Fidelity (song)

Infobox Single |
Name = Fidelity


Artist = Regina Spektor
from Album = Begin to Hope
Released = flagicon|USA September 25th, 2006
flagicon|UK March 8 2007
Format = Digital download, CD Single
Genre = Anti-folk, Alternative pop
Length = 3:46
Label = Sire (US)/WEA (UK)
Writer = Regina Spektor
Producer = Regina Spektor; David Kahne
Certification = Gold (RIAA)
Last single = "On the Radio"
(2006)
This single = "Fidelity"
(2006)
Next single = "Better"
(2007)

"Fidelity" is an alternative pop song from singer-songwriter Regina Spektor released in the fall of 2006 in the album "Begin to Hope". It marked Spektor's first Billboard 100 hit and is her most successful track to date. Despite a release date of September 25th (its popular music video was released even earlier), the song did not hit the charts until December. The song was released in the UK as a two-part single on March 8, 2007.

Spektor wrote the song while watching the movie "High Fidelity", which is based on a book by Nick Hornby.

Music video

It is directed by Marc Webb. The video features Spektor in a black and white dress in an abstract environment enjoying tea alone. The room and decor are also black and white. As the video progresses, an empty suit is shown, which Spektor converses with as though it were a real companion. Near the end of the video, Spektor drops a heart pendant on the ground, revealing colored dust. A man appears in the suit, and the two then play with the dust, and join hands as the video ends.

In popular culture

*Several episodes of television series have featured the song, including:
**The "Veronica Mars" episode "Witchita Linebacker"
**The "Grey's Anatomy" episode "Six Days, Part 2"
**The beginning and end of the "Las Vegas" episode [http://www.nbc.com/Las_Vegas/episodes/season5/519/win_place_bingo_01.shtml#recap "Win, Place, Bingo"]
**The third episode of the first season of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"
*Brianna Carpenter of "Australian Idol 2007" performed the song live on August 29th.
*The song has also been used in advertisements for the Yahoo!Xtra web portal and Progressive insurance company.
*Was also featured in the movie trailer for 27 Dresses
*The song is present in the international soundtrack of Brazilian soap opera "A Favorita".
*This song is featured in a Mexican ad for Axtel, a local telecommunications company.
*There is an unreleased remix of the song remixed by Morgan Page.

Tracklist

*UK CD 1
# "Fidelity"
# "Music Box"

*UK CD 2
# "Fidelity"
# "Music Box"
# "December"
# "Fidelity" (Enhanced Video)

*UK digital download/AUS CD
# "Fidelity"
# "Music Box"
# "December"

*US digital download
# "Fidelity"

Charts

"Fidelity" initially made an appearance on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart at #8 (The equivalent to a #108) on December 6th. Two weeks later, Spektor made her first appearance in her career on the Billboard Hot 100 as "Fidelity" entered at #98. It climbed for the following two weeks before disappearing and then reappearing at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs in early 2007.

Fidelity debuted on the New Zealand RIANZ charts at #16, due to the fact that digital downloads had been added in the week of its debut. [cite web | title= "New Zealand's music chart embraces digital"| url=http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/6E4B542B8098E229CC2572E30076C2C8| date=2007-05-23 | accessdate=2007-05-29] This song would have achieved a higher placing if digital downloads had been included earlier, as shown by the single's concurrent top ranking at the New Zealand iTunes store.

References