Nothing in My Way

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"Nothing in My Way"
"Nothing in My Way" cover
Single by Keane
from the album Under the Iron Sea
Released October 30, 2006
Format 7"
CD
512 MB USB memory stick
Recorded Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex
The Magic Shop, NY
Genre Alternative
Piano rock
Length 4:00
Label Island Records
Producer(s) Andy Green
Chart positions
Keane singles chronology
"Crystal Ball"
(2006)		 "Nothing in My Way"
(2006)		 "A Bad Dream"
(2007)
Under the Iron Sea track listing
"Is It Any Wonder?"
(2)		 "Nothing in My Way"
(3)		 "Leaving So Soon?"
(4)

"Nothing In My Way" is a song performed and composed by English piano rock and alternative rock band Keane that appears as the third track on their second album, Under the Iron Sea. The single was released as the fourth single from the album on October 30, 2006. After the french pop-rock band Bubblies, the single's release is notable as being the first ever commercial music release in USB format, a special edition limited to 1,500 copies.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

CD Single

  1. "Nothing In My Way"
  2. "Thin Air" 30 seconds sample
  3. "Tyderian" 30 seconds sample

UK 7" Vinyl

  1. "Nothing In My Way"
  2. "Thin Air"

512 MB USB memory stick content

    • "Nothing In My Way" (Audio)
    • "Nothing In My Way" (Video)
    • Three screensavers: Tube animations by Corin Hardy
    • Link to special page on the website to view an alternative version of "Nothing In My Way" (including a competition to see the band in the US next year)

[edit] Composition and recording

It was composed by Tim Rice-Oxley in late 2004, debuting at the Rolling Stone Roadshow, Germany along with "Hamburg Song" in October 20, 2004. From 2004 to late 2005 (during the final sprint of the Hopes and Fears Tour) was called "Nothing In Your Way" though the lyrics remain almost the same. Chaplin plays his Hammond organ on live performances for the outro of this song.

It was recorded and at the Heliosentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex and at The Magic Shop, New York in late 2005.

[edit] Musical structure

While the first demos and performances of this song were played in the key of C6, the final studio version was recorded with a detuned C sharp sixth for 20 cts. above. For live performances this configuration is used too. The reminiscent "Somewhere Only We Know" intro (because of the "piano hammering") includes since then the distorsed piano effect sound used in most songs on the album. Vocals are introduced with 24 seconds of playback. The song drives almost the same until the last chorus, when drumming becomes soft and Rice-Oxley plays a small riff with the piano to finally let Chaplin sing again becoming Rice-Oxley the backing vocalist of the outro.

"Nothing In My Way" technical characteristics
Length Tempo (bpm) Key Time signature Instrumentation Genre Other appereances
4:00 86 C#6 (+.20) (C sharp sixth detuned +.20) 4/4, 16b bass, distorted piano, drums, piano, synthesizer, vocals Piano rock Under the Iron Sea

[edit] Information about song's meaning

Pianist Tim Rice-Oxley gave this meaning in May 16, 2006:

   
“
 Nothing In My Way came out of listening to a lot of the poppier end of hiphop on the radio, just kinda driving around and I think particularly the groove of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem got stuck in my head (...)and I guess I liked the idea of trying to do something similar. I guess it was never gonna sound like Eminem, but the groove of it was basically lifted from that, and the song just came from jamming around on a piano. So I guess as a result of all that, I guess it's a much funkier and kinda 'blacker' song than most Keane songs, and that was something that we really wanted to get into the record generally. We were listening to a lot of classic motown as well, much more driving rhythms and you can hear that in a lot of the songs (...)

The song's actually written about some people I know who are married, and their marriage was essentially just bringing a lot of misery to both of them, but for some reason they just refused to acknowledge it. I hate the idea of people being so much in denial that they're prepared to almost let their lives fall apart rather than acknowledge what's going on.
   
