Over the Rainbow (Connie Talbot album)

Over the Rainbow is the debut album of child singer Connie Talbot, and was released 26 November 2007 by Rainbow Recording Company. Talbot, who had entered the public eye after her appearance on the first series of Britain's Got Talent at age six, signed with Rainbow, an independent label, after briefly recording with Sony BMG. Over the Rainbow consists entirely of covers of pop and Christmas songs, and was recorded primarily in a spare room in the house of Talbot's aunt, in an attempt not to interrupt Talbot's childhood by disrupting her regular activities. Although public appearances were initially kept to a minimum, Talbot did make appearances to promote the album, and performed in public several times after the British release.

Over the Rainbow
Studio album by
Connie Talbot
Released26 November 2007
RecordedOlympic Studios, 2007–2008
GenrePop
Length38:43
LabelRainbow Recording Company
ProducerSimon Hill and Rob May
Connie Talbot chronology
Over the Rainbow
(2007)		 Connie Talbot's Christmas Album
(2008)

Over the Rainbow received poor reviews. Though praising Talbot's voice, critics noted a lack of depth in the performances, and questioned the appropriateness of releasing and rating work by such a young artist. The album peaked at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart. Despite its poor chart performance, additional copies of the album had to be pressed after sales were higher than expected. Talbot later toured Asia in support of the album; Over the Rainbow achieved more success on Asian charts, reaching number one in Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

Over the Rainbow was rereleased on 18 June 2008 with an updated track list, replacing some of the Christmas-themed tracks of the original with more general covers. The first single from the album, a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds," was released in June 2008, and a music video for the song was shot in Jamaica. On 14 October, the album was released in the US, appearing on several Billboard charts. Talbot visited the US to promote the album, appearing on national television.

Recording and release

Connie Talbot entered the public eye appearing, aged six, on the first series of the reality programme Britain's Got Talent, reaching the final. After briefly recording with Sony BMG, Talbot was signed to Rainbow Recording Company, an offshoot of the label Rhythm Riders made specifically for her. To produce Over the Rainbow, Talbot worked with John Arnison, then-manager to Gabrielle and Billy Ocean, and Marc Marot, a former managing director of Island Records. It was produced and mixed by Simon Hill and Rob May.[1] Talbot said that "it was just amazing that we could do it in my auntie's house".[2] Arnison and Marot asked the Talbot family to "write down a list of the songs that Connie would sing at her birthday party" to help choose the track listing, and then "thought long and hard" about including more adult songs on the album.[3] Talbot herself insisted that they should.[3]

The final version of Over the Rainbow was recorded at Olympic Studios, on 12 October 2007.[4] Arnison described the recording process by saying that Talbot "hadn't sung nursery rhymes; she'd always sung classic tracks. So it was actually quite an easy task to make the record".[3] The album was released on 26 November 2007,[5] with an initial pressing of 50,000 copies.[6] However, an additional 120,000 had to be created after the album sold out in a matter of days.[6]

Over the Rainbow was re-released on 18 June 2008,[7] with the new version being made available for pre-order in May. The re-release featured three new tracks to replace the Christmas-themed songs on the original album.[8][9] The new tracks were made available from Talbot's official website so that those who bought the original need not buy the re-release.[8] Talbot's cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" was released as a single on 10 June 2008,[7][10] and a music video was shot in Jamaica to for the release.[11] Over the Rainbow was released in the US on 14 October, and Talbot travelled to the country with her family to publicise it.[12] Talbot's cover of "I Will Always Love You" was released as a single in the US on 7 April, along with a newly recorded version of "You Raise Me Up".[13]

Cancelled video game tie-in

In August 2008, it was announced that Talbot had signed a contract with Data Design Interactive for production of a video game on the Wii console. The game was to feature 15 songs from Over the Rainbow, allowing players to sing along with full-motion video footage of Talbot or against other players in a karaoke mode.[14][15] Talbot re-recorded the album for the game.[16] The game was scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2009,[3] and was to be called Connie Talbot: Over the Rainbow,[17] but was quietly cancelled due to licensing reasons over the songs to be used.[18] A prototype build of the game surfaced in 2020 and was purchased by video game preservationist Forest of Illusion,[19] who later uploaded a disk image of the game on the Internet Archive.[18]

Publicity
A publicity shot of Talbot taken during the recording of Over the Rainbow at Olympic Studios (12 October 2007).

