"Something in the Water" is the lead single from New Zealand singer-songwriter

Brooke Fraser Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood (née Fraser; born 15 December 1983) is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She uses both her maiden and married names professionally. After signing with Sony BMG in 2002, she gained recognition for her debut album, ...

's third studio album, ''

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'' (2010). It was released by

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

in New Zealand on 2 August 2010 and subsequently became her first chart-topper, reaching number one on New Zealand's

RIANZ Singles Chart Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

in October. It was also her first international hit, reaching the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

Background and reception

Fraser told fans via

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that " Something in the Water'is a bit different to what you might be used to from me". Scott Kara from ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...

'' called the song "a right little thigh-slapper, with a bit of a stomp to it, and it's about good times, drinking wine, and being in love." ''

The Sunday Star-Times The ''Sunday Star-Times'' is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand ...

Grant Smithies referred to it as "an unexpectedly perky country-pop ditty built around a rollicking bluegrass stomp." Both writers compared the song to the busts of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

Chart performance

"Something in the Water" debuted on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

of 9 August 2010 at number 10. On 18 October 2010 it peaked at number one, replacing

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

' " Just the Way You Are"; this was Fraser's first number-one single in her home country and eighth top 20 single overall, spending a total of 29 weeks on the chart. At the end of the year, the single made it to number 16 on the year-end chart. It also proved to be her breakout hit in Australia and Europe. The song debuted and peaked at number 29 on Australia's

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

on 7 November 2010, spending six weeks in the top 50. In 2011, the song was released in Europe and became a major hit in German-speaking countries, reaching number eight in Germany and Luxembourg and number 10 in Austria and Switzerland. The song also charted in Belgium, France (in 2012), and the Netherlands. Although Fraser's prior single " Shadowfeet" did enter the US

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chart, "Something in the Water" did not continue Fraser's success in that country.

Music video

According to Fraser via

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, the video for "Something in the Water" was shot in August. Directed by Joe Kefali and Campbell Hooper, it was released onto

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 31 August 2010. The video contains both live action and animated scenes. The live action portions portray Fraser in a room with a copy of the

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epic ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'', and the animated portions pay homage to the epic.

Track listings

CD single # "Something in the Water" – 3:04 # "Orphans, Kingdoms" – 3:55 Digital EP # "Something in the Water" – 3:04 # "Orphans, Kingdoms" – 3:54 # "Coachella" (Extended Version) – 4:32

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2010 singles APRA Award winners Brooke Fraser songs Number-one singles in New Zealand 2010 songs Sony Music singles Songs written by Brooke Fraser