"You Weren't There" is a song by Norwegian singer-songwriter Lene Marlin. Written by Marlin and produced by Mike Hodges, the song was released as the first single from Marlin's sophomore studio album, Another Day (2003). The song premiered on French and Italian radio stations on 18 July 2003 and was serviced to European and Asian radio the following week, eventually receiving a single release on 5 September 2003.
"You Weren't There" became Marlin's last hit outside Norway and Italy; it reached number one in both countries but remained a minor hit across the rest of Europe, reaching the top 40 in Sweden and the top 100 in France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The song's music video, which shows a romantic couple having fun at a lake and Marlin singing, received negative reviews for Marlin's lacklustre appearance.
Lyrically, the song outlines events in the lives of several children, but someone playing an important role in their lives—possibly a parent or an ex-lover—is not with them to witness their victories and tragedies, living far away. The children have been distressed by these absences, worrying that they will miss the specific people every time they close their eyes. The first verse is about a girl who wins a game after a long period of longing for the win, but a specific person is not there to share in her happiness, even though she tried to make this person proud.[1]
In the second verse, a boy celebrates his birthday, receiving gifts and phone calls, but does not receive anything from an unknown person, which has been a regular occurrence for several years. Next, a girl get a paper-cut and is upset when she sees her blood, but no one is there to make her feel better. The fourth verse describes a boy crying from a broken heart, and the narrator asks how loud he has to cry for an absent individual to hear him. The final verse mentions what these people did cannot be undone, and that the children make up stories about them and long for their return.[1]
ReleaseEdit
"You Weren't There" was serviced to European and Asian radio stations on 28 July 2003 while the HDCD single was issued on 5 September 2003.[2][3] Due to Marlin's popularity in France and Italy, the song received its radio premiere in these countries on 18 July 2003 around 3:30 in the afternoon, immediately after radio stations had obtained the song. The track premiered early due to popular demand from Marlin's fanbase and because radio playlists would be closed for the holidays during its originally scheduled release date.[4]
Commercial performanceEdit
The song made its first chart appearance on the Norwegian Singles Chart on the 38th chart week of 2003, corresponding to early September, debuting at number one and replacing fellow Norwegian singer David's song "Wild at Heart" at the top spot.[3] It spent another week at number one before "Wild at Heart" returned to number one, knocking "You Weren't There" to number three on chart week 40. The song spent three more weeks in the top 10 before falling to number 11 on week 45. It stayed in the top 20 for four more weeks before dropping off the chart.[3]
In Italy, the song also debuted at number one on 11 September, dethroning Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life".[5] The next week, the song dropped to number five, then to number seven the week after. It returned to number five on 2 October, but moved down to number nine the following week. On 16 October, the single rose up to number four before dropping out of the top 10 on 23 October.[5] It returned to the top 10 for the final week at number 10 on 13 November. For the next four weeks, it fluctuated around the top 20 until leaving the chart from number 19 on 11 December.[5] It was Italy's 21st-best-selling hit of the year.[6]
Outside Norway and Italy, the song did not make a major impact in Europe. In late September, the song debuted and peaked at number 39 on Sweden's Sverigetopplistan chart (then named Hitlistan), becoming Lene Marlin's final top-40 single there.[7] In Switzerland the same month, the song first appeared on the Schweizer Hitparade chart at number 89 on 28 September, then peaked at number 74 the following week, spending six non-consecutive weeks on the chart altogether.[8] Also on 28 September, the song debuted at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart, but dropped out of the top 100 the week after, becoming her final chart hit there.[9][10] It was also her last hit in France, where it charted for a single week at number 89 on 2 November.[11]
Music videoEdit
SynopsisEdit
A music video was made for "You Weren't There". The first scene depicts a girl waking up on a platform overlooking a lake with a picture in her hand, but when she steps up to the railing and looks at the photograph, the wind rips it out of her hands and blows it away, to her visible disappointment. It then cuts to Marlin singing the opening verse in a small, empty classroom, followed by the girl from the opening seen having romantic moments with the man in the photograph. During the chorus, the lovers are shown happily jumping into the lake, then sitting on dry ground sharing a kiss. Marlin is then seen singing on the platform by the lake and in an alley as the couple work together to shoot a basketball into the hoop. As Marlin continues to sing on the basketball court, the couple sit and talk at a bus stop with sad expressions on their faces. The two are then seen hugging at a train station, where the girl boards a train and the man sees her off. During this time, Marlin sings on the platform from the beginning. The video finishes with shots of the empty classroom, the pier where the couple jumped into the lake, and the platform on the body of water.
ReceptionEdit
The video premiered on NRK television programme Lørdagsrevyen on 26 July 2003 and received negative reviews from music critics. Siri Høstmælingen of music programme Lydverket said that Marlin did not give a notable performance while Natt&Dag music editor Audun Vinger called the video "tame and boring", saying that Marlin appeared "distracted, withdrawn, and uncomfortable" and comparing her look to that of a widow's.[12] Critic Finn Bjelke gave the video a G+ grade, and NRK music director Håkon Moslet noted that Marlin looks older and more serious than intended but complimented her appearance.[12]
^ abKnutsen, Ida Ellisif; Hansen, Espen A. (10 July 2003). "Lene Marlin er tilbake: Nå kommer neste plate" [Lene Marlin is back: Now comes the next record]. Trømso (in Norwegian). p. 4. Retrieved 5 August 2003.
