1234 (Feist song)

"1234" is a song from Feist's 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.

"1234"
Single by Feist
from the album The Reminder
B-side	"Fightin' Away the Tears"
Released	September 5, 2007
Recorded	2007
Genre	Indie pop
Length	3:03
Label	Cherrytree, 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)

History

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.^{[citation needed]}

Release

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.^[6] It has been released in the United Kingdom, in Canada and in other countries digitally.

Chart performance

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, number 10 on the US Pop 100, and number 34 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[7] As of July 25, 2011, "1234" had sold 1.2 million downloads in the US.^[8] 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.^[9] It had a very successful release in Canada, making it to number two.^[10] 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

As of 2017 the single has been certified silver by BPI for 200,000 sold copies.^[13]

Awards and accolades

"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.^[14]

This song was number 19 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007,^[15] and number nine on the list of Readers' 25 Best Songs of 2007.^[16] It was also ranked number five on Amazon.com's Best Songs of 2007.^[17] Pitchfork Media deemed the video the fifth best video of the decade,^[18] and named the song number 16 on the top 100 tracks of 2007.^[19] Blender named the video number two on The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007.^[20] 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."^[21][22]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2007–2008) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[23] 36 Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)^[24] 1 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)^[25] 19 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[26] 3 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)^[27] 21 Canada Rock (Billboard)^[28] 50 Germany (GfK Entertainment)^[29] 75 Ireland (IRMA)^[30] 33 Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)^[31] 97 Scotland (OCC)^[32] 43 Slovakia (IFPI)^[33] 54 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[34] 63 UK Singles (OCC)^[35] 8 US Billboard Hot 100^[36] 8 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[37] 11 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[38] 30 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[39] 34 US Hot Digital Songs (Billboard)^[40] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position UK Singles (OCC)^[41] 111 Chart (2008) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[42] 35

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[43]	2× Platinum	160,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[44]	Silver	200,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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.^[45]

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.

Parodies

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

In popular culture

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'.

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.^[46]

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

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

1. Everett-Green, Robert (February 9, 2008). . 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" – via YouTube.
5. Paul Tingen (April 2008). "Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Renaud Letang". Sound on Sound magazine.
6. . The Inspiration Room. July 1, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
7. Billboard chart history
8. "Billboard Bits: Feist's New Album, Haley Reinhart Inks Label Deal". Billboard.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
9. "The Charts". Music.unrealitytv.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
10. Billboard.com
11. "Hottest 100 2007". Triple J. ABC. December 26, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
12. . Comedy Central. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
13. . www.bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
14. 2008 Apra Nominees Announced December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
15. . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
16. . Rolling Stone. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
17. "Best Songs of 2007". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
18. Plagenhoef, Scott (August 31, 2009). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
19. "Staff Lists: Top 100 Tracks of 2007". Pitchfork Media. December 17, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
20. "The Top 10 Music Videos of 2007". Blender. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
21. Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; December 24, 2007; Page 39.
22. Tyrangiel, Josh (December 9, 2007). . Time.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
23. "Feist – 1234". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
24. "ARIA Report: Issue 928" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
25. "Feist – 1234". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
26. "Feist – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
27. "Feist Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
28. "Feist Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
29. "Feist – 1234" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
30. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Feist". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
31. "Feist – 1234". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
32. "Feist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
33. "SNS IFPI". Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna (in Slovak). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
34. "Feist – 1234". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
35. "Feist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
36. "Feist – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
37. "Feist Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
38. "Feist – Chart History: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
39. "Feist – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
40. "Feist – Chart History: Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
41. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
42. "Feist – Chart History: Canadian Hot 100 (Year end)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
43. "Canadian single certifications – Feist – 1234". Music Canada. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
44. "British single certifications – Feist – 1234". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
45. 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.
46. . Archived from the original on May 26, 1998.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• Official music video on YouTube
• Making of the music video on YouTube