1234 (song)

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For the Plain White T's song, see 1, 2, 3, 4 (song).
"1234"
Single by Feist
from the album The Reminder
Released September 5, 2007
Format CD single
Recorded 2007
Genre Indie pop
Length 3:03
Label Cherrytree/Interscope
Arts & Crafts
Writer(s) Sally Seltmann, Feist
Producer(s) Gonzales,Ben Mink, Feist
Feist singles chronology

"My Moon My Man"
(2007)		 "1234"
(2007)		 "I Feel It All"
(2008)

"1234" (pronounced "One Two Three Four") is a song from Feist's third studio album, The Reminder. It is Feist's most successful single to date. The song was co-written by Sally Seltmann, an Australian singer-songwriter who also recorded under the stage name New Buffalo, and Feist.[1] It remains Feist's biggest hit single in the USA to date, and her only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Top 40.

History

In an interview with Songfacts, Sally Seltmann said:

I had been listening to Feist's album Let It Die. I thought my little song about lost love, and the hope to recapture what you once had, sounded too much like a Feist song for me to use for New Buffalo, so I shelved it. Then, in late 2005 I did a tour across Canada supporting Feist, and Broken Social Scene. After meeting Feist, I started to wonder whether she might like to do a cover of "1234," but I was too shy to tell her about it. At the last Broken Social Scene show, I plucked up the courage to tell her that I had written a song which I thought she might like to use. We went onto the tour bus, and I recorded a simple version of the song into her laptop, with guitar and vocals. To my surprise, she loved the song, and started playing it live.[2]

On 14 December 2005, Feist played the song live at The Trabendo in Paris, France in a show broadcast on Europe2 TV, with the title Sally's Song and with somewhat different lyrics than in the commercially released version.[3][4]

Awards

"1234" was nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video. Likewise, the success of the song largely contributed to Feist's other nominations that year for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. It also won the Juno award for Single of the Year on 6 April 2008 in Calgary.

This song was #19 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007,[5] and #9 on the list of Readers' 25 Best Songs of 2007.[6] It was also ranked #5 on Amazon.com's Best Songs of 2007.[7] Pitchfork Media deemed the video the fifth best video of the decade,[8] and named the song #16 on top 100 tracks of 2007.[9] Blender named the video #2 on The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007.[10]

Release

The song was digitally released through iTunes Store. It became famous after its use in an iPod nano commercial. It also appeared in an Australian commercial for eBay.[11] It has been released in the United Kingdom, in Canada and in other countries digitally.

Chart success

Since its digital release, "1234" peaked at #2 at the US Hot Digital Songs. The single has also reached #8 in the US Hot 100, #10 at the US Pop 100, and #34 at the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.[12] As of July 25, 2011, "1234" had 1.2 million downloads in the US.[13] The single's unexpected success led to its release worldwide. In the UK it proved to become a huge hit, making it in the top 10 peaking at #8.[14] It had a very successful release in Canada making it at number 2.[15] The song has also entered the top 10 in other European countries. The single's success has made Feist famous globally and it has boosted the remaining sales. It also managed to debut at number 67 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, as digital tracks were added from the 5th of November 2007 to the singles chart in Australia. It later entered the top 50 of the chart in late December, and has thus far peaked at #36.

It also ranked #34 in the Triple J Hottest 100, and #1 on Amazon.com's Top-selling Songs of 2007.[7]

Time magazine named "1234" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #2 after "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. Writer Josh Tyrangiel called the song a “masterpiece”, praising Feist for singing it “with a mixture of wisdom and exuberance that's all her own."[16][17]

In the 28 April 2008 episode of The Colbert Report where she was a guest, Feist said that she had planned to offer "1234" as the official campaign theme for Stephen Colbert's Presidential bid, before he dropped out.[18]

In popular culture

Media

It was sung by the character of Andy Bernard in "Lecture Circuit", an episode of The Office, in an attempt to woo a client he finds attractive. This attempt fails, and Dunder Mifflin loses the account. It has recently been used in the trailer for the 2009 film New York, I Love You.

