A Moment Like This

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"A Moment Like This"
Single by Kelly Clarkson
A-side "Before Your Love"
Released September 17, 2002 (2002-09-17)
Format
Recorded 2002
Genre Pop
Length 3:49
Label 19, RCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Certification Platinum
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology
"Before Your Love" / "A Moment Like This"
(2002)		 "Miss Independent"
(2003)

"A Moment Like This" is the debut single by American singer Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first season of American Idol. It was released as a double-A side with "Before Your Love" and topped the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later included on her debut album, Thankful (2003). It is her coronation song from American Idol.

In 2006, the song was recorded and released by British singer Leona Lewis, the winner of the third series of The X Factor. Her version gained the Christmas number one, outselling the rest of the top 40 combined. Lewis' version has sold 914,000 copies as of 2015.

Background

The song was co-written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid (of dance act Nightcrawlers) and produced by Stephen Ferrera and Steve Mac. It was written to be the first single for the winner of the first season of American Idol. As a result, the four remaining finalists, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin, and Tamyra Gray each recorded a version of the song in case he or she won. The song was first revealed to the public when Guarini and Clarkson competed in a final showdown while singing this song, along with another track, "Before Your Love". After the American public had voted, Guarini performed the song (and Clarkson performed "Before Your Love") at the final show before the results were revealed. When Clarkson was announced as the winner, she became emotional, and sang the song as her final performance.

"Before Your Love", was also given to radio and had a video shot, which debuted on MTV's TRL before "A Moment Like This" did; however, it failed to achieve the level of success of "A Moment Like This", but shares the Gold certification as a double-a sided single.

"A Moment Like This/Before Your Love" was certified gold by RIAA on October 18, 2002.[1] As of June 4, 2009, the single has sold approximately 1,047,000 copies.[2]

On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song #11 in its list of Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time.[3]

Critical reception

This song received mixed-to-positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly editor Henry Goldblatt wrote about Clarkson's performance of the song on American Idol: "the woman whose tears during her winning rendition of A Moment Like This were so heartfelt, grown men cried along with her." David Browne, also of Entertainment Weekly, wrote: "A choir at the end of "A Moment Like This" is meant to indicate earthiness."[4] Arion Berger of Rolling Stone wrote that that this song "signaled that Kelly might be headed toward the Mariah-Whitney-Celine radio-ballad sausage mill."[5] Sal Cinuqemani of Slant Magazine wrote that this song is "Adult Contemporary goo.[6] AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the song "may have been a number one hit, but it was such a staid adult contemporary tune that it suggested that her career was over before it really began, since it was not a work that played to her age or audience, and it gave her no room to grow." He also marked this song as a standout on album Thankful.[7]

Chart performance

As the first single ever from American Idol, much pressure was put on "A Moment Like This" to perform well. The debut single from Will Young, the winner of the United Kingdom's Pop Idol (the forerunner to American Idol), sold 1.2 million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling British debut single of all time; however, critics argued that the American singles market was different from the British market. The single became a hit in the U.S., reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It sold 236,000 in its first week.[8] Sales of the commercial single also helped the song (as evidenced by its number-one peak on the Hot 100 Singles Sales) break records. With the release of the single, the song broke The Beatles' record for the biggest leap ever to number one, from 52, in the history of the Hot 100 Chart, a record that would stand for five years. She would break the record again when her song "My Life Would Suck Without You" jumped 96 spots from 97 to 1 in 2009.

Music video

The music video for "A Moment Like This" is relatively simple, and has Clarkson exploring an abandoned theatre. She can be seen taking the stage to sing, and clips of her singing on American Idol and getting emotional when she won are also shown.

