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Suddenly I See

{{Short description|2005 single by KT Tunstall}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Suddenly I See

| cover = suddenlyisee.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = KT Tunstall

| album = Eye to the Telescope

| B-side =

| released = {{start date|2005|8|29|df=y}}

| recorded =

| studio = Nam (Bath, England)

| genre =

| length = 3:21

| label =

| writer = KT Tunstall

| producer = Steve Osborne

| chronology = KT Tunstall UK

| prev_title = Other Side of the World

| prev_year = 2005

| next_title = Under the Weather

| next_year = 2005

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = KT Tunstall US

| type = single

| prev_title = Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

| prev_year = 2005

| title = Suddenly I See

| year = 2006

| next_title = Other Side of the World

| next_year = 2007

}}{{External music video|{{YouTube|9AEoUa0Hlso|"Suddenly I See"}}

}}{{Extra album cover

| header = Alternative covers

| type = single

| cover = KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See (Vinyl).jpg

| border =

| alt =

| caption = Vinyl cover

}}}}

"Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her debut studio album, Eye to the Telescope (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet Patti Smith, whose album cover for Horses (1975) also inspired Tunstall's album cover for Eye to the Telescope.{{cite web|url=http://songexploder.net/kt-tunstall|title=Episode 66: KT Tunstall "Suddenly I See"|publisher=Song Exploder|date=1 March 2016}} The song was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as the album's second single on 27 February 2006.

"Suddenly I See" peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart to become Tunstall's highest-charting single in the UK. It also reached number 21 in the United States, number five in New Zealand, and is Tunstall's only top-50 hit in Australia, where it charted at number six on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song won Tunstall an Ivor Novello Award in 2006 in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Music and lyrics

The song itself is a tribute to "female power",{{cite web |last=Lamb |first=Bill |url=http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/suddenlyisee.htm |title=KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See |publisher=About.com |access-date=26 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722163349/http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/suddenlyisee.htm |archive-date=22 July 2009}} inspired by and about American singer and songwriter Patti Smith.{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20051206/ai_n15900881/pg_1 |title=Suddenly I See Life's Great: KT Tunstall bean playing in coffee |publisher=Sunday Herald |date=4 December 2005 |access-date=17 June 2008}} As described in the lyrics, KT Tunstall was inspired to a career in music through looking at a black and white picture of a woman. Admiring her strength and accomplishments, she suddenly realised what she wanted to do with her life. Tunstall stated in an interview that the song was "about Robert Mapplethorpe's photograph of Patti Smith on the cover of Horses".{{cite web |last=Collis |first=Clark |date=20 September 2007 |title=KT Tunstall: Not Going to 'F--- It Up' |publisher=Ew.com |access-date=17 June 2008 |url=https://ew.com/article/2007/09/21/kt-tunstall-not-going-f-it/}} Commenting on the song's later use in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Tunstall said: "I didn't realize the lyrics could perfectly fit a chick flick, and it could sound like I was singing about wanting to be a fucking model!"{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |title=Pot Feuds With Kettle |website=Vulture |date=19 June 2018 |url=https://www.vulture.com/2007/09/pot_feuds_with_kettle.html |access-date=16 February 2023}}

The music has been described as featuring a "chugging rhythm" with a "guitar-bass focused beat", as "compelling", and with "urgency", and having a "shiny production".{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |title=Eye to the Telescope > Overview |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=29 June 2008 |url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r821171|pure_url=yes}}}} Although the real focus might be on her "clear vocals", "it's in the growls...that Tunstall truly commands attention".{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/kt-tunstall-eye-to-the-telescope/ |title=Review: KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope |publisher=Slant Magazine |author=Jonathan Keefe |date=22 January 2006}} Stylistically, it has been described as a "blues-country-pop hybrid".

Music video

There are three different music videos, one for Britain, one for the US, and one animated. The British version, directed by Big TV!, is a simple performance video in which Tunstall and her band play across from another set of Tunstall and her band. The US version, directed by Patrick Daughters features Tunstall in different situations involving a circus in Romania. Filmed in Bucharest, the video was produced by Black Dog Films and serviced by local production company Domino Productions with producer Catalin Neagu. This version aired for a short time in the US and has seemingly been replaced in rotations by the animated version. The animated version, directed by Honey (i.e., the husband-and-wife directorial team of Laura Kelly and Nicholas Brooks), features Tunstall walking around an animated pop-up fantasy world, and engages in activities such as walking up giant guitars, riding miniature trains, and drifting off into space.

Track listings

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  • UK CD single {{small|(RELCD21)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Suddenly I See|others=KT Tunstall|year=2005|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Relentless Records|id=RELCD21}}
  1. "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17
  2. "Girl and the Ghost" – 3:47
  • 7-inch single {{small|(REL21)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Suddenly I See|others=KT Tunstall|year=2005|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Relentless Records|id=REL21}}

: A. "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17

: B. "Moment of Madness" (live) – 4:38

  • UK DVD single {{small|(RELDVD21)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Suddenly I See|others=KT Tunstall|year=2005|type=UK DVD single liner notes|publisher=Relentless Records|id=RELDVD21}}
  1. "Suddenly I See" (video) – 3:17
  2. "Miniature Disasters" (live at Glastonbury) – 5:54
  3. "Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) – 3:18
  • European CD single {{small|(0094634002820)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Suddenly I See|others=KT Tunstall|year=2006|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Virgin Records|id=0094634002820}}
  1. "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17
  2. "Girl and the Ghost" – 3:47
  3. "Moment of Madness" – 4:38
  4. "Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) – 3:18

