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A Thousand Years (Christina Perri song)

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"A Thousand Years"
Single by Christina Perri
from the album The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
ReleasedOctober 18, 2011
Recorded2011
Length
  • 4:45 (Part 1)
  • 5:05 (Part 2)
LabelAtlantic Records
Songwriter(s)
Christina Perri singles chronology
"Arms"
(2011) 		"A Thousand Years"
(2011) 		"Distance"
(2012)
Music video
"A Thousand Years" on YouTube

"A Thousand Years" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Christina Perri, and written by Perri and its producer David Hodges, for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. The song was released as a digital download on October 18, 2011, worldwide, and serves as the second single by Atlantic Records for the movie.[1] Perri re-recorded the song with vocals from Steve Kazee for the sequel The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012). It was also produced by Hodges.

Composition

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"A Thousand Years" is in the key of B-flat major, with a vocal range of F3 to C5.[2]

The song was written about the love affair between Edward and Bella in the novel and subsequent film series Twilight.[3]

Music video

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An official lyric video of the song was premiered on October 17, 2011, via Perri's official Facebook and Twitter pages as well as her official website. On October 26, 2011, she released an official video for the song on her YouTube channel. The video begins with Perri holding a candle. It features a few clips from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 interspersed between scenes with Perri singing in a room with a floor full of candles. Perri ends the video singing into a sunset.

As of May 2024, the video has accumulated 2.5 billion views.[4]

Cover versions

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In March 2018, mothers of children with Down syndrome in the United Kingdom produced a video cover of the song for World Down Syndrome Day that went viral. Christina Perri declared her support for the idea and waived any copyright claim to the music in support of the campaign.[5] As of June 2024, the video has over 11 million views.[6]

Chart performance

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"A Thousand Years" became a sleeper hit globally, accumulating its sales over several years.

On the week of October 23, 2011, the song debuted at number 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart,[7] and number 70 on Canadian Hot 100. It eventually peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Perri her second top 40 hit. By July 2013, the song has sold over three million digital downloads in the US.[8] As of June 2014, the song had sold 3,657,000 copies in the US.[9] On March 3, 2022, the single was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling ten million units in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 32 on its original release in 2011. The following year, after the release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, it peaked at number 13. In 2013, it reached a new peak of 11. It has since been certified four-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting sales equivalent to 2.4 million units

Charts

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Certifications

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Release history

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Country Date Format Label
United States[1] October 18, 2011 Digital download Atlantic
Canada[61] WEA International Inc.
Australia[62]
United Kingdom November 7, 2011 Digital download (album only) Atlantic

References

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  1. ^ a b "A Thousand Years - Single". iTunes USA. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  2. ^ "A Thousand Years sheet music by Christina Perri (Piano, Vocal & Guitar (Right-Hand Melody) – 113362)". www.sheetmusicdirect.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  3. ^ Pemberton, Pat. "A Thousand Years". Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Christina Perri - A Thousand Years [Official Music Video]". YouTube. 26 October 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Brown, Lauretta (19 March 2018). "WATCH: A Group of Moms Made A Viral Video about Their Children for World Down Syndrome Day". Townhall.
  6. ^ "50 Mums; 50 Kids; 1 Extra Chromosome". 12 March 2018 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ "Week Ending Oct. 23, 2011. Songs: Christmas In October". Yahoo Chart Watch. October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  8. ^ Paul Grein (July 24, 2013). "Week Ending July 21, 2013. Songs: Dancing With Miley". Chart Watch.
  9. ^ Paul Grein (June 11, 2014). "Chart Watch: Sam Smith Zooms Into Top 10". Yahoo Music.
  10. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  13. ^ BPP, ed. (February–March 2013). "Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (38): 84–89.
  14. ^ a b "Christina Perri Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 19. týden 2012 in the date selector.
  16. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Tracklisten.
  17. ^ "Christina Perri: A Thousand Years" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  18. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Thousand Years". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  20. ^ a b FIMI, ed. (February–March 2013). "FIMI CHARTS". FIMI.
  21. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 47. týden 2021 in the date selector.
  24. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years" Canciones Top 50.
  25. ^ "Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. ^ a b "Christina Perri Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  28. ^ "Christina Perri Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  29. ^ "Christina Perri Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  30. ^ "Christina Perri Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  31. ^ "Christina Perri Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  32. ^ "Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  33. ^ Brazil Hot 100 Airplay. Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  34. ^ "Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2" (in French). Les classement single.
  35. ^ "Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  36. ^ "Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  37. ^ "Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2". Top 40 Singles.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts". Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  39. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2012". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  40. ^ "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  41. ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs 81-90". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  42. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  43. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  44. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2013". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  45. ^ Dan Lane (January 2, 2013). "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2013". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  46. ^ "2019 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart". ARIA. January 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  47. ^ Copsey, Rob (December 11, 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  48. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  49. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Music Canada.
  50. ^ "Danish single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  51. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Christina Perri; 'A Thousand Years')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  52. ^ "Italian single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  53. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved December 16, 2020. Type Breaking Dawn Soundtrack in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and A Thousand Years in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  54. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  55. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  56. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('A Thousand Years')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  57. ^ "British single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  58. ^ "American single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  59. ^ "Danish single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  60. ^ "American single certifications – Christina Perri – A Thousand Years Pt 2". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  61. ^ "A Thousand Years - Single". iTunes Canada. 18 October 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  62. ^ "A Thousand Years - Single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
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