I Don't Want to Be

"I Don't Want to Be" is a song by Gavin DeGraw appearing on his 2003 debut album, Chariot. It was released as a single in Australia in 2003, and in the UK in 2004. The single became DeGraw's biggest hit to date, mainly due to the premiere of One Tree Hill, of which the song is the opening theme; peaking at number ten in the U.S. in January 2005.[1]

"I Don't Want to Be"
Single by Gavin DeGraw
from the album Chariot
Released	September 1, 2004
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3.36
Label	J
Songwriter(s)	Gavin DeGraw
Producer(s)	Mark Endert
Gavin DeGraw singles chronology
"I Don't Want to Be" (2004) "Chariot" (2005)

The song was certified 2x Platinum, having sold over 2,000,000 paid downloads. It is also DeGraw's only single to break the UK Top 40. On May 27, 2012 the song re-entered UK charts reaching number 27, due to the finale of One Tree Hill's 9th and final season airing, which featured DeGraw.

Track listing

1. "I Don't Want to Be" (Album Version)
2. "I Don't Want to Be" (Stripped Version)
3. "Just Friends" (Album Version)
4. "I Don't Want to Be" (Video)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2004–12) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[2] 19 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] 44 Germany (Official German Charts)[4] 99 Ireland (IRMA)[5] 25 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 21 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 30 Norway (VG-lista)[9] 6 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 46 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 27 US Billboard Hot 100[13] 10 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[14] 9 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 48 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 88 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 58 Certifications Region Certification United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver United States (RIAA)[20] Gold

Use in media

• The song is the opening theme to One Tree Hill. DeGraw performs the song on a season 1 episode of One Tree Hill. He returned for the season five finale to perform the song with Jackson Brundage. In the eighth season, several artists covered it for the season's theme music, including Spinnerette, Grace Potter, Against Me!, Kate Voegele, Tegan and Sara, Susie Suh and Patrick Stump. DeGraw also performed the song for the series finale to celebrate their 10th anniversary of Tric.
• The song appears in the game, Karaoke Revolution Party, and is available as part of the downloadable content in the game Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore.

References

1. https://www.billboard.com/music/Gavin-DeGraw/chart-history/hot-100/song/448664
2. "Australian-charts.com – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
3. "Austriancharts.at – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
4. "Offiziellecharts.de – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
5. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gavin DeGraw". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved December 10, 2019.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
8. "Charts.nz – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
9. "Norwegiancharts.com – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". VG-lista. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
10. "Swedishcharts.com – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
11. "Swisscharts.com – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
12. "Gavin DeGraw: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
13. "Gavin DeGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
14. "Gavin DeGraw Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
15. "Gavin DeGraw Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
16. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2005". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
17. "Årslista Singlar – År 2005" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
18. "Billboard Top 100 – 2005". BillboardTop100of.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
19. "British single certifications – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type I Don't Want to Be in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
20. "American single certifications – Gavin DeGraw – I Don't Want to Be". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.