"(Still a) Weirdo" is a 2010 single by Scottish recording artist

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on ''Later... with Jools Holland'', and h ...

. It was released as the UK lead single from her third studio album '' Tiger Suit'' (2010), on 19 September 2010. Written by Tunstall herself and

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and contributed to five songs that pe ...

, and produced by Kurstin, the song is an

acoustic rock Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the ad ...

ballad and talks about still the same (weird) person after many years. It received critical acclaim, with the majority of the critics complimenting Tunstall for the ability to make an intelligent, simple song. It charted inside the top-forty on the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-nine and as of 2023, remains her last UK top 40 hit. It charted also on the Belgian charts, as well as the singles charts in her native Scotland. In the music video, Tunstall travels back in time to the 1960s.

Background

The song was described as a "heartfelt piece of self-assessment". Tunstall explained to MusicRemedy.com that the lyrics of this song are some of her most personal. "It's one of those rare moments where you can see yourself objectively and look into your own emotional machinery and realize what you are."

Reception

Nick Levine from

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

gave a positive review and rated the song with 4 stars out of 5. He says that "in the decidedly less jazzy hands of

, it becomes a sweetly self-deprecating and quietly optimistic little ditty about accepting your faults and making the best of it. 'I don't always get it right, but a thousand different ways and I just might,' she sings over an off-kilter and subtly inventive mix of piano, vocal loops and beatbox beats that has a wee hint of

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

theme to it. The overall effect is not unlike getting a bear hug and being told you're OK really by your best mate the morning after you disgraced yourself down the local in front of your ex - in short, just lovely." Matthew Horton from

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

said that: "More surprising is "(Still a) Weirdo", a quirky slice of

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

y clever-pop that recalls

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

from

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

said,:"Tunstall keeps enough off-kilter grit in her voice to make the claim in "(Still a) Weirdo" stick". Victoria Dillingham from

musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

gave an extremely positive review for the song, saying: "The pre-released single "(Still a) Weirdo" is a light playful track which prompts comparisons with the likes of Feist, Allie Moss and electronica/folk favourites

Peter Bjorn And John Peter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie pop/ rock band formed in Stockholm in 1999, named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass, keyboards, vocals) and John Eriksson, known ...

. As infectious as it is original, this is easily the standout track of the album and exemplifies best the Brit Award winner's ability to marry disparate styles as well as her desire to experiment with her sound, aided and abetted by a revised band and

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...

producer

Jim Abbiss Jim Abbiss is a British music producer, best known for his work on records including the debut album of Editors ('' The Back Room''), Arctic Monkeys' Mercury Music Prize winning debut album, '' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'', ...

". Charlotte Andrews from

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

said: "The sweetly reflective first single "(Still a) Weirdo" – affirm Tunstall's skill at penning catchy yet credible pop hits".

Promotion

Tunstall performed the song on This Morning, on 20 September 2010.

Music video

The music video premiered on 17 August 2010, on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. It was directed by Paul Minor and was shot in

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

, and shows Tunstall in the 1960s, walking around a town with her guitar.

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Still A Weirdo 2010 singles KT Tunstall songs Rock ballads Folk ballads Songs written by Greg Kurstin Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin 2010 songs Virgin Records singles Songs written by KT Tunstall