Vanessa, that's a hit song."[4] Carlton was unable to finish the song because of a case ofwriter's block, and did not return to it for several months. While looking for a record label that would sign her, Carlton played the beginning of the song for a record producer, who said, "You have to finish that."[2] She returned to her parents' home and finished it in an hour one evening, naming it "Interlude."
Some years later, Carlton recorded ademo tape (which featured several tracks, including "Interlude") and sent it to various producers and labels in the hopes that one would sign her. Some expressed interest, but Carlton did not agree with their suggestions for alternative titles for the song. One of the tapes found its way toRon Fair, head ofA&M Records, who recalled that "It was extraordinary, but also in some respects kind of screwed up as a record. It didn't press the emotional buttons the way I envisioned it."[2] Carlton met with Fair for a piano session to alter the arrangement of the song, "so the heartbeat came in a different way", Fair said.
During the session, more transitions were inserted into the song, and the timing of the repetition of the chorus was changed. Additionally, the instrumental opening was shortened and an orchestra section was added by Fair; the lyrics, however, remained the same. He explained: "It has a lot of starts and stops to it, which makes it hard to achieve a flow, but I wanted to make a really dramatic record. The song is like a mini musical of its own."[2] "A Thousand Miles" took 14 sessions to record, and was the first song recorded forBe Not Nobody. As well as conducting the orchestra, Fair also organized a small band for its recording: John Goux played guitar on the track,Leland Sklar playedbass guitar, andAbe Laboriel, Jr. played drums. Carlton later said, "after listening to it I realized I was going to make an album that I was very proud of."[2]
The selection of the song's title was accompanied by a minor disagreement between Carlton and Fair, who was reportedly "adamant" about changing it. Fair said, "Vanessa Carlton is an incredible talent, but she's also very stubborn... I had to say, 'Look, I'm the president of the label, we're not calling it "Interlude". ' When you're trying to launch a career, people need a handle to pick things up from, and the word 'Interlude' is never in the song".[2] In its finished form, the song was first heard during a scene in theReese Witherspoon filmLegally Blonde (2001), and was featured on the film's soundtrack under the title "A Thousand Miles (Interlude)".[6] The final title of the song, "A Thousand Miles", was based on a suggestion by Fair's nephew. After the song's completion, Fair said that he listened to it repeatedly and "it made me weep. That's usually my litmus test. If I cry, I know it's a hit".[2]
Despite this, he was concerned that the song's piano basis would put it at a disadvantage in the marketplace if it were to be released as a single. Fair played "A Thousand Miles" in front of his superiorJimmy Iovine, the co-chairman ofInterscope-Geffen-A&M. Iovine was very impressed with the song, and requested that amusic video be filmed immediately for it. After the video had been completed it was presented to Tom Calderone, the Vice President of Programming forMTV, in early 2002. Calderone expressed a desire to begin broadcasting the video at once and Fair agreed to his request, even though the album was still in production at the time and Carlton's marketing "image" had not yet been developed.[2]
In the United States, "A Thousand Miles" debuted on theBillboard Hot 100 later that month; it peaked at number five for three weeks in May 2002 and remained on the chart for 41 weeks.[7] The albumBe Not Nobody was released on April 30 and, partly because of the popularity of "A Thousand Miles", debuted in the U.S. top five with first-week sales of over 101,000 copies.[8][9] It was 2002's sixth most-played single on U.S. radio (ranking sixth on the Hot 100 2002 year-end chart[10]), and sold well in other countries (where it was promoted and released over the summer months). It was a top-five hit in Ireland and France, and managed to reach the top ten in other parts of Europe such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands. It was most popular in Australia, where it became the sixth most successful single of the year[11] and held the number-one position on theARIA Singles Chart for two weeks, from August 11 to 24. It replaced aJunkie XL remix of "A Little Less Conversation" byElvis Presley, and was itself replaced byAvril Lavigne's "Complicated". It also reached the top 20 in Germany.E! Online said the song was "a bona fide hit for good reason. Catchy pop on the surface, it has melodic complexity beneath that bodes well for repeated listening".[12] It failed to chart in Japan.
Carlton told the websiteContactmusic.com of the first time she watched the single's music video, in which she is seen playing the piano while traveling through a variety of settings:
I was in the studio and had just taken a break, when someone ran in the room and said, "You're on MTV!" We put it on and I just stared at the screen. After a few minutes, I just covered my eyes and started to laugh. It seemed so surreal. The night after that, I heard the song on the radio for the first time. It was all so unbelievable.[13]
It received heavy airplay on the channel following its premiere on the top-ten video programTotal Request Live on January 4, 2002,[14] and was popular enough to be retired from the show's countdown.[15] There was speculation thatbluescreen techniques had been utilized during its creation, but according to Carlton it was "100 percent real"; she also said she felt thatMarc Klasfeld (the video's director) "captured who I was in that video",[4] and he was selected to direct the video for the album's follow-up single, "Ordinary Day".
Both the album and single were given substantial promotion on the Internet.AOL Music reported that a 20-minute selection of video content involving Carlton that the website had hosted, including the "A Thousand Miles" video and Carlton's performance of the song forSessions@AOL, drew over one million requested downloads andstreams prior to the release ofBe Not Nobody.[16][17] The Sessions recording of "A Thousand Miles" was later included on the albumSessions @ AOL, released in October 2003.
