If You're Not the One

"If You're Not the One" is a song by New Zealand-British singer Daniel Bedingfield. It was released on 25 November 2002 as the third single from his debut studio album, Gotta Get Thru This (2002). The single entered the top 20 on the majority of charts that it appeared on, including becoming a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"If You're Not the One"
Single by Daniel Bedingfield
from the album Gotta Get Thru This
B-side
Released25 November 2002 (2002-11-25)
StudioMetrophonic (London, England)
GenrePop
Length4:19
Label
Songwriter(s)Daniel Bedingfield
Producer(s)Mark Taylor
Daniel Bedingfield singles chronology
"James Dean (I Wanna Know)"
(2002)		 "If You're Not the One"
(2002)		 "I Can't Read You"
(2003)
Audio sample
Daniel Bedingfield - "If You're Not the One"
  • file
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Alternative covers
American cover
Alternative cover
French cover

Background and writing

"If You're Not the One" is written as a love ballad.[1] Daniel Bedingfield claims to have been inspired by the band Westlife, when writing and recording the song.[2] Bedingfield himself believes that the song is "cheesy."[3] Bedingfield admitted he began writing the song because he realized that material he considered more "complex", was unlikely to get him a record deal.[3] "Commercialism, sappy lyrics and meek tunes are the things I hate most in the universe, but I'm not sure even Bob Dylan could get record company interest without hooks these days", Bedingfield recalled in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.[3] "It's a different age. You need to go some kind of populist route. So, about three years ago, I sat down with a Westlife song and tried to write something similar."[3]

Bedingfield also admitted that he didn't even want to put the song on his album.[4] He said, "I didn't want to put "If You're Not the One" on the album as I thought it was too cheesy. I thought it sounded like Westlife. But she (Natasha Bedingfield, his sister) loved it. Women that hear it go all soft and think it's lovely"[4]

Composition

"If You're Not the One" plays for 4 minutes and 19 seconds, in common time. It is in the key of B-flat major,[5] and the chorus features Bedingfield singing falsetto, where he hits the note E♭5.[6]

Critical reception

"If You're Not the One" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. On the positive side, Peter Robinson, in the Gotta Get Thru This album review for the New Musical Express (NME), wrote "If You're Not the One [recalls] every chart-mauling uber-ballad you've ever heard".[7] Nedd Raggett of AllMusic commented in his album review "When it comes to ballads, they work best in sudden moments – the soaring end to If You're Not the One".[8] About.com ranked the song at number 27 on its list of the 'Top 100 Pop Songs of 2002', two places behind the album's title track.[9] The song was again ranked at number 27 on the 2003 list, due to it being released in the United States during that year.[10] Music Week felt that the song showed Bedingfield's "sensitive side", and that the song "showcases his vocal range to stunning effect."[1] The magazine even considered it "beautifully crafted."[1]

However, the track also received some negative feedback. PopMatters' Nikki Tranter wrote "surely you would think with his obviously overwhelming ability to compose utter claptrap cleverly disguised as serious prophesizing, his lyrics might contain something a little more expressive than 'If you're not the one / Why does my heart feel glad today / If you're not the one / Then why does my hand fit yours this way.'"[11] In his review for musicOMH, Michael Hubbard was even less positive, stating, "If You're Not the One is as vomit-inducing as anything the man in the plastic mask has ever wretched (sic) forth at the world".[12]

Chart performance

When the song was released as a single, it was picked up by radio stations. It was the most added pop song on the radio for the week of 20 February 2003.[13] In the US, the song was the most added song in the Adult Contemporary market for the week of 7 April 2003.[14] In the US, the song was his highest debuting single, debuting at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.[14] The single proved to be a successful release for Bedingfield, providing him with several worldwide number ones and reaching the top 20 in all but one of the charts that it appeared on. It debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart, knocking Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" from the top spot.[15]

Music video

The music video was produced by A1 singer Mark Read. It begins with a series of images of Bedingfield singing in various positions against a black backdrop. When the chorus starts he is seen singing with clouds in the background. The initial sequence is repeated for the second verse. However, half-way through, he starts to write on a wall. The rest of the song follows the same pattern.

For the US market, a separate video was made. This version features Bedingfield singing the song while drunk one night after a house party, trying to remember who "the one" is. Several of his and the woman's scenes are shown in split-screen format, and exactly match one another. In the end, it is morning, and she returns to him.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Gotta Get Thru This album booklet.[22]

Studios

  • Recorded and mixed at Metrophonic Studios (London, England)
  • Strings recorded at Angel Recording Studios (London, England)
  • Mastered at Sony Music Studios (London, England)

Personnel

  • Daniel Bedingfield – writing, additional production
  • Adam Philips – guitar
  • Danny Cummings – drums
  • Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
  • Robin Smith – string arrangement, conducting
  • Mark Taylor – string arrangement, production, recording, mixing
  • Isobel Griffiths – orchestral contracting
  • Christian Saint Val – recording and mixing assistant
  • Jong Uk Yoon – recording and mixing assistant
  • Steve Pryce – engineering
  • Mat Bartram – engineering assistant
  • John Davis – mastering

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Gold 4,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[62] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Platinum 600,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 25 November 2002
  • CD
  • cassette
 Polydor [64]
Australia 13 January 2003 CD1 [65]
United States 17 February 2003 Contemporary hit radio Island [66]
Australia 24 February 2003 CD2 Polydor [67]

References
  1. "Daniel Bedingfield: If You're Not the One". Music Week. 9 November 2002. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  2. Sullivan, Caroline (23 March 2003). "Daniel Bedingfield". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. McCormick, Neal (6 March 2003). "Daniel Bedingfield". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  4. "Gotta Get Over Snub". Daily Record. 27 February 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  5. Daniel, Bedingfield (10 December 2007). "If You're Not the One". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  6. ""If You're Not the One" by Daniel Bedingfield – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. EMI Music Publishing. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  7. Robinson, Peter (20 August 2002). "Daniel Bedingfield: Gotta Get Thru This". New Musical Express. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  8. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  9. Lamb, Bill. "Top 100 Pop Songs of 2002". About.com. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  10. Lamb, Bill. "Top 100 Pop Songs of 2003". Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  11. Tranter, Nikki (1 November 2002). "Popmatters music review". PopMatters. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  12. Hubbard, Michael (26 August 2002). "musicOMH review". musicOMH. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  13. "Daniel Bedingfield's Single 'If You're Not The One' #1 Most Added at Pop Radio! Acclaimed Artist Nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Dance Recording' for Hit Song 'Gotta Get Thru This'". PR Newswire. 20 February 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  14. "Second Breaker at US Singles for 'Super-Priority' Bedingfield". Music Week. 7 April 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  15. "Bedingfield goes top again". BBC News. 1 December 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  16. If You're Not the One (UK CD single & Australian CD1 liner notes). Daniel Bedingfield. Polydor Records. 2002. 0658632.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. If You're Not the One (UK cassette single sleeve). Daniel Bedingfield. Polydor Records. 2002. 0658634.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. If You're Not the One (European CD single liner notes). Daniel Bedingfield. Polydor Records. 2002. 0657872.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. If You're Not the One (US CD single liner notes). Daniel Bedingfield. Island Records. 2003. B0000267-32.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. If You're Not the One (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Daniel Bedingfield. Island Records. 2003. B0000243-11.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. If You're Not the One (Australian CD2 liner notes). Daniel Bedingfield. Polydor Records. 2003. 065 784-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. Gotta Get Thru This (US CD album booklet). Daniel Bedingfield. Island Records. 2002. 440 065 113-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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