Natalie Imbruglia – Torn ….Under The Covers Tuesday

I really liked this song in the 90s as VH1 would play Natalie’s video almost non-stop through a certain period.

I had no idea that this song was a cover song. Natalie Imbruglia is an Australian actress who was on the Aussie soap opera Neighbours from 1992-1994  Imbruglia was making the leap from soap opera actress to singer and recorded Torn as her debut single. The song was a phenomenon and shot the then-22-year-old to worldwide fame. I always thought she wrote this song.

Ednasnap

It was actually written by Los Angeles musicians Anne Preven, Scott Cutler, and producer Phil Thornalley in 1993 – and later released by their band Ednaswap. It had been covered twice before Imbruglia recorded it. It has more of a rock edge to it and I like it a lot.

Anne Preven said the demo they did of the song was more like the pop version done by Imbruglia. She said they didn’t want to be labeled as a pop band when Nirvana and harder bands were popular at the time.

The Imbruglia version peaked at #42 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #2 in the UK, #5 in New Zealand…. and #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, #1 Adult Contemporary, and #1 on Mainstream Top 40 Billboard Charts. in 1997-98. I am shocked it didn’t peak higher on the Billboard 100…well there is a reason for that.

The song was released only as a radio promo single, however, as Imbruglia’s label withheld the availability of a single in the hope that consumers would instead purchase her album. Songs that were not available for purchase as singles were ineligible for the Hot 100 until December 5, 1998, when Billboard revised the policy, allowing songs not available at retail to appear on the chart with airplay factored into the ranking. Torn was at the end of its run at this point, but still managed to make the chart at #42 that week before dropping off two weeks later.

At first, no American label wanted to release the song. That is until it started to get popular in other countries.

Anne Preven: We didn’t want to be a little pop-act, so we were overly self-conscious about it. And in retrospect, now that I’m older and I can see, I think… God we’re such idiots. [But] I don’t regret it now at all. The song changed both Scott’s and my life in terms of everything. It showed us we should stick to songwriting and not waste too much time in the band. And that all worked out great for us.

Producer and co-writer Phil Thornalley: We didn’t think anything of Natalie’s version… we thought it was just another European cover. And we really didn’t give it another thought, until, all of a sudden, we get a call saying it’s number one in the UK. For Scott and me it was obviously a mixed bag. We were thrilled to have a hit. But it was also bittersweet because it wasn’t our band.

Scott Cutler: Natalie’s version was very much the version we wrote. It was just a couple beats per minute faster. And a little bit higher, I think. In the moment I thought it was little light. I love it now – when I hear it I get it. Seeing the video I remember thinking, ‘Oh she’s really got it made. She just looked cool – she had the jumper on, there was just something about the video. I got the video.

Scott Cutler on the money it brought in: It’s just some phenomenal amount of money. For one song… It comes in spits and spurts, but it starts out slow and then one day you get a check for like $300,000 or some crazy number. And you think it’s a mistake. Like, I have a check here for $297,000? [You think] someone added one zero too many and some day they’re going to come ask for their money back. And then it starts doing this crazy thing for about a year or two. And then it just becomes this yearly thing where every year you get a check every quarter and it stays up in a decent number – it’s not ending.

Even now…years after the song was released…the songwriters receive around $150,000 a year each from Natalie Imbruglia’s version.

Here is the version that Imbruglia heard

Here was the rock version released by Ednaswap

Torn

I thought I saw a man brought to life
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry
Well, you couldn’t be that man I adored
You don’t seem to know, or seem to care what your heart is for
But I don’t know him anymore

There’s nothin’ where he used to lie
The conversation has run dry
That’s what’s goin’ on

Nothing’s fine, I’m torn
I’m all out of faith
This is how I feel
I’m cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I’m wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You’re a little late
I’m already torn

So I guess the fortune teller’s right
Should’ve seen just what was there and not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my veins and now

I don’t care, I had no luck
I don’t miss it all that much
There’s just so many things

That I can touch, I’m torn
I’m all out of faith
This is how I feel
I’m cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I’m wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You’re a little late
I’m already torn
Torn

There’s nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
And that’s what’s goin’ on

Nothing’s right, I’m torn
I’m all out of faith
This is how I feel
I’m cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I’m wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
I’m all out of faith
This is how I feel
I’m cold and I’m ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You’re a little late
I’m already torn
Torn
Oh

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

39 thoughts on “Natalie Imbruglia – Torn ….Under The Covers Tuesday”

    1. I loved the song but again…our radio station didn’t play it but I was living in my own apartment at this time…so I saw it alot on VH1…I always liked this one.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Well, one of the not many hits of the 90s where seeing it & hearing it might surpass just hearing it…if you catch my subtle drift, LOL

        Liked by 1 person

  3. If you like Natalie Imbruglia’s – ‘Torn’, I imagine you would also like fellow Australian Missy Higgins who had a string of hits in the early 2000’s with ‘Scar’ the main attraction. Pretty good song!

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  5. Great choice with the song and the different versions! I worked at a Top 40 station around 1997 and this song was in rotation. After a couple of weeks, the program director came in and let us all know the “g” was supposed to be silent in Imbruglia. Whoops!

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  6. What a nice retirement gift cashing in 150 grand every year! I had to play the Natalie version than played the original. They are both good for what they offer. Had no idea this was cover song to begin with. I learned something new here today which is usually the case lol

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      2. Ok…yes I read that while doing this…in Australia I believe right? Now they are two young ladies I would have loved to have met when I was 20 lol.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I’m embarrassed to say I never knew what the lyrics were but loved the sound of the song. These are deep. This gets to me:

    “Illusion never changed
    Into something real”

    Oh wow didn’t even recognize the original from the cover I’m used to hearing. That’s a lot of money for the songwriters. Where do I sign up 😉 One last thing: I want the guy in that video. lol

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  10. DUDE! I love this song and had no idea it was a cover. I bought Natalie’s CD. The other tracks are good, too.

    I love the Ednaswap “demo” recording, the one Natalie heard. Love the “waa-waa” sound. The slow rock version…no. The music, itself, is good but, Anne Preven sounds constipated.

    The very next year, Sheryl Crow released her The Globe Sessions CD and in 2001, Michelle Branch showed up. Damn. I miss all that excellent girl music back then.

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  11. I’ve always liked that catchy tune and had no idea Natalie Imbruglia’s rendition was a cover. I also didn’t realize the “g” in her last name is silent, so have butchered it for all these years!

    As to Ednaswap’s original version, I agree it’s not bad at all. Whether I like it better than Imbruglia with the silent “g” I don’t really know- I’m torn!

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  12. I too had no idea Imbruglia’s version was a cover. And Ednaswap is a terrible name for a band! Finally, it’s amazing how much money songwriters can make if one of their songs becomes hugely popular, often earning far more than the artists who sing them.

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  13. Pingback: Natalie Imbruglia – Torn ….Under The Covers Tuesday – MobsterTiger

  14. “Torn” was a cover! For over 20 years, I put this up there with the “original” greats! I never did any research on it. I just cried to it every week. Love this song. Ednaswap’s gets praise for coming first, but it has a cafe opener vibe that just doesn’t hit me like Imbruglia’s. Add texture, speed up the tempo, and belt the refrain and you got me. Song comparisons fascinate me. I’ve been doing some research on Ed Sheeran and his constant comparisons to past songs. The fine line between plagiarism and homage is very thin! Happy Week, Max!

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    1. I remember I saw that video over and over back in the day. I always liked it but I never knew it was a cover either man. This took me by surprise. Yea it’s hard to have a song that doesn’t sound like someone else at this point.

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