^ abcde"Lene Marlin – You Weren't There". VG-lista. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
^ abJangås, Tekst Jasse (19 July 2003). "Lene på norsk radio fra mandag" [Lene on Norwegian radio from Monday]. Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 9. Retrieved 5 August 2003.
^ ab"Lene Marlin – You Weren't There" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
^ abJensen, Lene Walstad (28 July 2003). "Negative til nyvvideoen" [Negatives to the new video]. Tromsø (in Norwegian). p. 40. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^ abYou Weren't There (Norwegian HDCD single liner notes). Lene Marlin. Virgin Records. 2003. 7243 5 47465 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Weren't There (German maxi-CD single liner notes). Lene Marlin. Virgin Records. 2003. 7243 5 47466 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Weren't There (European CD single liner notes). Lene Marlin. Virgin Records. 2003. DINSD 262, 7243 5 47528 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Weren't There (UK DVD-V single liner notes). Lene Marlin. Virgin Records. 2003. 724349094192.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
^"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 20 September 2003. p. 31.
August 25, 2023
weren, there, song, weren, there, song, norwegian, singer, songwriter, lene, marlin, written, marlin, produced, mike, hodges, song, released, first, single, from, marlin, sophomore, studio, album, another, 2003, song, premiered, french, italian, radio, station. You Weren t There is a song by Norwegian singer songwriter Lene Marlin Written by Marlin and produced by Mike Hodges the song was released as the first single from Marlin s sophomore studio album Another Day 2003 The song premiered on French and Italian radio stations on 18 July 2003 and was serviced to European and Asian radio the following week eventually receiving a single release on 5 September 2003 You Weren t There Single by Lene Marlinfrom the album Another DayB side Enough Released5 September 2003 2003 09 05 Length3 29LabelVirginSongwriter s Lene MarlinProducer s Mike HedgesLene Marlin singles chronology Where I m Headed 1999 You Weren t There 2003 Another Day 2003 Music video You Weren t There on YouTube You Weren t There became Marlin s last hit outside Norway and Italy it reached number one in both countries but remained a minor hit across the rest of Europe reaching the top 40 in Sweden and the top 100 in France Switzerland and the United Kingdom The song s music video which shows a romantic couple having fun at a lake and Marlin singing received negative reviews for Marlin s lacklustre appearance Contents 1 Lyrical content 2 Release 3 Commercial performance 4 Music video 4 1 Synopsis 4 2 Reception 5 Track listings 6 Personnel 7 Charts 7 1 Weekly charts 7 2 Year end charts 8 Release history 9 ReferencesLyrical content EditLyrically the song outlines events in the lives of several children but someone playing an important role in their lives possibly a parent or an ex lover is not with them to witness their victories and tragedies living far away The children have been distressed by these absences worrying that they will miss the specific people every time they close their eyes The first verse is about a girl who wins a game after a long period of longing for the win but a specific person is not there to share in her happiness even though she tried to make this person proud 1 In the second verse a boy celebrates his birthday receiving gifts and phone calls but does not receive anything from an unknown person which has been a regular occurrence for several years Next a girl get a paper cut and is upset when she sees her blood but no one is there to make her feel better The fourth verse describes a boy crying from a broken heart and the narrator asks how loud he has to cry for an absent individual to hear him The final verse mentions what these people did cannot be undone and that the children make up stories about them and long for their return 1 Release Edit You Weren t There was serviced to European and Asian radio stations on 28 July 2003 while the HDCD single was issued on 5 September 2003 2 3 Due to Marlin s popularity in France and Italy the song received its radio premiere in these countries on 18 July 2003 around 3 30 in the afternoon immediately after radio stations had obtained the song The track premiered early due to popular demand from Marlin s fanbase and because radio playlists would be closed for the holidays during its originally scheduled release date 4 Commercial performance EditThe song made its first chart appearance on the Norwegian Singles Chart on the 38th chart week of 2003 corresponding to early September debuting at number one and replacing fellow Norwegian singer David s song Wild at Heart at the top spot 3 It spent another week at number one before Wild at Heart returned to number one knocking You Weren t There to number three on chart week 40 The song spent three more weeks in the top 10 before falling to number 11 on week 45 It stayed in the top 20 for four more weeks before dropping off the chart 3 In Italy the song also debuted at number one on 11 September dethroning Evanescence s Bring Me to Life 5 The next week the song dropped to number five then to number seven the week after It returned to number five on 2 October but moved down to number nine the following week On 16 October the single rose up to number four before dropping out of the top 10 on 23 October 5 It returned to the top 10 for the final week at number 10 on 13 November For the next four weeks it fluctuated around the top 20 until leaving the chart from number 19 on 11 December 5 It was Italy s 21st best selling hit of the year 6 Outside Norway and Italy the song did not make a major impact in Europe In late September the song debuted and peaked at