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"Heartbeat"
Single by The Fray
from the album Scars & Stories
Released	October 11, 2011 (U.S.)
Recorded	2011 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Rock pop rock alternative rock
Length	3:38
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Isaac Slade Joe King
Producer(s)	Brendan O'Brien
The Fray singles chronology
"Syndicate" (2010) "Heartbeat" (2011) "Run for Your Life" (2012)

"Heartbeat" is the first single from the Fray's third album Scars & Stories. The band premiered the song while opening for U2 on their U2 360° Tour in May 2011. The song was released for airplay on October 8, 2011, and was released for download in the United States on iTunes on October 11, 2011.

Meaning

Isaac Slade mentioned that song was inspired by his experiences traveling abroad; it is essentially about "a woman escaping a horrible situation in the middle of the night and coming back to life."

"That song came out of a period of my life when I was trying hard to be open to whatever came my way. I traveled through South Africa and Rwanda with a buddy, and at first it was really hard to stay open in the face of so much pain and heartache. But then I ended up meeting so many cool and inspiring people, and all these ideas for lyrics and melodies just started rushing in.”

The chorus of the song reflects a particular moment when a woman was sharing a deeply moving story about the genocides in Rwanda, and held Isaac's hand.

Oh, I'm feeling your heartbeat

And oh, you're comin' around, comin' around, comin' around

If you can love somebody, love them all the same.

You gotta love somebody, love them all the same.

I'm singing, oh, I feel your heartbeat.

On the Fray's official website, Slade explained:

The inspiration specifically came from a chance meeting with an expatriate woman. Speaking of the miracle of the capital city overcoming such remarkable odds, the two held hands and Slade reveals I felt so connected to her. I couldn’t tell if it was her pulse or mine.

Music video

Joe King first announced that the principal photography for the video was taking place on October 14, 2011 via Twitter, and has since then concluded. The "beach themed" music video was shot on Sycamore Cove State Beach in Ventura County, California and was directed by Justin Francis. The video was made available on iTunes on November 15, 2011 and was released via Vevo on November 17. The song is also played in the trailer for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen".

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, with digital sales of 50,000 for its opening week and has climbed to number 10 on the US Adult Pop Songs since its debut. As of June 21, 2012, the single has sold 500,000 copies worldwide.

References

1. "World Premiere: The Fray "Heartbeat"". mixp41fm.radio.com. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
2. "Amazon.com: Heartbeat: The Fray: MP3 Downloads". amazon.com. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
3. "Interview: The Fray's Isaac Slade Admits to 'Sophomore Slump'; Reveals 'Scars & Stories' is Finished". Ralphieversa.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
4. "The Fray Releases New Single: "Heartbeat"". Hitpredictor.com. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
5. "The Fray- Heartbeat". TheFray.net. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
6. "@The Fray". Twitter.com. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
7. "The Fray 'Heartbeat' by Justin Francis". PromoNews.tv. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
8. "Video Static: Music Video News". VideoStatic.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
9. "Chart Moves: Coldplay Rebounds on Hot 100; Plus Album Debuts from Britney Spears, Erasure October 20, 2011". Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
10. "Chart Moves: Coldplay Rebounds on Hot 100; Plus Album Debuts from Britney Spears, Erasure October 20, 2011". Billboard.biz. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
11. "This just in: Half a million people have now paid for our song Heartbeat. That's awesome. -BW #thanks". Twitter.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
12. "Issue 1136" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
13. "The Fray Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
14. "The Fray Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
15. "The Fray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
16. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
17. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
18. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
19. "The Fray Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
20. "The Fray Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
21. "The Fray Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
22. "Adult Alternative Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
23. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Official UK website

• 2011 singles
• 2011 songs
• Epic Records singles
• The Fray songs
• Music videos directed by Justin Francis
• Songs written by Isaac Slade
• Songs written by Joe King (guitarist)