Track listing

CD

  1. "Before Your Love" – 4:00
  2. "A Moment Like This" – 3:50

DVD

  1. "Before Your Love" (video) - 3:52
  2. "A Moment Like This" (video) - 3:47

Charts and certifications

Leona Lewis version

"A Moment Like This"
Single by Leona Lewis
from the album Spirit (UK edition)
B-side
Released December 17, 2006 (2006-12-17)
Format
Recorded 2006
Genre
  • Pop
  • R&B
Length 4:17
Label
Writer(s) Jörgen Elofsson, John Reid
Producer(s) Steve Mac
Certification Platinum (UK)
Leona Lewis singles chronology
"A Moment Like This"
(2006)		 "Bleeding Love"
(2007)
Spirit track listing

Template:Spirit (Leona Lewis album) track listing

In December 2006, the song was recorded by British singer Leona Lewis, the winner of series 3 of The X Factor. The single was rush-released on Wednesday, December 20, 2006. This is unusual as most new singles are released on a Monday to gain maximum sales for the UK Singles Chart the following Sunday. The late release of "A Moment Like This" was because Lewis was only chosen as the artist on the night of Saturday, December 16, when the live final was transmitted. The song was available for download after she was announced winner of The X Factor.

It was reported that 1 million copies of the winner's single were pre-ordered by stores and that it was downloaded 50,000 times within 30 minutes of being available online.[18] It was the United Kingdom's second best selling single of 2006.[19] In January 2007, the single was awarded Platinum status by the British Phonographic Industry.[20] The song has sold 914,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of December 2015, according to the Official Charts Company.[21]

In January 2007, "A Moment Like This" was shortlisted for Best British Single at the 2007 BRIT Awards. It made it to the second round but was eliminated and did not make it to the final selection. In May, it was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Best Selling British Single.

Chart performance

Lewis' version of the song broke a world record after it was downloaded 50,000 times within just 30 minutes of release.[22] It sold over 100,000 copies on its first day on sale (an X Factor winner record later beaten by Alexandra Burke in 2008 and then again by James Arthur in 2012)[23] and also went on to become the most downloaded song of 2006. On December 24, it became the Christmas number one, having sold 571,253 copies, outselling the rest of the Top 40 combined.[24]

"A Moment Like This" stayed at number one for four weeks and also topped the Irish Singles Chart for six weeks.[25] On January 4, 2007, it charted at number three on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.[26] On October 28, 2007, after the release of Lewis's second single "Bleeding Love", "A Moment Like This" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 55.

Music video

The music video, like Clarkson's, is very simple, with Lewis singing the song on a stage. It also features several clips from Lewis's time in The X Factor, from her first audition to the moment she was announced the winner. Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Kate Thornton and Ray Quinn all feature within the clips. The video was directed by JT.[27]

Track listing and formats

  • UK CD single
  1. "A Moment Like This" – 4:17
  2. "Summertime" – 2:27
  3. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" – 2:52

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom December 17, 2006 Digital download Syco
December 20, 2006 CD

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ How the American Idol coronation singles stack up, part 1, Idol Chatter.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Kelly Clarkson.
  10. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Kelly Clarkson.
  11. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Kelly Clarkson.
  12. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Kelly Clarkson.
  13. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kelly Clarkson.
  14. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2006-12-24" UK Download Chart.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 51, 2006". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2006-12-24". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2006-12-24" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2006-12-24" UK Download Chart. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter A Moment Like This in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search

External links

Preceded by
"Dilemma" by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (Kelly Clarkson version)
October 5, 2002 – October 12, 2002		 Succeeded by
"Dilemma" by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
Preceded by
"Smack That" by Akon featuring Eminem
 Ireland number-one single (Leona Lewis version)
December 21, 2006 – January 25, 2007		 Succeeded by
"Grace Kelly" by Mika
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single (Leona Lewis version)
December 24, 2006 – January 14, 2007
Preceded by
N/A
 American Idol winner's singles (Kelly Clarkson version)
2002		 Succeeded by
Flying Without Wings
Preceded by The X Factor winner's single (Leona Lewis version)
2006		 Succeeded by
"When You Believe" by Leon Jackson
  1. REDIRECT Template:The X Factor (British)

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