The song was highly acclaimed by music critics.Billboard magazine opined, "it's the song's classical-tied piano hook that endures with urgency throughout the song that lends it spectacular charm, along with the artist's vulnerable vocal style... A truly auspicious opening."[18] Most other critics gaveBe Not Nobody mixed reviews, but generally praised the song.AllMusic wrote: "as it moves from its solo orchestral-backed choruses, the result isn't overwhelming, it's sweet, multi-layered, and appealing".[19] Sean Richardson of theBoston Phoenix made favourable comparisons between "A Thousand Miles" andMichelle Branch's debut single "Everywhere", saying, "it's a good-natured reverie, with none of the troubled soul searching that characterizes the work ofTori andFiona. She occasionally evokes her piano-playing predecessors by raising her girlish voice to a howl, but she's better off being herself".[20] Adrien Begrand ofPopMatters magazine said the song was "catchy and hard to dislike", but characterized it as "the sort of girly-voiced, introspective pop that is made to please people who are looking for singer/songwriters who look and sound profound, but actually have nothing to say".[21]
"A Thousand Miles" continued to receive regular rotation onAdult Contemporary andAdult Top 40 radio stations two years after its original release, andBillboard magazine has named it "one of the most enduring songs of the millennium".[22] Carlton has said that rappers such asFabolous andJa Rule "really like this song."[23]
In the filmWhite Chicks (2004) a group of girls refer to the song as their "jam" when it's played on the radio. It's played again two more times in the film: whenTerry Crews' character sings this song toMarlon Wayans' character, and when Terry Crews' character sings it to the Wilson twins. Terry Crews' character in the film sings along with it and shakes his head hard when he hears the orchestrated hook.[24] The song is also prominently featured in the Season 3 finale titled "Flashback in the Day" of the television sitcomWorkaholics.
Directed byMarc Klasfeld, the music video was filmed inNewbury Park, California, and in portions ofDowntown Los Angeles such asState Theatre (Los Angeles). There was no use ofgreen screen or visual effects, only a custom built dolly for the piano and a safety belt on Carlton.[25] It begins with Carlton entering her garage and uncovering her piano. When she starts playing and the song begins, the piano starts to move through the neighborhood outside. While playing, she passes by bikers and footracers on the road, near a parade downtown, along the beach, and across other parts of the city, gradually taking place until the sun sets. In the end, she and the piano finally return to her garage, where she gets up and reenters the house.
"A Thousand Miles" won in the Can't Get You Out of My Head category at theVH1 Big in 2002 Awards,[26] and it was nominated for threeGrammy Awards:Record of the Year,Song of the Year andBest Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). It lost Song of the Year and Record of the Year toNorah Jones' "Don't Know Why", while the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) award went to "Mean Old Man", performed byJames Taylor. The song became popular amongst U.S. troops serving inIraq, and in April 2003 theChicago Sun-Times reported that it had become the most requested song on the radio stationBritish Forces Broadcasting Service Middle East. Carlton responded, "Perhaps, 'A Thousand Miles' conveys the feelings and longing and desperation that the U.S. soldiers feel for their loved ones. I don't know. But whatever peace I am able to bring to the hearts of the people at war is a contribution that I am proud of".[27][28] By May 2003 the website Musicnotes had sold a record 10,000 pieces of digitalsheet music for "A Thousand Miles", and it won the website's "Song of the Year" award.[29] The song's production team was nominated for a 2003 Technical Excellence & Creativity Award in the category of Outstanding Creative Achievement in Record Production — Single or Track.[30]
First appearing as a sample in theoriginal soundtrack of the 2001 filmLegally Blonde, the song is Carlton's most successful single, and her only top twenty hit in the U.S.; her next highest peaking single, "Ordinary Day", went no higher than number thirty on theBillboard Hot 100. Carlton told VH1 in 2004, "I just sit down and write my songs ... It just kind of happened and it will never happen again like that."[31] A writer for theBoston Phoenix said that with the song, Carlton "won favor with smart but awkward teenage girls who didn't see themselves in more evidently constructed teen-pop personalities likeBritney Spears andChristina Aguilera",[32] andSlant magazine said it "helped pave the way for an industry beginning to take a turn away frombubblegum pop".[33]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
| 2. | "Twilight" (live) | |
| 3. | "Enhanced Section" (includes video, photo gallery, hyperlink, and Universal Media Player skin) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
| 2. | "Paradise" (piano-vocal) | |
| 3. | "Red Ditty" (Non-LP version) | |
| 4. | "A Thousand Miles" (CD-ROM video) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Thousand Miles" | |
| 2. | "Twilight" (live) | |
| 3. | "Wanted" (Ripe mix) | |
| 4. | "A Thousand Miles" (video) |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[90] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[91] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[92] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[93] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[94] | Silver | 125,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[95] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[96] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[97] | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[98] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[99] Live Acoustic | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[100] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | February 18–19, 2002 | A&M | [101][102] | |
| Japan | May 2, 2002 | CD | [103] | |
| Australia | May 20, 2002 | [104] | ||
| United Kingdom | July 22, 2002 |
| [105] |
A Thousand Miles" is quintessential early 2000s pop-rock...
Vanessa Carlton tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution while in town that some top hip hop stars are big fans of her breakout hit. "I've been doing radio shows with Fabolous and Ja Rule and they really like this song," she said, before performing 'A Thousand Miles' to 100 Q100 listeners at a private Hard Rock Cafe show. "It must have some R&B vibe about it," she added.
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