"Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter

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 ...

from her debut studio album, '' Eye to the Telescope'' (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

, whose album cover for ''

Horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

'' (1975) also inspired Tunstall's album cover for ''Eye to the Telescope''. The song was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as the album's second single on 27 February 2006. "Suddenly I See" peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart to become Tunstall's highest-charting single in the UK. It also reached number 21 in the United States, number five in New Zealand, and is Tunstall's only top-50 hit in Australia, where it charted at number six on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song won Tunstall an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

in 2006 in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Music and lyrics

The song itself is a

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

to "female power", inspired by and about American singer and songwriter

. As described in the lyrics, KT Tunstall was inspired to a career in music through looking at a black and white picture of a woman. Admiring her strength and accomplishments, she suddenly realised what she wanted to do with her life. Tunstall stated in an interview that the song was "about

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe ( ; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female Nude (art), n ...

's photograph of Patti Smith on the cover of ''

''". Commenting on the song's later use in '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), Tunstall said: "I didn't realize the lyrics could perfectly fit a chick flick, and it could sound like I was singing about wanting to be a fucking model!" The music has been described as featuring a "chugging rhythm" with a "guitar-bass focused beat", as "compelling", and with "urgency", and having a "shiny production". Although the real focus might be on her "clear vocals", "it's in the growls...that Tunstall truly commands attention". Stylistically, it has been described as a "

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

- pop hybrid".

Music video

There are three different

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s, one for Britain, one for the US, and one animated. The British version, directed by Big TV!, is a simple performance video in which Tunstall and her band play across from another set of Tunstall and her band. The US version, directed by Patrick Daughters features Tunstall in different situations involving a circus in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Filmed in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, the video was produced by Black Dog Films and serviced by local production company Domino Productions with producer Catalin Neagu. This version aired for a short time in the US and has seemingly been replaced in rotations by the animated version. The animated version, directed by Honey (i.e., the husband-and-wife directorial team of Laura Kelly and Nicholas Brooks), features Tunstall walking around an animated pop-up fantasy world, and engages in activities such as walking up giant guitars, riding miniature trains, and drifting off into space.

Track listings

* UK CD single # "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17 # "Girl and the Ghost" – 3:47 * 7-inch single : A. "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17 : B. "Moment of Madness" (live) – 4:38 * UK DVD single # "Suddenly I See" (video) – 3:17 # "Miniature Disasters" (live at

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

) – 5:54 # " Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

) – 3:18 * European CD single # "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:17 # "Girl and the Ghost" – 3:47 # "Moment of Madness" – 4:38 # "Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) – 3:18 * Australasian CD single # "Suddenly I See" (radio version) # " Other Side of the World" (radio version) # " Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (radio version) # "Get Ur Freak On" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) * Digital download # "Suddenly I See" (single version) – 3:20 # "Suddenly I See" (live from the Mercury Lounge) – 5:25

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the '' Eye to the Telescope'' album booklet. Studios * Produced at Nam Studios (

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

, England) * Mixed at Metrophonic (London, England) * Mastered at 360 Mastering (London, England) Personnel * KT Tunstall – writing, vocals, guitar * Arnulf Lindner – baritone guitar, bass * Luke Bullen – drums, percussion,

cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...

* Steve Osborne – production * Ren Swan – mixing * Bruno Ellingham – engineering * Graham Deas – engineering assistance * Dick Beetham – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

*
Video
at Virgin Media {{DEFAULTSORT:Suddenly I See 2004 songs 2005 singles KT Tunstall songs Music videos directed by Big T.V. Patti Smith Relentless Records singles Songs written by KT Tunstall Virgin Records singles Presidential campaign songs