Released 2007 Genre Alternative rock Writer(s) Phil Hanseroth | Recorded Vancouver Label Sony BMG Producer(s) T-Bone Burnett | |
"The Story" is a song released as a single by American folk rock singer Brandi Carlile, written by Phil Hanseroth, from her 2007 album The Story. It was featured in Grey's Anatomy in 2007 and is on Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack album 3 (released September 11).
Contents
- Composition and recording
- Release and promotion
- Chart performance and reception
- Sara Ramirez version
- LeAnn Rimes version
- References
About four years later, a version of the song has been recorded by Grey's Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez and was first presented in the 2011 episode "Song Beneath the Song".
Composition and recording
"The Story" was written by Phil Hanseroth, who also plays bass in Carlile's band. It has a 16-bar melody. It was recorded in Vancouver, Canada and produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Release and promotion
"The Story" was released as a single in 2007. It was iTunes' Download of the Week in March 2007. Carlile has performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Early Show.
Along with other songs by Carlile, "The Story" received exposure to a wider audience by being played on the soundtrack to medical drama series Grey's Anatomy. The song, and parts of the video, appeared in 2007 in a special recap episode titled "Every Moment Counts". The song was also used in a General Motors commercial that aired during television coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics. "The Story" has become the most popular song from Carlile's album.
Chart performance and reception
In the United States Brandi Carlile's "The Story" reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as No. 35 on the Adult Pop Songs chart and No. 48 on the Digital Songs chart. The song peaked at No. 44 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, No. 3 on the Norwegian VG-lista chart, No. 16 on the Swiss singles chart and No. 38 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart.
Tom Scanlon of The Seattle Times describes a live performance of "The Story" as "stunning" and "spine-chilling". He notes the transition within the song between acoustic pop-rock and "scream-singing" that resembles Janis Joplin. A writer for Indianapolis Monthly also draws a comparison between Carlile's vocals and those of Joplin.
Sara Ramirez version
In 2011, "The Story" was again featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. The series 7 episode "Song Beneath the Song" was a special musical episode that included renditions of popular songs performed by the show's characters. In the episode Sara Ramirez, in the role of Callie Torres, sings "The Story". Ramirez' version of the song was included as a track on her 2011 extended play, Sara Ramirez and the 2011 album Grey's Anatomy: The Music Event.
LeAnn Rimes version
Country music artist LeAnn Rimes released a cover version of the song on 24 June 2016 in the UK as the first single from her thirteenth studio album Remnants and her first release after signing with RCA UK. Rimes promoted the track with live performances on BBC One's The One Show and at London nightclub Heaven, but the track failed to enter any commercial charts in the UK.
Rimes has indicated that she feels a strong connection with the track. In an interview with Billboard, she said "I fully embrace the journey I am on and have a deeper understanding of how every piece of my story serves a purpose in my evolution as a woman and an artist,This song is not only a love song but a song of self-acceptance and appreciation for life."
A music video directed by Isaac Rentz premiered on Rimes' Vevo channel on 9 August 2016.