"Gravity"
Single by Sara Bareilles
from the album Little Voice
ReleasedFebruary 3, 2009
Recorded2007
Length3:52
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Sara Bareilles
Producer(s)Eric Rosse
Sara Bareilles singles chronology
"Winter Song"
(2008) 		"Gravity"
(2009) 		"King of Anything"
(2010)

"Gravity" is a song written and performed by Sara Bareilles. It was released as the third single from her major-label debut album Little Voice (2007). The track was produced by Eric Rosse. Its music video was released on February 3, 2009. Bareilles said she wrote the song after her "first real heartbreak", and was hoping the ballad would help others in similar situations. The song was originally on her UCLA a cappella group's album Dysfunktional Family Album as well as her first album Careful Confessions, but was later included on Little Voice.[1]

Critical reception

"Gravity" was generally commended by music critics. Chris Klimek of The Washington Post called the song "haunting" and stated that "Gravity is strong evidence that Bareilles's songcraft may yet warrant the stardom she's attained."[2] Shirley Brinkley wrote for The Virginian-Pilot that it was her favorite song, and that "It speaks to the paradoxes and complexity of relationships".[3] Michael Menachem of Billboard wrote, "[T]his melodic, introspective ballad is Bareilles' finest moment."[4] The Hollywood Reporter mentioned the song in their review of one her concerts, stating it was the "night's bravest and most powerful performance" when "she brilliantly sang fan favorite Gravity".[5] Mark Savage for BBC News called it a "tearjerking ballad" and characterized it as Bareilles' calling card.[6]

Music video

In an homage to the short film Powers of Ten, the music video for "Gravity" features a single, unbroken take of the singer strolling in the middle of a street while people are walking behind her bringing lights, balloons, and globes of other planets representing a journey through the solar system and into deep space.[7][8] The video was directed by Mathew Cullen of Motion Theory.[9]

Cover versions

Kelly Clarkson covered the song in Durham, North Carolina, during her Stronger World Tour, in which she praised Bareilles's voice and lyrics. Bareilles responding the following day by tweeting: “Holy pipes, Batman! Kelly Clarkson sang Gravity. Whoah. Gurrrl. Can. Sang. So Cool!”[10]

Brittany Cairns performed this song for her blind audition on the first season of The Voice - Australia. Cairns' version peaked at number 58 on the ARIA Singles Chart in April 2012.[11]

Emma Hunton and Josh Pence covered this song in Season 3, Episode 9 of Good Trouble, "Driver's Seat."[12]

In popular culture

The song is frequently used in fan YouTube videos with romantic couples from TV shows or movies.

A shipping video featuring a clip montage of the characters Annie and Jeff set to "Gravity" was made by a Community fan in November 2009, halfway through the first season of the show.[13] The video inspired show creator Dan Harmon[14] and he included a similar sequence of clips of the two characters in the second season episode "Paradigms of Human Memory". Dan Harmon paid for the rights to the song himself. The clips of Annie and Jeff were immediately followed by clips of the characters Pierce and Abed again set to "Gravity", as a parody to show how easy it is make any set of characters appear romantically interested in one another (this was repeated with Annie's Boobs, a monkey, and the character Chang near the end of the episode). Bareilles eventually made an appearance as a hot-air balloon guide in "Intro to Felt Surrogacy", the ninth episode of the series' fourth season.

It was used as the closing song in the pilot episode of the Starz series Gravity.

On So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5, Mia Michaels choreographed a dance that Kayla and Kupono performed. In the dance, Kupono personified the concept of addiction while Kayla was the addict.

It was used in Season 1, Episode 2 and Season 5, Episode 4 of The Vampire Diaries.

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
South Korea International Singles (Gaon)[15] 44
Chart (2013) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 27
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[17] 64

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ https://uclawaken.com/about/
  2. ^ Kilmek, Chris (May 1, 2008). "At 9:30, Sara Bareilles Hosts a Spirited Singalong." The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  3. ^ The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)November 11, 2010
  4. ^ Menachem, Michael (March 7, 2009). "Gravity: Sara Bareilles Archived 2013-01-15 at archive.today", Billboard 121 (9): 38. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  5. ^ "Sara Bareilles - Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  6. ^ Savage, Mark (2008-06-17). "Entertainment | Sara Bareilles' fairytale success". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  7. ^ "Sara Bareilles - Gravity". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Motion Theory - Gravity". Musiconline.com.br. Archived from the original on 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  9. ^ "WATCH IT: Sara Bareilles "Gravity"". VideoStatic. February 23, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Davis, Brittany (2012-02-01). "Kelly Clarkson Covers Gravity, Gets 'Endorsed' By Sara Bareilles". Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  11. ^ "The ARIA Report Week Commencing ~ 30 April 2012 ~ Issue #1157" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 30 April 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  12. ^ Fremont, Maggie (April 15, 2021). "Good Trouble Recap: Date and Time". Vulture.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Gravity (Jeff/Annie)". YouTube. VeritasProductions. Nov 14, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  14. ^ Dan Harmon [@danharmon] (November 4, 2010). "I was told women watch TV differently than men, but wow. Great editing, @tweetingkerry! http://bit.ly/3G7D5p" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: February 12, 2012 to February 18, 2012)". Gaon Chart. January 5, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  16. ^ "Sara Bareilles – Gravity". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "British single certifications – Sara Bareilles – Gravity". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Sara Bareilles – Gravity". Recording Industry Association of America.
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