Hit from 2004
Natasha Bedingfield back in the charts with “Unwritten”.
Natasha Bedingfield celebrates new chart success with the 20-year-old hit “Unwritten”. photo
© Jens Kalaene/dpa
Natasha Bedingfield had her biggest hit in 2004 with “Unwritten”. 20 years later it suddenly conquers the charts again. The reason is social media – and a helicopter.
Almost 20 years after its release, the ballad “Unwritten” is currently storming the international charts again – including in Germany. The song by the British singer Natasha Bedingfield (42) is currently at number 7 in the official singles charts, higher than when it was first released in autumn 2004.
“I don’t even know what to say about it. It’s so blatant, 20 years later,” Bedingfield told the German Press Agency. “This wave of love is so incredible. I just want to say ‘thank you’.”
The reason for the unexpected chart comeback is probably the romance “Where the Lie Falls”, which has been running in German cinemas since mid-January. In one scene, the two main characters sing the song while hanging under a helicopter. Due to its box office success, “Unwritten” also spread on social media such as Tiktok.
Comeback for “Murder On The Dancefloor”
A similar thing happened to Bedingfield’s British colleague Sophie Ellis-Bextor (44) a few weeks ago. After her 2001 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” featured prominently in the final scene of the hyped thriller “Saltburn”, the dance song climbed to number 2 in her home country. In Germany, the song has been in the top for three weeks 20.
Older titles occasionally return to the official German charts due to their use in films and series, explained the company GfK Entertainment, which determines the hit parade. The songs often went viral on Tiktok, like Kate Bush’s 80s hit “Running Up That Hill”. This experienced another surge in 2022 thanks to the Netflix series “Stranger Things”.