Talbot made several public appearances after the release of Over the Rainbow. These included headlining the Great Bridge Christmas and Winter Festival, which local police threatened to cancel unless crowds clamouring to reach the tent in which Talbot was performing could be brought under control.[20] At the event, on 7 December 2007, Talbot was quoted as saying "I love it here, it's brilliant, really fun", but she had to be ushered off-stage by the police.[20] Talbot performed publicly in Walsall's HMV store, and in Birmingham's Centenary Square.[21] TV appearances included slots on GMTV and 5 News, both on the day of the album's release.[21]

In April and May 2008, Talbot toured Asia to promote Over the Rainbow.[22] Asian journalists attributed her success in the region to her videos on YouTube, with writers for the Sun.Star noting that her most-viewed video had been watched over 14 million times,[9] and Bernard Koh, of The Straits Times, saying that videos of Talbot's performances had been watched over 30 million times.[22] The tour made stops in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and Talbot and her family returned to England in late May.[23]

News that Over the Rainbow was to be released in the US resulted in Talbot receiving attention from American press sources including Fox Business Network and MarketWatch.[24][25] Kerri Mason, writing for Reuters, described Talbot's videos as "viral", and added that she had been watched on YouTube over 46 million times.[3] Talbot travelled to the US for a promotional tour to coincide with the release, where she performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show[26] and appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[27] She made appearances in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C.[26] Following the television appearances, sales of the album were boosted in the US.[28] Talbot again travelled to the US to promote her single "I Will Always Love You" in April 2009, returning again in May.[29] Appearances included a performance on Good Day New York on Fox Broadcasting Company's WNYW.[30]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[31]
Digital Spy[32]

Over the Rainbow received negative reviews from music critics. Sharon Mawer, of AllMusic, praised Talbot, saying that she "can sing, for a seven-year-old, and most of the notes (if not all of them) are in the right order and sung to the right pitch; the timing is fine too".[31] However, she argued that the album had "no feeling, no emotion, no realization of what each song is about". Mawer ultimately gave Over the Rainbow a rating of two out of five stars.[31] Nick Levine, writing for Digital Spy, said in a review of the album that Talbot had a "sweet, pure voice", but that there is "no nuance or depth to her performance".[32] Though awarding the album two out of five, he said that "there's something inherently wrong about awarding a star rating to a seven-year-old", and that "the decidedly adult concept of musical merit should have nothing to do with [her music]".[32]

Reviewers writing in the British newspaper the Harlow Star also commented on Talbot's age, saying that "there's no doubt she's a sweet little girl with a nice voice", but asking whether there is "something inherently wrong with thrusting a child into the limelight at such a young age".[33] Rashvin Bedi, writing for Malaysian newspaper The Star, praised the album, saying that "Connie sings with ease and manages the high notes admirably", but asked whether "people would buy an album of the same songs sung by a 20-year-old".[34]

Chart performance and sales

The album entered in the British album charts at 35 on 8 December 2007,[35] but was at the bottom of the charts by Christmas,[36] despite having been tipped as a potential Christmas number one.[37] It remained in the charts for five weeks, peaking at 35.[35] However, the album was certified gold in Britain in early December,[20] with Talbot being presented a gold disc by Phillip Schofield on daytime television programme This Morning.[6]

Following Talbot's tour of Asia, it was reported that the album had reached number one on the charts in Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong,[7][23] as well as reaching number three in Singapore.[23] The album has received platinum certification in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and double platinum in Korea,[26] selling 30,000 copies.[38] In the US, the album appeared on three charts. It featured on the Top Heatseekers chart for nine weeks, peaking at number 7, on the Kid Albums chart for four weeks, peaking at number 8, and on Top Independent Albums chart for one week, at number 43.[39]

Track listings

Original track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Over the Rainbow"Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg2:52
2."I Believe"Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman2:58
3."White Christmas"Irving Berlin3:15
4."Smile"Charlie Chaplin, Geoffrey Claremont Parsons, John Turner2:48
5."Imagine"John Lennon3:05
6."Walking in the Air"Howard Blake3:32
7."Favourite Things"Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II2:37
8."What A Wonderful World"Bob Thiele, George David Weiss2:21
9."Ben"Don Black, Walter Scharf2:46
10."I Will Always Love You"Dolly Parton4:25
11."Silent Night"Franz Gruber3:29
12."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus4:33

