Be Not Nobody

Be Not Nobody
Be Not Nobody
Studio album by Vanessa Carlton
Released	April 30, 2002
Studio	IGA Studios (Santa Monica); Henson Studios (Hollywood); Royaltone Studios (Burbank);
Genre	Pop; pop rock;
Length	45:57
Label	A&M
Producer	Ron Fair
Vanessa Carlton chronology
Singles from Be Not Nobody
	"A Thousand Miles"; Released: February 18, 2002; "Ordinary Day"; Released: July 1, 2002; "Pretty Baby"; Released: December 2, 2002;

Be Not Nobody is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on April 30, 2002, through A&M Records. As of late 2004 the album had sold 1.38 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan,^[4] and Variety magazine reported in July 2003 that it had sold 2.3 million worldwide.^[5] Billboard magazine placed Carlton at number twenty-one on its year-end "Top Pop Artists" list for 2002.^[6]

"A Thousand Miles" was released as the lead single from the album and reached the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one in Australia and the top ten in the United Kingdom. Be Not Nobody was certified gold by the RIAA in June 2002, and platinum in October 2002.^[7] "Ordinary Day" charted inside the top forty on the US Hot 100. "Pretty Baby" was remixed and released as the album's third and final single in early 2003. After the single's release, subsequent pressings of the album contained the remixed single version of the song in place of its original album version. "Pretty Baby" did not appear on the Hot 100 or the UK top seventy-five, but was nominated for a 2003 Teen Choice Award for "Choice Love Song".^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[9]
Entertainment Weekly	C^[10]
Rolling Stone	^[11]
Slant Magazine	^[12]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for being "charmingly ambitious" with using "soaring strings, intimate pianos, crooned vocals, and pretty melodies" that showcase Carlton's potential as an emotive songwriter, concluding that: "Be Not Nobody is naïve, but much of it's well crafted and nearly all of it is endearing; it's a rare debut that is quite enjoyable in its own right yet is almost more enticing because of what it suggests that she could do next."^[9] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine felt that the record's "youthful sincerity" saves Carlton from "career-damaging parallels" to Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, but was critical of her vocals rarely reaching the "sonic heights" of said predecessors.^[12] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "She's almost got Tori's intricate keyboard figures and edgy vocal style down, but there'll be none of the famous Amos loopiness in these earnest self-help bromides."^[10] Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone commended the album's impeccable musicanship but felt it was in service of "overwrought victim-of-love material that's been done to death," and critiqued that Carlton's performance compared to her inspirations "seems to be playing dress-up in their emotions and themes."^[11]

Track listing

All songs were written by Vanessa Carlton, except where noted.

"Ordinary Day" – 3:58
"Unsung" – 4:20
"A Thousand Miles" – 3:57
"Pretty Baby" – 3:55
"Rinse" – 4:31
"Sway" – 3:57
"Paradise" – 4:50
"Prince" – 4:09
"Paint It Black" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 3:30
"Wanted" – 3:55
"Twilight" – 4:49

UK bonus track

"Wanted" (Ripe Mix) – 3:55

Japanese bonus tracks

"Twilight" (Live) – 4:07
"Wanted" (Ripe Mix) – 3:55

Asian Tour Edition bonus tracks

"A Thousand Miles (Piano & Vocal - Live in Tokyo)" – 4:02
"Ordinary Day (Piano & Vocal - Live in Holland)" – 3:47
"Paradise" (Piano & Vocal Version) – 3:49
"A Thousand Miles" (Live in New York) (Video) – 4:26

Reissues

"Pretty Baby" (single version) – 4:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and album's liner notes.^[13]^[14]

Musicians

Vanessa Carlton – piano, vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
John Goux – guitar, dulcimer, sitar
Leland Sklar – bass guitar
Ron Fair – vibraphone, organ, harmonica
Alex Al – electric upright bass (8)
Chuck Berghofer – upright bass (7)
Luis Conte – percussion