{{col-2}}

  • Australasian CD single {{small|(094635011227)}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Suddenly I See|others=KT Tunstall|year=2005|type=Australasian CD single liner notes|publisher=Relentless Records|id=094635011227}}
  1. "Suddenly I See" (radio version)
  2. "Other Side of the World" (radio version)
  3. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (radio version)
  4. "Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge)
  • Digital download{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/suddenly-i-see-single/716348784|title=Suddenly I See – Single|publisher=Apple Music|access-date=19 April 2021}}
  1. "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:20
  2. "Suddenly I See" (live from the Mercury Lounge) – 5:25

{{col-end}}

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Eye to the Telescope album booklet.{{cite AV media notes|title=Eye to the Telescope|title-link=Eye to the Telescope|others=KT Tunstall|year=2005|type=European CD album booklet|publisher=Relentless Records, Virgin Records|id=CDRELX06, 0724386024626}}

Studios

  • Produced at Nam Studios (Bath, Somerset, England)
  • Mixed at Metrophonic (London, England)
  • Mastered at 360 Mastering (London, England)

Personnel

{{div col}}

  • KT Tunstall – writing, vocals, guitar
  • Arnulf Lindner – baritone guitar, bass
  • Luke Bullen – drums, percussion, cajón
  • Steve Osborne – production
  • Ren Swan – mixing
  • Bruno Ellingham – engineering
  • Graham Deas – engineering assistance
  • Dick Beetham – mastering

{{div col end}}

Charts

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{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
Chart (2005–2007)

! Peak
position

scope="row" {{single chart|Australia|6|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Australia"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Austria|48|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Austria"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Flanders Tip|9|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Flanders"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Canada|39|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2012|refname="Canada"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardcanadaac|2|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=1 January 2020}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardcanadahotac|9|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=1 January 2020}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Finland|19|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Finland"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|France|66|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="France"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Germany|89|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|songid=104961|refname="Germany"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Hungarysingle|25|year=2022|week=11|access-date=25 March 2022}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Ireland2|25|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=28 January 2020|refname="Ireland"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Italy|36|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Italy"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Dutch40|17|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Netherlands"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Dutch100|20|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=1 February 2020}}
scope="row" {{single chart|New Zealand|5|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="New Zealand"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Scotland|12|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|date=20050904|access-date=4 July 2016|refname="Scotland"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Switzerland|46|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=16 May 2013|refname="Switzerland"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|UK|12|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|date=20050904|access-date=4 July 2016|refname="UK"}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardhot100|21|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=4 July 2016|refname=US}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardadultalternativesongs|3|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=4 July 2016}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|10|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=4 July 2016}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|5|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=4 July 2016}}
scope="row" {{single chart|Billboardpopsongs|33|artist=KT Tunstall|song=Suddenly I See|access-date=4 July 2016}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
Chart (2005)

! Position

scope="row"| UK Singles (OCC){{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-singles-chart/20050110/37501/|title=End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=21 September 2019}}

|69

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
Chart (2007)

! Position

scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2007/singles-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2007|publisher=ARIA|access-date=21 September 2019}}

|30

scope="row"| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/adult-contemporary-songs|title=Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2007|magazine=Billboard|access-date=21 September 2019|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510080037/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/adult-contemporary-songs|url-status=dead}}

|26

scope="row"| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/adult-pop-songs|title=Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2007|magazine=Billboard|access-date=21 September 2019}}

| 20

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2007}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=KT Tunstall|title=Suddenly I See|award=Gold|relyear=2007|certyear=2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=KT Tunstall|title=Suddenly I See|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2011|certyear=2007}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|artist=KT Tunstall|title=Suddenly I See|award=Gold|relyear=2007|certyear=2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=KT Tunstall|title=Suddenly I See|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2005|certyear=2025|id=12908-1618-1}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" | Region

! scope="col" | Date

! scope="col" | Format(s)

! scope="col" | Label(s)

! scope="col" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" | United Kingdom

| 29 August 2005

| {{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD|DVD}}

| rowspan="2" | Relentless

| align="center" | {{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=29|date=27 August 2005}}

scope="row" | Australia

| 16 January 2006

| CD

| align="center" | {{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/issue828.pdf|title=The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 16th January 2006|publisher=ARIA|page=29|date=16 January 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060119130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20060120-0000/issue828.pdf|archive-date=19 January 2006|access-date=19 July 2021}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

scope="row" rowspan="3" | United States

| 27 February 2006

| Triple A radio

| rowspan="3" | Virgin

| align="center" | {{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2006/RR-2006-02-24.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1646|page=20|date=24 February 2006|access-date=19 July 2021}}

21 August 2006

| Hot adult contemporary radio

| {{cite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=64265|title=ACQB: Available for Airplay|website=FMQB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207084832/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=64265|archive-date=7 February 2007|access-date=27 March 2022}}

26 September 2006

| Contemporary hit radio

|{{cite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=69239#2005|title=FMQB: CHR|website=FMQB|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602195200/http://fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239#2005|archive-date=2 June 2013|access-date=27 March 2022}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{discogs master|type=single|183222}}
  • [http://www.virginmedia.com/music/musicvideos/kttunstall_suddenlyisee_hi.php Video] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211121620/http://www.virginmedia.com/music/musicvideos/kttunstall_suddenlyisee_hi.php |date=11 February 2008 }} at Virgin Media

{{KT Tunstall}}

{{Ivor Novello Best Song}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suddenly I See}}

Category:2004 songs

Category:2005 singles

Category:KT Tunstall songs

Category:Music videos directed by Big T.V.

Category:Patti Smith

Category:Relentless Records singles

Category:Songs written by KT Tunstall

Category:Virgin Records singles

Category:Presidential campaign songs