Rerelease track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Over the Rainbow"Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg2:51
2."I Believe"Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman2:58
3."Smile"Charlie Chaplin, Geoffrey Claremont Parsons, John Turner2:48
4."Three Little Birds"Bob Marley3:05
5."Imagine"John Lennon3:05
6."Favourite Things"Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II2:37
7."Any Dream Will Do"Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice3:49
8."What A Wonderful World"Bob Thiele, George David Weiss2:21
9."Ben"Don Black, Walter Scharf2:45
10."I Will Always Love You"Dolly Parton4:24
11."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus4:31
12."You Raise Me Up"Rolf Løvland, Brendan Graham4:04

Singles

"Three Little Birds"
"Three Little Birds"
Single by Connie Talbot
from the album Over the Rainbow
B-side"You Raise Me Up"
Released10 June 2008 (2008-06-10)
GenreReggae
Length3:08
LabelRainbow Recording Company
Songwriter(s)Bob Marley
Producer(s)Simon Hill and Rob May
Connie Talbot singles chronology
"Three Little Birds" "Over The Rainbow"
Music video
Three Little Birds on YouTube

"Three Little Birds" taken from Over the Rainbow, was released as Talbot's first single on 10 June 2008 in the UK,[40] and was released alongside the album in the US on 14 October.[41] Bedi, writing for the Malaysian newspaper The Star, said that "Three Little Birds" was her favourite song on Over the Rainbow.[34]

The single peaked at number 3 on the Independent Singles Charts in the United Kingdom,[42] and entered the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart at number 2, dropping to 3 the next week.[43]

It then raised back to number 2, and, on the sixth week, reached number 1.[44] Talbot received attention from the British press because of the single's success, with the Daily Telegraph attributing her success in America to her appeal to the Christian market.[45]

Talbot's father, Gavin, spoke about the song reaching number one, saying "When we received the phone call we were driving back from doing a round of radio interviews in London and Connie was asleep in the back of the car. When we told her she just took it in her stride. I just cannot believe that she is number one in America. We are all very proud of her. It is a big achievement – people have just taken a shine to her." He also said it was "a big shock to hear she was number one. It is tremendous."[46]

As of November 2008, the single has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide.[47]

The music video for the single Three Little Birds was released on 19 June 2008.[48]

A music video for the song was shot in Jamaica in late March/early April 2008.[49]

Talbot was quoted as saying that "going to Jamaica was the best thing I've done this year".[49] The video begins with images of Talbot skipping through a garden, which is then replaced with an image of her singing on a beach. She then joins a child whose parents had been arguing and plays with them and others in a field, then dances with them on the beach. The children are then lead to a stage, where Talbot performs as the others sing and play musical instruments. The video closes with Talbot in the garden, skipping away from the camera.

"Over The Rainbow"

"Over The Rainbow" taken from Over the Rainbow, was released as Talbot's second single at the end of June 2013 in the UK. The music video for the single Over The Rainbow was published on 14 May 2013.[50]

"I Have A Dream"

"I Have A Dream" taken from Over the Rainbow, was released as Talbot's third single in July 2013 in the UK. The music video for the single I Have A Dream was published on 24 May 2013.[51]

"Smile"

"Smile" taken from Over the Rainbow, was released as Talbot's fourth single in August 2008 in the UK. The music video for the single Smile was published on 9 June 2013.[52]

"White Christmas"

"White Christmas" taken from Over the Rainbow, was released as Talbot's fifth single in November 2008 in the UK. The music video for the single White Christmas was published on 20 November 2013.[53]

Chart performance
Chart Country Peak Date
Independent Singles Charts UK 3 20 June 2008
Hot Singles Sales U.S. 1 27 November 2008

References
  • "Over the Rainbow (credits)". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  • "Over the Rainbow 2007 Christmas Edition". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  • "Over the Rainbow (songs)". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  • "Over the Rainbow". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  • "Over the Rainbow (U.S.) (overview)". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 November 2008.

