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1234 (Feist song)

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"1234"
Single by Feist
from the album The Reminder
B-side"Fightin' Away the Tears"
ReleasedSeptember 5, 2007
GenreIndie pop
Length3:03
LabelCherrytree, Interscope, Arts & Crafts
Songwriter(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" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist from her third studio album, The Reminder. The song was co-written by Feist and Sally Seltmann, an Australian singer-songwriter who also recorded under the stage name New Buffalo.[1] It remains Feist's biggest hit single in the US to date, and her only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Top 40.

History

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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 December 14, 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]

The original version of the song was mixed by Renaud Letang.[5] It was later remixed by Van She Tech, an offshoot of the band Van She.[6][7]

Release

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The song was digitally released through iTunes Store. It gained notice after its use in an iPod nano commercial. It also appeared in an Australian commercial for eBay.[8] It has been released in the United Kingdom, in Canada and in other countries digitally.

Chart performance

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Since its digital release, "1234" peaked at number four on the US Hot Digital Songs chart. The single also reached number eight on the US Hot 100 the week of October 13, 2007,[9] number 10 on the US Pop 100, and number 34 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.[10] As of July 25, 2011, "1234" had sold 1.2 million downloads in the US.[11] The single's unexpected success led to its release worldwide. In the UK it proved to be a huge hit, making the top 10 and peaking at number eight.[12] It had a very successful release in Canada, making it to number two.[13] The song also entered the top 10 in several European countries. The single's success made Feist famous globally and boosted sales of her other releases. It also managed to debut at number 67 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, as digital tracks were counted towards chart positions from November 5, 2007, onwards in Australia. It later entered the top 50 of the chart in late December and peaked at number 36. It also ranked number 34 in the Triple J Hottest 100.[14] In April 2023, the single was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 400,000 sales and streams.[15]

In the April 28, 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.[16]

Awards and accolades

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"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 April 6, 2008, in Calgary. Sally Seltmann also received a nomination at the 2008 APRA Awards for Song of the Year.[17]

This song was number 19 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007,[18] and number nine on the list of Readers' 25 Best Songs of 2007.[19] It was also ranked number five on Amazon.com's Best Songs of 2007.[20] Pitchfork Media deemed the video the fifth best video of the decade,[21] and named the song number 16 on the top 100 tracks of 2007.[22] Blender named the video number two on The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007.[23] In France, the video won Music Video of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique.

Time magazine named "1234" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at number two 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."[24][25]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[48] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[49] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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The song was rewritten as a counting song for a performance on Sesame Street, in which Feist counts chickens, monsters (Elmo, Zoe, Rosita, and Telly) and penguins to 4.[50]

Brooke White of American Idol fame performed a cover of "1234" during her set on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008, which ran from July 1 to September 13.

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

Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins covered 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.[51]

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

Parodies

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

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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 was used in a trailer for the 2009 film New York, I Love You. It was also used in the ending of The Inbetweeners Series 1 episode, 'Bunk Off'.

The song plays over the opening sequence of "Green Juice," the third episode of the limited American drama series The Dropout about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes (2022).

References

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  1. ^ Everett-Green, Robert (February 9, 2008). "Grammy girl: Feist". The Globe and Mail. pp. R1, R19. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009.
  2. ^ Songfacts for "1234". Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  3. ^ "feist - trabendo session - paris - 14th december 2005". July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  4. ^ "Feist - 1234 - Letterman 08/27/2007". September 27, 2007 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Paul Tingen (April 2008). "Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Renaud Letang". Sound on Sound magazine.
  6. ^ Dombal, Ryan (December 3, 2008). "Feist: The Reminder: Deluxe Edition". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Van She Tech - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  8. ^ "eBay Make Shopping Exciting with Feist in Whistler » The Inspiration Room | Daily". The Inspiration Room. July 1, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  9. ^ Feist, Billboard Hot 100 – Billboard.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Billboard chart history
  11. ^ "Billboard Bits: Feist's New Album, Haley Reinhart Inks Label Deal". Billboard.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  12. ^ "The Charts". Music.unrealitytv.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  13. ^ Billboard.com
  14. ^ "Hottest 100 2007". Triple J. ABC. December 26, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "British single certifications – Feist – 1234". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "Feist | The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  17. ^ 2008 Apra Nominees Announced Archived December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  19. ^ "Rock List: Readers' 25 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  20. ^ "Best Songs of 2007". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  21. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (August 31, 2009). "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s | Features". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  22. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Tracks of 2007". Pitchfork Media. December 17, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  23. ^ "The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007". Blender. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  24. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; December 24, 2007; Page 39.
  25. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (December 9, 2007). "Time magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2007 at". Time. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  26. ^ "Feist – 1234". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  27. ^ "ARIA Report: Issue 928" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  28. ^ "Feist – 1234". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  29. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  30. ^ "Feist Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  31. ^ "Feist Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  32. ^ "Feist Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  33. ^ "Feist – 1234" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  34. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Feist". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  35. ^ "Feist – 1234". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  36. ^ "Feist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
  37. ^ "SNS IFPI". Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna (in Slovak). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  38. ^ "Feist – 1234". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  39. ^ "Feist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  40. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  41. ^ "Feist Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  42. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  43. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  44. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  45. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  46. ^ "Feist – Chart History: Canadian Hot 100 (Year end)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  47. ^ "Top Canada AC Songs". R&R. December 12, 2008. p. 67.
  48. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Feist – 1234". Music Canada. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  49. ^ "American single certifications – Feist – 1234". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  50. ^ Agrell, Siri (July 16, 2008). "Will Feist's famous number be a monster hit with children?". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A1. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  51. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 26, 1998.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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