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My memory of first encountering Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” is hazy, likely sometime in 2006 during its remarkable 42-week ascent on the Billboard Hot 100. This pop ballad, with its infectious rhythm and captivating opening line – “I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined” – could have subtly infiltrated my consciousness even earlier, such was its pervasive nature. “Unwritten” wasn’t just a song; it was arguably the Unwritten Song of the 2000s, an inescapable melody that would unconsciously draw me in, my cerebellum humming along even before the chorus exploded 47 seconds in:
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
I spent countless days alternating between passionately belting out this chorus in private spaces and quietly mouthing the words while navigating the familiar streets of my New York City hometown, readjusting after my college years in Philadelphia. While Wikipedia claims “Unwritten” was the most played song in the U.S. that year, a statistic I can’t verify, it certainly felt true. What resonated then, and continues to resonate every time I hear this track, is how it simultaneously acknowledges the past and embraces the future, offering comfort in whatever emotion the present holds. The lyric “staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window” is a powerfully refreshing invitation to recognize that your best self is always ahead. As a recent college graduate with a history degree, juggling night shifts as a doorman and daytime clerical work, this message was profoundly liberating. The sheer endorphin rush each time Bedingfield’s vocals soared was undeniable.
Initially, Epic Records executives were unsure if Bedingfield’s sound would translate to American radio. However, by the time MTV launched “The Hills” in May 2006, a reality series chronicling the lives of affluent young women in Los Angeles, “Unwritten” had become an undeniable hit. This success prompted Epic to reissue her album. Around this time, I met my girlfriend, and weekends in the city were often spent binge-watching “The Hills” on DVR, religiously watching the opening credits to hear “Unwritten.” Lauren Conrad driving towards her “blank page” on a California highway, LC and Heidi Montag “reaching for something in the distance” in their new apartment, Audrina Patridge embracing LA nightlife “with arms wide open” – all underscored by the poignant realization that “the rest is still unwritten.”
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Even after countless radio plays, the allure of “Unwritten” remained. It’s a song that seems to improve with each listen, especially when sung with unrestrained enthusiasm from your living room, its lyrics of self-determination and destiny resonating deeply.
“It’s not a particularly clever song,” Bedingfield herself admitted to CNN in 2008. “But lyrically it really came from my heart.” When MTV announced the reboot of “The Hills” in 2019 – The Hills: New Beginnings – nearly a decade after Brody Jenner’s farewell to Kristin Cavallari (accompanied, of course, by an acoustic rendition of “Unwritten”), it struck me how deeply ingrained this unwritten song had become in my life. I proposed to my girlfriend shortly after the original show’s finale, and “The Hills” and “Unwritten” were integral to our relationship’s soundtrack, just as the reboot would become a part of our married life.
Danielle Brisebois, the songwriter behind “Unwritten,” hadn’t heard of Bedingfield before their collaboration. Brisebois’s diverse career, from child actor to musician and songwriter for artists like Kelly Clarkson and Kylie Minogue, culminating in an Oscar nomination for “Lost Stars,” speaks to her songwriting prowess. She, along with her writing partner Wayne Rodrigues, were tasked by Epic to inspire Bedingfield. “When we were making that first record, she was living at our house more than her hotel most of the time,” Brisebois recounted.
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“I had an immediate connection to Natasha,” Brisebois explained. “I felt a sizzle, and I instantly knew I had met someone important to my life.” Brisebois’s songwriting process is unique. She would often record melodies into her answering machine, later transitioning to her iPhone. “Whenever I write with an artist, I do what I do,” she said, “but I try to bring out the beauty I see in the person I’m writing with.” During their sessions, she inquired about Bedingfield’s own writing, leading Bedingfield to open a computer file titled “Unwritten” – a heartfelt letter to her brother. Brisebois was struck by its raw honesty. “When you love someone that much,” Bedingfield has said, “you have to be really honest.”
The creation of “Unwritten,” this iconic unwritten song, took two days. Brisebois’s husband, Nick Lashley, contributed the song’s signature guitar riff, and Bedingfield’s sister and friend added gospel-inspired vocals. However, “Unwritten” was never intended as a grand anthem. “I was writing what I needed to hear for myself,” Brisebois revealed. “I was inspired by my own struggles. You write what you need to learn.”
The iconic line, “Feel the rain on your skin,” originated from Brisebois’s personal experiences. As a struggling singer in New York City, often without money for transport, she would walk home in the rain. “To get through the hard times, my mantra was, ‘You’re lucky because you’re experiencing the rain,’” Brisebois shared. “It would get me home as I was soaking wet, and those experiences came to mind as I was writing the chorus.”
This line, perfectly adaptable to any vocal volume, encapsulates the song’s emotional core. “There is a hopefulness to the song, the willingness to work through pain to keep going,” Brisebois elaborated. This emotional resonance also appealed to Liz Gately, creator of “Laguna Beach,” who was developing “The Hills” spin-off. While Hilary Duff’s “Come Clean” served as the theme for “Laguna Beach,” and Clarkson’s “Breakaway” was initially considered for “The Hills,” Adam DiVello, the show’s creator, explained that “they decided to give [“Unwritten”] a shot and it just stuck.” (Interestingly, DiVello mentioned “Unwritten” had “just [come] out,” despite its 2004 debut, while Clarkson’s single had been re-released just weeks before “The Hills” premiere. Corporate synergy also likely played a role, given Bedingfield’s label, Epic, and MTV’s parent company, both within the Sony BMG network, leading to “The Hills: Original Soundtrack” release.)
While appreciating “Breakaway,” it’s difficult to imagine it soundtracking Heidi and Spencer Pratt’s first encounter. “Breakaway” might have a “moving to a big city theme,” as DiVello described, but the essence of navigating life’s ups and downs is truly captured in the Bedingfield-Brisebois collaboration, this deeply personal unwritten song. “If you try to sell someone a cheap suit, the seams will show through,” Brisebois aptly stated.
Brisebois was unaware of “Laguna Beach” or “The Hills” when MTV licensed the song. “I was just happy someone liked it.” Even years later, she hasn’t watched an episode. With the reboot’s premiere, she noted, “It’s great to be associated with something that people connect to.”
She concluded, “‘Unwritten’ is now a character on the show.”
Now, hearing “Unwritten” instantly transports me back to watching “The Hills” with my wife, creating a shared experience alongside the show’s cast. A few years ago, attending a friend’s wedding in Laguna Beach, my wife and I drove along the CA-73, entering the city. We experienced another shared moment, one we hadn’t had since “Unwritten” faded from regular rotation. We connected an iPhone, opened the sunroof, and played “Unwritten” at full volume. Despite the undeniable cheesiness, and the Laguna Beach “blasphemy” of choosing Bedingfield over Hilary Duff, it felt perfect to shout:
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else, can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
***
Matt Giles is the head of fact-checking at Longreads.
