No One Noticed

Album: Submarine (2024)
Charted: 50 22
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "No One Noticed" is about loneliness, longing, and the ache for connection. The Marias vocalist and lyricist Maria Zardoya sings of a relationship haunted by emotional distance, capturing the restlessness and unease of loving someone who's always just out of reach.
  • The Marias drummer Josh Conway and producer Alessandro Buccellati (known for work with Arlo Parks and SZA) create an immersive, melancholy soundscape - a dreamy blend of indie pop and haunting ethereal vibes. It feels like drifting through a fog of emotions, both soothing and achingly solitary.
  • Released on May 3, 2024 as part of a double single with "If Only," the track gave fans a glimpse into The Marias' sophomore album, Submarine, which dropped four weeks later.
  • María Zardoya and Josh Conway were romantically involved when they started the band. After seven years together, they ended their romance; Submarine dives headfirst into the deep waters of their breakup.

    "Submarine is an album that represents solitude and exploration," shared Zardoya. "We wrote it in the throws of heartbreak, my mind spiraling at each turn, my vision a blur. No one noticed, but there were moments during the writing process where I felt like my mind was underwater and where I couldn't hear anything except for the echo of my own thoughts."

    The lyrics of "No One Noticed," with its themes of invisibility, loneliness, and unrequited love, echo the emotional fallout from their relationship.
  • Slowly but surely, "No One Noticed" gained traction on TikTok. Its poignant breakdown, "Come on, don't leave me, it can't be that easy, babe. If you believe me, I guess I'll get on a plane," became a go-to soundtrack for videos capturing feelings of sadness and isolation.
  • Among the track's more notable fans is Billie Eilish, who posted a clip of herself singing along to it on Instagram on July 17, 2024. Her endorsement helped propel the song even further into viral territory.
  • The album artwork features underwater imagery, with the band members submerged in a pool. The photo shoot was particularly challenging for Zardoya, not just because of the physical discomfort of being underwater, but also due to personal circumstances. She stated to Variety, "I was miserable," explaining that her father had suffered a stroke in the days before the shoot, adding to her emotional strain.
  • The Marías released extended versions of "No One Noticed" in both English and Spanish on November 15, 2024. The extended versions depart from the original demo by omitting the opening verse, allowing us to delve directly into Zardoya's fragile mental state. In the Spanish version, a third verse takes the emotional weight even further.

    Estás tan dentro de mí
    Te sigo pensando
    Te sigo esperando
    Y estás
    Tan lejos de mí
    Te sigo pensando
    Me canso llorando


    Translates as:
    You're so deep inside me
    I'm still thinking about you
    I'm still waiting for you
    And you are
    So far away from me
    I'm still thinking about you
    I get tired crying


    According to the press release, the extended versions allow for "a more immersive experience" and provide "more space for listeners to immerse themselves in the song's atmosphere."
  • Zardoya began writing "No One Noticed" during the pandemic in 2020, gradually piecing together a demo before ultimately shelving it for a while. It wasn't until later that the band reconsidered it for Submarine.

    For many months, the song was overlooked as The Marías searched for a breakthrough single, assuming that meant something more uptempo than the slow, dreamy feel of "No One Noticed."

    "We were understandably getting a little pressure from the label, and I think the first thing labels look for in a 'hit' is tempo," Zardoya explained to Billboard.

    But once they took Submarine on tour, the band noticed "No One Noticed" was drawing some of the loudest cheers. Friends, fans, and online commenters alike started calling it a standout. By July 2024, TikTok had picked up the song, fueling its momentum.

    As their crowds grew, so did the track's audience. Initially a viral moment, "No One Noticed" soon made its way to streaming playlists and eventually, radio, as it became an unexpected hit.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Music Video Director David Hogan

Music Video Director David HoganSong Writing

David talks about videos he made for Prince, Alabama, Big & Rich, Sheryl Crow, DMB, Melissa Etheridge and Sisters of Mercy.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.