Footnotes
  1. "Buy Connie Talbot- Over the Rainbow". Woolworths. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  2. Masley, Ed (26 November 2008). "Connie Talbot enjoying British pop stardom 'really nicely'". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  3. Mason, Kerri (10 October 2008). "Record buyers head-"Over"-heels for 7-year-old". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 January 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
  4. "Photos". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  5. "Connie Talbot- Over the Rainbow". HMV. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  6. "Connie claims gold disc". Express & Star. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  7. "Britain's Got Talent Connie Talbot sings Three Little Birds". Daily Mirror. 12 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  8. "A new version of the album will be available in May!". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  9. "Pinay girl makes noise in UK". Sun.Star. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  10. "Buy Connies single today!". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  11. Van Geuns, Sharon (6 April 2008). "Britain's Got Talent star Connie's got teeth". The Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  12. "Connie to appear on The Ellen Show!". Rhythm Riders (Connie Talbot official website). 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  13. "Connie to release new USA single on April 7th". Rhythm Riders. 5 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2009. Connie will be releasing her rendition of "I'll always love you " as her new single from her album "Over the Rainbow" in the USA on April 7th. The release is a double A-sided single (AAO Music/Reality Records) featuring her dynamic interpretation of the classic "I Will Always Love You" and the newly re-vocaled "You Raise Me Up."
  14. "Connie stars on Wii". Express & Star. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  15. "Connie Talbot Singing on Wii Soon". DS-X2.com. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  16. Varma, Anuji (25 August 2008). "Connie Talbot to star in Nintendo Wii game". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
  17. "Have you got talent?!". GameZone. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  18. @forestillusion (21 December 2020). "Today we have released a build of the cancelled Nintendo Wii game "Connie Talbot: Over the Rainbow". It's a karaoke game which was developed by Data Design Interactive (who are infamous for creating shitty games). Enjoy I guess?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. @forestillusion (14 December 2020). "Here is some never before seen footage of the horrible cancelled Nintendo Wii game Connie Talbot Over the Rainbow. It was recorded at E3 2009 by a DDI employee. Thanks to @JHarrdington for retrieving the footage. And if youre wondering, yes we have a copy of the game coming soon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. "Crowds go wild for Connie". Express & Star. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
  21. "Connie Talbot gets more stardom". Express & Star. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
  22. Koh, Bernard (5 May 2008). "Sweet smile, shy child". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  23. "Now Connie's taking on the world". Express & Star. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  24. "Britain's Singing Sensation Connie Talbot Comes to America". Fox Business Network. 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  25. "Britain's Singing Sensation Connie Talbot Comes to America". MarketWatch. 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  26. Lopez, Korina (2 November 2008). "'Talent' star Connie Talbot is 7 going on globally successful". U.S.A. Today. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  27. Ellam, Dennis (16 November 2008). "Connie: The world tour". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  28. Burger, David (20 November 2008). "Music: 8-year-old phenom Connie Talbot captures Utah's attention". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  29. "Connie to perform in America". Rhythm Riders. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2009. Connie will be travelling to America on a whirlwind promotional tour from April 30th through to May 2nd. She will be performing on a couple of television shows and just announced that she will be performing and signing autographs at a very special store appearance.
  30. "8-Year-Old Songbird Connie Talbot". Fox Broadcasting Company. 29 April 2009. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  31. Mawer, Sharon. "Over the Rainbow". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  32. Levine, Nick (3 December 2007). "Connie Talbot: 'Over The Rainbow'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 7 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  33. Wilkinson, Ben; Tanfield, Jim; Moss, Chris. "CD Reviews". Harlow Star. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  34. Bedi, Rashvin. "Over the Rainbow". The Star. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  35. "Over the Rainbow". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  36. Mawer, Sharon. "Connie Talbot". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  37. "Connie signs album deal". Express & Star. 18 October 2007. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  38. Hyung-eun, Kim (4 December 2008). "Mini superstar returns to Korea". JoonAng Daily. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  39. "Over the Rainbow". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  40. "Buy Connies single today!". Rhythm Riders. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  41. "Connie Talbot Soars 'Over The Rainbow' and Up the Billboard Charts (press release)". AAO Music/Reality Records. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  42. "Connies single at No. 3!". Rhythm Riders. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  43. "Three Little Birds- Hot 100". Billboard. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  44. "Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  45. de Wilde, Gervase (28 November 2008). "Connie Talbot goes to Number One on the Billboard Charts". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  46. "Connie tops the US charts". Sutton Coldfield Observer. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  47. Harrison, Ruth (27 November 2008). "Album Review: Connie Talbot's Christmas Album". FemaleFirst. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  48. "Connie Talbot – Three Little Birds". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  49. Van Guens, Sharon (6 April 2008). "Britains Got Talent star Connie's got teeth". The Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  50. "Connie Talbot – Over The Rainbow (HQ)". Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  51. "Connie Talbot – Three Little Birds (HQ)". Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  52. "Connie Talbot – Smile (HQ)". Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  53. "Connie Talbot – White Christmas (HQ)". Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019 – via www.youtube.com.


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