number 39 on Sweden s Sverigetopplistan chart then named Hitlistan becoming Lene Marlin s final top 40 single there 7 In Switzerland the same month the song first appeared on the Schweizer Hitparade chart at number 89 on 28 September then peaked at number 74 the following week spending six non consecutive weeks on the chart altogether 8 Also on 28 September the song debuted at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart but dropped out of the top 100 the week after becoming her final chart hit there 9 10 It was also her last hit in France where it charted for a single week at number 89 on 2 November 11 Music video EditSynopsis Edit A music video was made for You Weren t There The first scene depicts a girl waking up on a platform overlooking a lake with a picture in her hand but when she steps up to the railing and looks at the photograph the wind rips it out of her hands and blows it away to her visible disappointment It then cuts to Marlin singing the opening verse in a small empty classroom followed by the girl from the opening seen having romantic moments with the man in the photograph During the chorus the lovers are shown happily jumping into the lake then sitting on dry ground sharing a kiss Marlin is then seen singing on the platform by the lake and in an alley as the couple work together to shoot a basketball into the hoop As Marlin continues to sing on the basketball court the couple sit and talk at a bus stop with sad expressions on their faces The two are then seen hugging at a train station where the girl boards a train and the man sees her off During this time Marlin sings on the platform from the beginning The video finishes with shots of the empty classroom the pier where the couple jumped into the lake and the platform on the body of water Reception Edit The video premiered on NRK television programme Lordagsrevyen on 26 July 2003 and received negative reviews from music critics Siri Hostmaelingen of music programme Lydverket said that Marlin did not give a notable performance while Natt amp Dag music editor Audun Vinger called the video tame and boring saying that Marlin appeared distracted withdrawn and uncomfortable and comparing her look to that of a widow s 12 Critic Finn Bjelke gave the video a G grade and NRK music director Hakon Moslet noted that Marlin looks older and more serious than intended but complimented her appearance 12 Track listings EditNorwegian HDCD single 13 You Weren t There 3 29 Enough 3 53German maxi CD single 14 You Weren t There 3 29 Enough 3 53 You Weren t There remix 3 20 European CD single 15 You Weren t There 3 29 Sitting Down Here 3 55UK DVD V single 16 You Weren t There video Sitting Down Here audio Enough audio You Weren t There performance video Personnel EditPersonnel are taken from the Norwegian HDCD single liner notes 13 Lene Marlin words music vocals Rick J Parfitt guitars Jesper Mattsson bass Pete Davis keyboards and programming Makoto Sakamoto drums Martin Ditcham percussion Mike Hedges production Ger McDonnell recording mixing Matthieu Clouard Pro Tools engineering Robbie Nelson engineering assistant Olly Henshall engineering assistant James Sanger additional programmingCharts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 2003 PeakpositionFrance SNEP 11 89Italy FIMI 5 1Norway VG lista 3 1Scotland OCC 17 61Sweden Sverigetopplistan 7 39Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 8 74UK Singles OCC 9 59 Year end charts Edit Chart 2003 PositionItaly FIMI 6 21Release history EditRegion Date Format s Label s Ref France 18 July 2003 Radio Virgin 4 ItalyEurope 28 July 2003 2 AsiaEurope 5 September 2003 HDCD 3 United Kingdom 22 September 2003 CDDVD 18 References Edit a b Another Day Liner notes Lene Marlin Virgin Records 2003 CDVIR 209 7243 5 92177 2 7 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Knutsen Ida Ellisif Hansen Espen A 10 July 2003 Lene Marlin er tilbake Na kommer neste plate Lene Marlin is back Now comes the next record Tromso in Norwegian p 4 Retrieved 5 August 2003 a b c d e Lene Marlin You Weren t There VG lista Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Jangas Tekst Jasse 19 July 2003 Lene pa norsk radio fra mandag Lene on Norwegian radio from Monday Nordlys in Norwegian p 9 Retrieved 5 August 2003 a b c d Lene Marlin You Weren t There Top Digital Download Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Top of the Music Mix e Singoli PDF in Italian FIMI Archived from the original PDF on 10 May 2006 Retrieved 14 December 2020 a b Lene Marlin You Weren t There Singles Top 100 Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Lene Marlin You Weren t There Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 14 May 2018 Lene Marlin Official Charts Company Retrieved 9 June 2018 a b Lene Marlin You Weren t There in French Les classement single Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Jensen Lene Walstad 28 July 2003 Negative til nyvvideoen Negatives to the new video Tromso in Norwegian p 40 Retrieved 5 August 2022 a b You Weren t There Norwegian HDCD single liner notes Lene Marlin Virgin Records 2003 7243 5 47465 2 9 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link You Weren t There German maxi CD single liner notes Lene Marlin Virgin Records 2003 7243 5 47466 2 8 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link You Weren t There European CD single liner notes Lene Marlin Virgin Records 2003 DINSD 262 7243 5 47528 2 7 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link You Weren t There UK DVD V single liner notes Lene Marlin Virgin Records 2003 724349094192 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 14 May 2018 New Releases Singles Music Week 20 September 2003 p 31 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title You Weren 27t There song amp oldid 1164773109, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