Covers

The original version of the song was mixed by Renaud Letang.[19] It was remixed by Van She Tech, consisting of several members of the band Van She. The song was also rewritten as a counting song for the 39th season of Sesame Street, in which Feist counts chickens, monsters, and penguins to 4.[20][21] Brooke White of American Idol fame performed a cover of "1234" in her set on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008, which ran from 1 July to 13 September.

Electropop band Joy Electric released a cover of the song in 2009 on their album Favorites at Play.

Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins remade the song for his 2009 album All Join In. The lyrics were changed because of "dark" subject material and the song also featured Kenny's 11-year old daughter Hana.[22]

Pianist Louis Durra, recorded an instrumental trio version released on "Mad World EP" and "Arrogant Doormats" (2011).

Parodies

It was parodied by MADtv for the continuous releases of new iPods, a commercial in which the song was originally used.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007–08) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 36
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[24] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[25] 3
European Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) 20
Germany (Media Control AG)[26] 75
scope="row" Ireland (IRMA)[ 1] 33
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[27] 97
Slovakia (IFPI)[28] 54
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 63
UK Singles Chart (Official Charts Company)[30] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 8
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 30
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[33] 34
US Hot Digital Songs (Billboard)[34] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[35] 35

Awards and nominations

Sally Seltmann has received a nomination for 2008 APRA's (Australian Performing Right Association) peer nominated, Song Of The Year Award.[36]

References

  1. ↑ Everett-Green, Robert (2008-02-09). "Grammy girl: Feist". The Globe and Mail. pp. R1, R19. 
  2. ↑ Songfacts for "1234". Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  3. ↑ "feist - trabendo session - paris - 14th december 2005". 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
  4. ↑ "Feist - 1234 - Letterman 08/27/2007". 
  5. ↑ The 100 Best Songs of 2007 at the Wayback Machine (archived January 7, 2005)
  6. ↑ "Rock List: Readers' 25 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2011-01-18. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Best Songs of 2007". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-01-18. 
  8. ↑ Plagenhoef, Scott (2009-08-31). "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s | Features". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  9. ↑ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Tracks of 2007". Pitchfork Media. 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2011-01-18. 
  10. ↑ "The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007". Blender. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2011-01-18. 
  11. ↑ "eBay Make Shopping Exciting with Feist in Whistler » The Inspiration Room | Daily". The Inspiration Room. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  12. ↑ Billboard chart history
  13. ↑ "Billboard Bits: Feist's New Album, Haley Reinhart Inks Label Deal". Billboard.com. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-09. 
  14. ↑ "The Charts". Music.unrealitytv.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  15. ↑ Billboard.com
  16. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; 24 December 2007; Page 39.
  17. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh (2007-12-09). "''Time'' magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2007 at". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  18. ↑ "Feist | The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  19. ↑ Paul Tingen (April 2008). "Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Renaud Letang". Sound on Sound magazine. 
  20. ↑ Agrell, Siri (2008-07-16). "Will Feist’s famous number be a monster hit with children?". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). p. A1. Retrieved 2008-07-16. 
  21. ↑ "Sesame Street: Feist sings 1,2,3,4". 
  22. ↑ http://www.spinner.com
  23. ↑ "Feist – 1234". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  24. ↑ "Feist – 1234". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  25. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  26. ↑ "Feist – 1234" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  27. ↑ "Feist – 1234". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  28. ↑ "SNS IFPI". Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna (in Slovak). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  29. ↑ "Feist – 1234". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  30. ↑ "Feist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  31. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  32. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  33. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  34. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  35. ↑ "Feist – Chart History: Canadian Hot 100 (Year end)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013. 
  36. ↑ 2008 Apra Nominees Announced Archived June 7, 2011 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Preceded by
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado ft Timbaland		 Juno Award for Single of the Year
2008 		Succeeded by
"Dangerous" by Kardinal Offishall
Feist
Studio albums
Remix albums
Singles
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