Orchestra

Endre Granat (concertmaster), Eun Mee Ahn, Jackie Brand, Charlie Bisharat (electric violin on track 6), Becky Bunnell, Bruce Dukov, Franklyn D'Antonio, Mario de León, Joel Derouin, Armen Garabedian, Berj Garabedian, Alan Grunfeld, Clayton Haslop, Tamara Hatwan, Amy Hershberger, Lily HoChen, Kirstin Fife, Tiffany Hu, Natalie Leggett, Phillip Levy, Rene Mandel, Robin Olson, Sid Page, Sara Parkins, Katia Popov, Barbara Porter, Marie Robertson, Anatoly Rosinsky, John Wittenberg, Margaret Wooten, Ken Yerke – violin
Dmitri Boviard, Paul Cohen, Matt Cooker, Brian Dembow, Karen Elaine, Marlow Fisher, Sam Formacola, Keith Grezen, Vicky Miskolczy, Simon Oswell, Karen van Sant, David Walther – viola
Bob Adcock, Larry Corbett, Steve Erdody, Suzie Katayama, Armen Ksadjikian, Tim Landauer, David Low, Cecilia Tsan – cello
Nico Abandolo, Trey Henry, Mike Valerio – double bass
Gayle Levant – harp
Rose Corrigan, Cindy Ellis, Susan Greenberg, Dan Higgins (recorder on track 5), David Shostac, Sheridon Stokes, Larry Williams – woodwinds
Emil Richards – vibraphone (11)
Tommy Morgan – harmonica (11)
Dan Greco – cymbalon (5)
Bill Hughes – orchestra contractor

Technical personnel

Vanessa Carlton – arranger, executive producer
Ron Fair – production, arranger, executive producer, orchestral arrangements and conductor (1–10)
Randy Kerber – orchestral arrangements and conductor (11)
Tal Herzberg – engineer, digital editing
Jack Joseph Puig – mixing (1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Michael C. Ross – engineer, mixing (7, 10, 11)
Hugh Padgham – mixing (4)
Bill Schnee – additional recording
Erik Reichers, Bryan Cook, Jeff Rothschild, Jim Danis, Chris Wonzer, J.D. Andrew, Frank G, Brian Vibberts, Chris Steffen, Jay Goin – assistant engineers
Eddy Schreyer – mastering
Drew FitzGerald – art direction, additional illustration
Kurt Iswarienko – photography
Alan Silfen, Jim Wright – additional photography
Stephanie Woolf – stylist

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Be Not Nobody*
Chart (2002)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[15]	13
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[16]	13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[17]	17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[18]	24
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[19]	20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[20]	14
French Albums (SNEP)^[21]	17
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[22]	7
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[23]	14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[24]	17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[25]	23
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[26]	33
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[27]	10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[28]	44
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[29]	15
UK Albums (OCC)^[30]	7
US Billboard 200^[31]	5
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)^[32]	12

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Be Not Body*
Chart (2002)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[33]	81
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[34]	153
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[35]	98
French Albums (SNEP)^[36]	134
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[37]	78
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[38]	63
UK Albums (OCC)^[39]	109
US Billboard 200^[40]	76

Chart (2003)	Position
US Billboard 200^[41]	188

Certifications

Certifications and sales figures for *Be Not Nobody*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[42]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[43]	Gold	50,000^{^}
Japan (RIAJ)^[45]	Platinum	200,000^[44]
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[46]	Gold	7,500^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[47]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[48]	Platinum	1,380,000^[4]
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2360. February 8, 2002. p. 38.
^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1459. June 28, 2002. p. 26.
^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1481. November 29, 2002. p. 26.
^ ^a ^b "Carlton Finds Harmony On Sophomore CD". Billboard. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
^ "Vanessa Carlton". Variety. July 9, 2003. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
^ "Billboard.biz – Music Business – Billboard Charts – Album Sales – Concert Tours". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
^ RIAA database for Vanessa Carlton
^ "Billboard.biz – Music Business – Billboard Charts – Album Sales – Concert Tours". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Be Not Nobody – Vanessa Carlton". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Willman, Chris (May 10, 2002). "Be Not Nobody". Entertainment Weekly. No. 653. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Hardy, Ernest (May 22, 2002). "Vanessa Carlton: Be Not Nobody". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Cinquemani, Sal (May 1, 2002). "Review: Vanessa Carlton, Be Not Nobody". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
^ "Be Not Nobody – Vanessa Carlton – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ Be Not Nobody (booklet). A&M. 2002.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Ultratop.be – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Ultratop.be – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Danishcharts.dk – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Lescharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Carlton, Vanessa – Be Not Nobody" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Vanessa Carlton". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
^ "ビー・ノット・ノーバディ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
^ "Charts.nz – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
^ "Vanessa Carlton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 20, no. 35. August 25, 2002. p. 8. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2002" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "2002 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Music Canada. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2003年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2003 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 524. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 14. July 10, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
^ "Japanese album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 7, 2016. Select 2003年5月 on the drop-down menu
^ "New Zealand album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Radioscope. Retrieved January 11, 2025. Type Be Not Nobody in the "Search:" field.
^ "British album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
^ "American album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[1] "Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2360. February 8, 2002. p. 38.

