Suddenly I See

Album: Eye To The Telescope (2005)
Charted: 12 21
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is inspired by the singer Patti Smith, who also inspired the Eye To The Telescope album cover. Tunstall told The Mail On Sunday's You magazine: "The inspiration for the song was Robert Mapplethorpe's photograph of Patti Smith on the cover of her album Horses. I was staring at it one day thinking it was incredible. It's everything I love about music - mysterious, inviting, frightening."
  • "Suddenly I See" plays in the opening credits of the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada. It was also used as the farewell music for female contestants eliminated from the reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance. Other TV uses include Gray's Anatomy and the debut of Ugly Betty.
  • This song won Tunstall the 2006 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
  • "Suddenly I See" was one of the slowest chart climbers in history. It was on the American Hot 100 chart for 23 weeks before it entered the Top 40.
  • Norwegian Spam wanted to use this song in one of their commercials. Tunstall - a vegetarian - was amused by the request but did not grant them permission to use the song. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Carrie - Burlington, CT
  • Hilary Clinton used this as her presidential campaign music in 2008. Tunstall recalled to Q magazine March 2011: "She had a competition among her supporters to see what music they wanted, and they chose that. But it's dodgy being involved with these things, particularly at the beginning of someone's potential presidential career, because they can go and royally f--k it up, and you become the soundtrack. I'd prefer to be the song that's played when they leave office and they've been brilliant."
  • Inspired by the Horses album cover, Tunstall desperately wanted to be an artist like Patti Smith.

    Suddenly I see
    This is what I wanna be
    Suddenly I see
    Why the hell it means so much to me


    "The chorus was me thinking, 'F---ing hell, that's what I want to be,'" Tunstall told The Guardian. "Not a famous pop star with lots of money, but like this woman who's living her life as an artist. I'd been trying for more than 10 years to be a professional musician. I was just exhausted from trying to persuade other people I was good enough."

Comments: 3

  • Claire from Miller's, MdEveryone says that i am a beautiful girl:)
  • Kate from Burnaby, CanadaI kinda sing this about myself... :P
  • Nora from N/a, FlTHIS SONG REMINDS ME TO KEEP REACHING FOR MY GOALS-AND TO BE A BETTER PERSON !!

    ..."I feel like walking the world
    Like walking the world
    You can hear she's a beautiful girl
    She's a beautiful girl
    She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
    Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
    What you heard
    She likes to leave you hanging on a word...."

see more comments

Editor's Picks

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.