”

[edit] B-sides

[edit] Thin Air

This song was originally listed on Under the Iron Sea but was later retired. It was also set to appear on the second "This Is The Last Time" single, what could mean it was composed sometime in 2004. The song supposedly talks again about the Rice-Oxley-Chaplin relationship. It follows a chord playing similar to that of "Ladder to the Sun" by Coldplay with the alternance of a major chord with a major seventh (C + Fmaj7)

"Thin Air" technical characteristics
Length Tempo (bpm) Key Time signature Instrumentation Genre Other appereances
3:56 122 C (major) 4/4, 8b bass, drums, piano, synthesizer, vocals Piano rock None

[edit] Tyderian

This is Keane's second instrumental, after "The Iron Sea". It has an unusual house-styled dance rhythm not frequently seen in their other material.

"Tyderian" technical characteristics
Length Tempo (bpm) Key Time signature Instrumentation Genre Other appereances
4:39 120 C (major) 4/4, 32b bass, drums, organ, synthesizer House, electronica None

[edit] Music video

The music video for "Nothing In My Way" is a live performance shot at ULU directed by Dick Carruthers and produced by Kit Hawkins for White House Pictures. The alternative video for the US features exactly the same video for "Crystal Ball"

[edit] Chart performance

UK Singles Chart trajectory
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
Position
93
19
53
76
69
Dutch Top 40 trajectory
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
Position
39

[edit] Music video

The music video for "Nothing In My Way" is a live performance shot at ULU directed by Dick Carruthers and produced by Kit Hawkins for White House Pictures.

The US release music video for "Nothing In My Way" features the American actor,Giovanni Ribisi. The director was Giuseppe Capotondi.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A woman is helping her husband (Ribisi) and young son get ready to leave the house. She tells her husband to pick up the dry cleaning for her. He then gets into his Toyota Camry and drives off with his son.

We next see the man get to his office and warmly interact with a secretary. There are photographs on his desk of him with his family. We then see him showing off a house to a couple, implying that he is a real estate agent. We then see him work some more in his office.

Later, the real estate agent returns to his house, where he finds that a red Ford Taurus is parked outside it. His keys don't seem to work so he knocks on the door and rings the bell. His wife partially opens the door and looks at him with surprise when he tries to enter. She then calls to someone off-screen.

A man appears behind the upset woman and the real estate agent speaks to the woman with a look of disbelief on his face. The woman then shuts the door on him. We next see the real estate agent look in the window of the house and smile at his son, but this only frightens the boy. We next see the real estate agent angrily trying to explain the situation to a police office as the man and his wife talk to another officer. The real estate agent is ushered away and we see him driving away in his car still being tailed by the police.

After making some phone calls and wandering around in frustration, we see the man wake up in his car in the parking lot of his office. When he gets out of the car, he takes a look around him with a look of surprise on his face, perhaps thinking it was all a dream. He walks into the office and waves at his secretary who stands up in surprise. He then finds the man he saw in his house now sitting at his desk. He rushes to keep the man from phoning security and then begins to argue with him angrily. He then stops when he sees that the photographs on his desk now show the other man with his family instead of himself.

When the man is finally thrown out of the building, he sees someone run toward his car in the distance. He runs to the car and jumps on the hood, shouting at the person inside. In the end, he lets the car go and stands in the parking lot confused and defeated.

Spoilers end here.

This is also the UK release video for the single Crystal Ball, adding clips of the band interspresed through the story.

[edit] External links

Keane
Tim Rice-Oxley | Tom Chaplin | Richard Hughes
Adam Tudhope | Dominic Scott
Discography
Studio albums: Hopes and Fears | Under the Iron Sea
Lives and EPs: Live Recordings 2004 | Keane Live 06
Singles: "Call Me What You Like" | "Wolf at the Door" | "Everybody's Changing (Part 1)" | "This Is The Last Time (Part 1)" | "Somewhere Only We Know" | "Everybody's Changing (Part 2)" | "Bedshaped" | "This Is The Last Time (Part 2)"| "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" | "Bend and Break" | "Atlantic" | "Is It Any Wonder?" | "Crystal Ball" | "Nothing in My Way" | "A Bad Dream" | "Try Again"
DVDs: Hopes and Fears DVD | Strangers | Under the Iron Sea DVD
Tours: Hopes and Fears Tour | Under the Iron Sea Tour
Other: List of songs by Keane
Related articles
Piano rock | Battle, East Sussex | Rye, East Sussex | War Child (charity) | Help - a Day in the Life
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