[2] "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1459. June 28, 2002. p. 26.

[3] "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1481. November 29, 2002. p. 26.

[billboard10-7-2004-4] "Carlton Finds Harmony On Sophomore CD". Billboard. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[5] "Vanessa Carlton". Variety. July 9, 2003. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2020.

[6] "Billboard.biz – Music Business – Billboard Charts – Album Sales – Concert Tours". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2006.

[7] RIAA database for Vanessa Carlton

[8] "Billboard.biz – Music Business – Billboard Charts – Album Sales – Concert Tours". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2006.

[AM-9] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Be Not Nobody – Vanessa Carlton". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[EW-10] Willman, Chris (May 10, 2002). "Be Not Nobody". Entertainment Weekly. No. 653. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

[RS-11] Hardy, Ernest (May 22, 2002). "Vanessa Carlton: Be Not Nobody". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2011.

[Slant-12] Cinquemani, Sal (May 1, 2002). "Review: Vanessa Carlton, Be Not Nobody". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

[allmusiccredits-13] "Be Not Nobody – Vanessa Carlton – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[liner_notes-14] Be Not Nobody (booklet). A&M. 2002.

[ac_Australia_Vanessa_Carlton-15] "Australiancharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Austria_Vanessa_Carlton-16] "Austriancharts.at – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Flanders_Vanessa_Carlton-17] "Ultratop.be – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Wallonia_Vanessa_Carlton-18] "Ultratop.be – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Denmark_Vanessa_Carlton-19] "Danishcharts.dk – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Netherlands_Vanessa_Carlton-20] "Dutchcharts.nl – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_France_Vanessa_Carlton-21] "Lescharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Germany_Carlton,_Vanessa-22] "Offiziellecharts.de – Carlton, Vanessa – Be Not Nobody" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Ireland2_Vanessa_Carlton-23] "Irish-charts.com – Discography Vanessa Carlton". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 17, 2023.

[24] "ビー・ノット・ノーバディ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.

[ac_New_Zealand_Vanessa_Carlton-25] "Charts.nz – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Norway_Vanessa_Carlton-26] "Norwegiancharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Scotland_-27] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2023.

[ac_Sweden_Vanessa_Carlton-28] "Swedishcharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_Switzerland_Vanessa_Carlton-29] "Swisscharts.com – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

[ac_UK2_-30] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2015.

[ac_Billboard200_Vanessa_Carlton-31] "Vanessa Carlton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2015.

[32] "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 20, no. 35. August 25, 2002. p. 8. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.

[33] "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[34] "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

[35] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[36] "Top de l'année Top Albums 2002" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[37] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[38] "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[39] "2002 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[40] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[41] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[AustraliaVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-42] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[CanadaVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-43] "Canadian album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Music Canada. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[RIAJ-jul2003-44] "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2003年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2003 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 524. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 14. July 10, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2014.

[JapanVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-45] "Japanese album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 7, 2016. Select 2003年5月 on the drop-down menu

[New_ZealandVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-46] "New Zealand album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Radioscope. Retrieved January 11, 2025. Type Be Not Nobody in the "Search:" field.

[United_KingdomVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-47] "British album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[United_StatesVanessa_CarltonBe_Not_NobodyalbumCertRef-48] "American album certifications – Vanessa Carlton – Be Not Nobody". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

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v t e Vanessa Carlton
Discography Awards and nominations
Studio albums	Be Not Nobody Harmonium Heroes & Thieves Rabbits on the Run Liberman Love Is an Art
Singles	"A Thousand Miles" "Ordinary Day" "Pretty Baby" "White Houses" "Nolita Fairytale" "Hands on Me"
Featured singles	"Big Yellow Taxi" "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime"

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