Nobody's Wife (song)

"Nobody's Wife" is the second single released from Dutch singer-songwriter Anouk's debut studio album, Together Alone (1997). The song, a rock ballad,[2] was written by Anouk, Satindra Kalpoe, and Bart van Veen, and it was produced by George Kooymans, Barry Hay, and John Sonneveld. It was released through Dino Music in the Netherlands and Ireland, BMG in Europe and Australia, and Columbia Records in the United States.

"Nobody's Wife"
Single by Anouk
from the album Together Alone
B-side
  • "It's a Shame"
  • "Sacrifice" (US)
Released1997
StudioLagune (Rijkevorsel, Belgium)
GenreRock[1][2]
Length3:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Anouk Teeuwe
  • Bart van Veen
  • Satindra Kalpoe
Producer(s)
Anouk singles chronology
"Mood Indigo"
(1996)		 "Nobody's Wife"
(1997)		 "It's So Hard"
(1997)
Music video
"Nobody's Wife" on YouTube

First issued as a single in the Netherlands, "Nobody's Wife" became a hit, reaching number two on both the Dutch Top 40 and the Single Top 100 charts. In early 1998, the song began to gain popularity in the rest of mainland Europe, especially in the Flanders region of Belgium and the Nordic countries, reaching the top 10 in these regions; in Iceland, it peaked at number one for two weeks. A music video shot in black and white was made for the song, featuring clips of Anouk singing and dancing to the song.

Composition

"Nobody's Wife" is published in the key of F♯ major with a tempo of 98 beats per minute.[3][4]

Critical reception

Music & Media wrote about the song. On the 13 December 1997 issue, Dutch music programmer Ben Houdijk said of the song, "It might be loud on the surface, but under the skin, there's a beautiful song. A rock song with balls is a gift to radio in these ballad -flooded times." Meanwhile, on the 31 January 1998 issue, Music & Media commented, "This is an excellent rock ballad by the Golden Earring endorsed Dutch debutante artist [...]. Anouk has made a bold—and as it turns out, convincing—move into the territory already occupied by the likes of Alanis Morissette and Meredith Brooks."[2] British trade paper Music Week wrote that while the track is not "original", it appeals to both young and old rock music fans.[5]

Chart performance

The song was first released in the Netherlands in the latter half of 1997. It first charted on the Single Top 100 chart on 20 September 1997 at number 94, then debuted on the Dutch Top 40 Tipparade chart on 4 October at number 30.[6][7] On 15 November, the song rose to number two on both charts on stayed at that rank for four weeks on both listings.[6][7] It remained on the Dutch Top 40 for 20 weeks and the Single Top 100 for 40 weeks,[6][7] earning a platinum certification from the NVPI for shipments of over 75,000 units.[8] According to the Single Top 100 chart, it was the ninth-best-selling hit of the year.[9]

After its Dutch success, "Nobody's Wife" began to receive airplay throughout western and northern Europe. It made its first foreign chart appearance on the Swedish Singles Chart on 12 December 1997, climbing to a peak of number two on 16 January 1998 and keeping the position for five weeks.[10] It ended 1998 as Sweden's 17th-most-successful song and was certified platinum for shipping over 30,000 copies.[11][12] The single is also certified platinum in Norway,[13] where it peaked at number two for three weeks.[14] In the Flanders region of Belgium, "Nobody's Wife" reached number five on the week of 28 February and eventually went gold for sales exceeding 25,000,[15][16] and in Denmark, it reached number six in late January.[17]

In February 1998, "Nobody's Wife" charted in Finland, rising to number nine three weeks after its debut.[18] The song then garnered success in Iceland starting in early March, debuting at number four on the Íslenski listinn chart and topping the listing on the weeks of 20 and 27 March.[19] In the United Kingdom, the song was released on 8 June 1998 but did not chart.[5] The same month, on 27 June, the single debuted on the French Singles Chart at number 80.[20] It reached its peak of number 34 on 8 August and spent a total of 14 weeks in the top 100.[20] In Italy, "Nobody's Wife" peaked at number five and stayed on the chart for nine weeks.[21] The song was released in the United States in September 1998 but failed to make a significant impact, charting only on the Billboard Heritage Rock chart at number 32.[22] In March 2010, the single appeared on the German Singles Chart for only one week, at number 87.[23]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Dutch CD single and the Together Alone album booklet.[24][29]

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[16] Gold 25,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[8] Platinum 75,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[13] Platinum  
Sweden (GLF)[12] Platinum 30,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Tilli, Robbert (13 December 1997). "Earring Aid Boost for Anouk" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 50. p. 7. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 50. 31 January 1998. p. 18. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  3. "Key & BPM for Nobody's Wife by Anouk". Tubebat. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  4. "Key & BPM/Tempo of Nobody's Wife by Anouk". NoteDiscover. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. "Reviews – For Records Out on 8 June 1998". Music Week. 30 May 1998. p. 27.
  6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  7. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  8. "Dutch single certifications – Anouk – Nobody's Wife" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 15 December 2019. Enter Nobody's Wife in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  9. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  11. "Årslista Singlar, 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  12. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  13. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  14. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  15. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  16. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  17. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 5. 31 January 1998. p. 15. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  18. "Anouk: Nobody's Wife" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  19. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (26.3 – 2.4. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 27 March 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  20. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  21. "History" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 28 September 2022. Set "Ricerca per" on "Titolo", then search "Nobody's Wife" and click "Classifiche".
  22. "Anouk Chart History (Heritage Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  23. "Anouk – Nobody's Wife" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  24. Nobody's Wife (Dutch CD single liner notes). Anouk. Dino Music. 1997. DNCS 2389.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. Nobody's Wife (European CD single liner notes). Anouk. Bertelsmann Music Group. 1997. 74321 55706 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. Nobody's Wife (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Anouk. Bertelsmann Music Group. 1997. 74321 62287 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. Nobody's Wife (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). Anouk. Bertelsmann Music Group. 1997. 74321 55705 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. Nobody's Wife (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Anouk. Columbia Records. 1998. 38-79051.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. Together Alone (Dutch CD album booklet). Anouk. Dino Music. 1997. DNCD 1571.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 10. 7 March 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  31. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 14. 4 April 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  32. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  33. "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  34. "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  35. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  36. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  37. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1998". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  38. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
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