Torn

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"Torn"
Single by Ednaswap
from the album Ednaswap
B-side	None
Released	1995
Format	CD single
Genre	Rock, Post-grunge
Label	Eastwest Records
Writer(s)	Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Phil Thornalley
Producer	Phil Thornalley
Ednaswap singles chronology
"Glow" (1995) "Torn" (1995)

"Torn" is a song by the band Ednaswap from their debut album Ednaswap (1995). It was their second single from that album, after "Glow". "Torn" was written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Rusty Anderson and Phil Thornalley during a demo session in 1991 before Ednaswap was formed. The lyrics were written by Preven while the guitar parts were arranged by Anderson. Thornalley produced the session. In 1997, it was covered famously by Natalie Imbruglia after having been covered by Scandinavian singers Lis Sørensen in 1993, and Trine Rein in 1996.

Tracklisting

1. "Torn" (Edit) (3:52)
2. "Torn" (LP Version) (4:23)

Covers and versions

This song has been covered a surprising number of times, considering that it was written by a nearly unknown alternative rock band; this is due to Thornalley's involvement, as he worked with all of the artists who covered it. The first recorded version of the song was a translation by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, "Brændt", (which translates to "Burnt" in English) in 1993. Sørensen's version has a classic rock acoustic feel, and at 5:01 is considerably longer than any of the other versions. Stylistically it is very close to Imbruglia's version, most likely because (as Anne has said in an interview) their early demo was almost exactly like Imbruglia's version. There are also some similarities to the Ednaswap version, including a longer bridge and a very long outro. The outro does not include the guitar solo at the end.

The second version of the song can be found on Ednaswap's self-titled first album. The sound is much darker than Imbruglia's version, but has an almost identical arrangement. It is characterized by haunting and somewhat harsh electric guitars, a longer bridge that does not include a breakdown (which the Imbruglia version, Trine Rein version and Lis Sørenson version all do), and a very long outro that fades out before it is finished. The bridge is the only part of the song where the acoustic guitar chords that are prominent in every other version can be easily heard.

After Ednaswap released their original album, it was covered by Norwegian singer Trine Rein on her 1996 album Beneath My Skin. Trine Rein's version is almost exactly like Imbruglia's version (and is even in English), but has a much more melodramatic feel, with piano chord hits throughout and harder electric guitar accents. The Trine Rein version has a similar bridge to Lis Sørenson's version, as long as the original Ednaswap version, but with a breakdown like the Imbruglia version.

In 1996, Ednaswap released a completely retooled version on Chicken. The song is much slower and very spare, with lots of guitar shredding. The first verse is very subtle, and kicks into high gear after the first chorus. There is no bridge, and a very short outro without the guitar solo that is in almost every version. In all, it is presented as a power ballad and sounds much "rawer" and harder than the other versions.

In 1997, Ednaswap released Wacko Magneto which has a remixed version of the song from the "Chicken" EP. The only difference between the two are the imperceptible background vocal effects and screeching guitars at some points of the song.

Later in 1997, it was covered by Natalie Imbruglia, gaining its widest recognition. Imbruglia's version is very soft, with a dance beat throughout. Of all the versions of the song, it is the most pop-oriented and is said, by co-writer Anne Preven, to be sung in a "lobotomized" fashion. The main difference between this version and Trine Rein's version is that Natalie repeats the word "Torn" several times before the end of verses. Natalie Imbruglia also did an MTV Unplugged version of the song, which removed the outro. Preven and the other band members have at times expressed dissatisfaction that their versions of the song went unnoticed while Imbruglia's was picked up with the backing of major label promotion.

In 1998, Ednaswap released a "Radio Mix" of the song on their single "Back on the Sun". It seems to be influenced by the success of Natalie's pop version of the song, although it does foreshadow the change in their sound found in Wonderland Park and also is very similar in sound to "Back on the Sun". The version is almost a melding of the Chicken version and Imbruglia's version. It is very soft, but not emotionless, with an acoustic retooling of the Chicken guitar. There are also many electronic accents throughout the song. There is no bridge, and the outro is sung by Ednaswaps's lead singer Anne Preven rather than played on an electric guitar.

