Not Meant to Be
"Not Meant to Be" is a song recorded by Canadian rock group Theory of a Deadman for their third studio album, Scars & Souvenirs (2008). Band members Tyler Connolly, Dave Brenner, and Dean Back composed the song, while Connolly co-wrote the lyrics with songwriter and producer Kara DioGuardi. The song was released November 18, 2008 as the album's fifth overall radio single. It was the first song from the album to impact mainstream radio in the United States, concurrent with the release of "Hate My Life" to rock formats. In 2009, "Not Meant to Me" was included on the soundtrack to the science fiction action film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.[1]
| "Not Meant to Be" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Theory of a Deadman | ||||
| from the album Scars & Souvenirs | ||||
| Released | November 18, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | September 2007–January 2008 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) |
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| Lyricist(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Howard Benson | |||
| Theory of a Deadman singles chronology | ||||
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"Not Meant to Be" became the group's highest-charting entry in the United States, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as their first top ten hit on the Billboard Adult Top 40 airplay chart. The song has been certified Platinum by both Music Canada and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2][3]
Content edit
"Not Meant to Be" is a ballad with influences of pop and rock music composed in the key of A minor and set in common time to a "slow" tempo of 120 BPM.[4] The vocals range over two octaves from D4 to G5.[4] The song is written from the point of view of a man who wants to be with his ex-girlfriend so much after their relationship ends, but she is never satisfied with him and keeps pushing him away, leaving him thinking that their relationship is "not meant to be." Lead vocalist Tyler Connolly co-wrote the lyrics with Kara DioGuardi at the latter's house. "We wrote 'Not Meant To Be' in 5 minutes," Connolly said in a 2009 interview with The Gauntlet. "Our writing styles fit together so perfectly it was almost like it was 'meant to be.'"[5] In the same interview, DioGuardi stated that "the best part about my job is that you never know who you are going to meet, and who's going to inspire you. Although I'd never worked with Tyler, when he started singing the song, I knew we were onto something special."[5] The song's mid-tempo composition has been compared to the work of labelmates Nickelback.[6][7]
Critical reception edit
In a review of the album Scars & Souvenirs for AllMusic, Katherine Fulton identified "Not Meant to Be" as an example of the album's "derivative" sound, writing that its "melody and chorus bear more than a passing resemblance to" Nickelback's 2006 single "Rockstar".[7]
Music video edit
The band filmed the music video with Tony Petrossian in February 2009.[5] It features Kara DioGuardi (the song's co-writer) as the love interest.[8] It was released on March 25, 2009.[8] The video begins when Kara walks out on Tyler, breaks up with him and drives away. By the first chorus in the song, all of the non-singing scenes start running backwards: all the objects in the house (including a fish tank, a wine rack, a mirror, a table, two chairs and more) change from broken to unbroken and Kara's car is also shown travelling backwards, implying that the whole timeline of the main story is running in reverse. At the end of the video, Kara goes back to the house and hugs Tyler. The final scene depicts Tyler and Kara hugging each other.
Track listing edit
Digital EP – released July 10, 2009[9]
- "Not Meant to Be" — 3:35
- "Not Meant to Be" (Acoustic) — 3:29
- "Not Meant to Be" (Music Video) — 3:33
Chart positions edit
"Not Meant to Be" debuted at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 25, 2009.[10] It later peaked at number 55 on the chart dated July 4, 2009, the group's highest-charting entry to date.[11] The song experienced similar success in Canada, reaching number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100.[12]
Weekly charts edit
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] | 53 |
| Canada AC (Billboard)[13] | 23 |
| Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[14] | 21 |
| Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[15] | 13 |
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[16] | 18 |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[17] | 46 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[18] | 34 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 55 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] | 28 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[20] | 4 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[21] | 19 |
Year-end charts edit
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[22] | 20 |
Certifications and sales edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[2] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[3] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Canadian single certifications – Theory of a Deadman – Not Meant to Be". Music Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "American single certifications – Theory of a Deadman – Not Meant to Be". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Theory of a Deadman "Not Meant to Be" Sheet Music in A Minor". Music Notes. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Theory Of A Deadman shoot video with American Idol judge". The Gauntlet. February 3, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ McDonnell, Brandy (April 18, 2008). "CD Review: Theory of a Deadman 'Scars and Souvenirs'". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Fulton, Katherine. "Scars & Souvenirs - Theory of a Deadman". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Theory of a Deadman: Not Meant to Be (Music Video 2009)". IMDb. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Not Meant to Be - EP by Theory of a Deadman". Apple Music. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Hot 100". Billboard. April 25, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022. N.B. select "Mexico Ingles Airplay" from the dropdown menu.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Theory of a Deadman Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2019.