Official Chart Pop Gem #14: Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten

Natasha’s sweet, uplifting track from 2004 is the latest hit to get Pop Gem status.

We like a pop tune. No, let’s rephrase: we LOVE a pop tune. But, ever wondered what happens to some songs when they disappear out of the charts, off radio playlists, pulled from music TV channels, never to be seen again?

They could be absolute corkers, seemingly everywhere for a whole summer, yet they vanish. Or perhaps they were an 'unsung hero' variety – the overlooked single that didn’t even make it into the Top 10 but made you tingle with love for pop music all the same.

And now they’re gone, into a puff of smoke they went - last year, five years ago, 12 years ago, 20 years ago, whatever year they were from… they were fantastic, then evaporated into obscurity.

We’re bringing some of these long-lost lovelies back into the spotlight, and crowning them as Official Chart Pop Gem. We’ve picked some beauties, but we’re turning it over to you, too. If you’ve got a forgotten classic, a lesser-loved anthem, hit us up on popgem@officialcharts.com. If we pick yours, you get a prize! Ooooh!

This week: one half of pop’s kookiest siblings joins the Pop Gem hall of fame, picked by OfficialCharts.com follower David Wriglesworth over on Facebook, who tells us: "I used to sing it into a hairbrush all those years ago and I still get the temptation to do so when I hear it today!" Us too!

Natasha Bedingfield – Unwritten

Sussex-born Natasha Bedingfield could be considered to have had something of a leg-up when it came to her pop career. By the time she released her first single – called, erm, Single – in May 2004, her big brother Daniel had already topped the Official Singles Chart three times, with Gotta Get Thru This, If You’re Not The One and Never Gonna Leave Your Side. All eyes were on Natasha – would she be just a wannabe with a famous relative, or would she have the talent to make her own way?

Any doubts soon disappeared when Single peaked at Number 3, and its follow-up These Words went all the way to Number 1. Big hits, certainly, but it was Unwritten which showed us there was a little more to Natasha Bedingfield than we might have first thought.

The inspiring, uplifting track, paired with a beautiful video was a message to anyone who felt like they still had something to prove. It wasn’t too late to make something of yourself, it seemed to say, and who cares about the past when the future is unwritten. Hang on, there appears to be something in my eye and some kind of bizarre lump in my throat. Ahem.

While Natasha couldn’t best big bro Daniel when it came to singles sales – his biggest seller If You're Not The One shifting 580,000 copies, while Natasha’s was These Words with 260,000 sales – we reckon Natasha had a lot to be proud of. Unwritten sold 180,000 copies and peaked at Number 6 in December 2004. She would go on to have four more Top 40 hits, but would never again hit the top spot. Her debut album, also called Unwritten, has sold 1 million copies and was a Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart in September 2004.

See all Natasha’s chart positions in her Artist Archive. Maybe have a peek at Daniel’s too, while you’re there. Do you think they argue about this kind of stuff over the Christmas turkey? Who do you reckon storms off upstairs in a sulk first?

OK, Natasha, over to you… Get scribbling:

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten on MUZU.TV.