Other covers include those done by dance cover artist Natalie Browne, punk band Off by One, and many Latin American artists.

There are also quite a few live versions of the song, including the Live on Howard Stern version performed by Anne Preven as part of Annetenna and was given kudos by Stern himself.

Natalie Imbruglia version

"Torn"
Single by Natalie Imbruglia
from the album Left of the Middle
B-side	"Sometimes" "Frightened Child" "Contradictions" "Diving In The Deep End"
Released	October 27, 1997 (AUS,UK) February 3, 1998 (U.S.)
Format	CD single
Genre	Pop
Length	4.06 (Album Version)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Cutler, Preven, Thornalley
Producer	Phil Thornalley
Certification	Platinum (ARIA)
Natalie Imbruglia singles chronology
"Torn" (1997) "Big Mistake" (1998)

In 1997, Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia covered the song for her debut album Left of the Middle. Released as a single, Imbruglia's version became a worldwide hit. At the time of its release, U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart rules did not allow airplay-only songs to chart, so the song was prevented from achieving a high position on that chart despite remaining atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart for eleven weeks.

For the track, Natalie Imbruglia received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". The music video for "Torn" features British actor Jeremy Sheffield.

The Natalie Imbruglia version was recorded in Kilburn, London with David Munday (Lead Guitar), Phil Thornalley (Bass, Rhythm Guitars), Chuck Sabo (Drums), Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker (Zero Seven) (Drum Programming) and Katrina Leskanich (Background vocals). It was mixed by Nigel Godrich.

Comedian David Armand performed a comedy mime interpretation of the song, in character as "Johann Lippowitz, Vienna's foremost interpretive dance artist", which was circulated widely on the internet. At Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball 2006, Imbruglia and Armand performed a live duet of the song.

The video of the song was rated the second best video of all time by MTV Italy.

"Diving in the Deep End"

There is some confusion among Natalie Imbruglia fans regarding the b-side "Diving In The Deep End". Two versions exist: a 3:30 version and a 3:54 version. The only difference between the two is that on the shorter version there is an abrupt ending where the longer version continues to a fade. The shorter version is a source of much annoyance among fans, as the abrupt ending seems more of a manufacturing error than something that was intentionally created by the artist, co-writers and producers.

To make matters more confusing to any new Natalie Imbruglia collector, the times displayed on all editions of the single are incorrect. The full (3:54) version is available on the 2-track French edition of the single, where the duration of the track is listed as being 3:30. The shorter (3:30) version is available on the UK CD2 3-track edition, which was withdrawn a day after release due to this manufacturing error. The (3.54) version is also available on the Bonus Disc of the Australian version of Left Of The Middle (where it is incorrectly listed on the back cover as being 3.29 in length).

Tracklisting

BMG international single / UK CD Single #1

1. "Torn" (4:06)
2. "Sometimes" (3:52)
3. "Frightened Child" (1:37)

UK CD Single #2

1. "Torn" (4:06)
2. "Contradictions" (4:07)
3. "Diving in the Deep End" (3:30)

French CD single

1. "Torn" (4:06)
2. "Diving in the Deep End" (3:54)

Charts

The physical single of Imbruglia's version of the song has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, including more than 1.01 ^[1] million copies in the UK alone, where it peaked at #2 and is the second biggest-selling single in history not to have topped the chart. On September 24, 2007 the Natalie Imbruglia's version of the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at #70, on the strength of digital sales after her greatest hits album was released. In Flanders (Belgium) the single peaked at a number one for 7 constitutive weeks and was on charts for 22 weeks. On the ultratop of all years it is still on a position of 107.

As a result of rules preventing tracks which had not been released as physical singles from charting on the Billboard Hot 100, the song did not chart there during its peak of popularity in the United States. In late 1998, when the song was declining in popularity, the rules changed to allow airplay-only songs onto the chart, and the song charted for 20 weeks, peaking at number 42.

References