Not Meant to Be
"Not Meant to Be" is the fifth overall single (first American mainstream single, third Canadian mainstream single and fourth American & Canadian single) by Theory of a Deadman from the album Scars & Souvenirs. It has had airplay in the U.S. and in Canada, on both rock, mainstream, and Hot AC formats (It was released as a rock format and mainstream single in Canada, while "Hate My Life" was released in the U.S. and Canada as a rock format). It was featured on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Album. There was a tab book made for "Not Meant to Be," which includes piano and guitar chords/tabs and lyrics. It was published by Hal Leonard.[1]
| "Not Meant to Be" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Theory of a Deadman | ||||
| from the album Scars & Souvenirs | ||||
| Released | November 18, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | September 2007–January 2008 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) |
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| Lyricist(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Howard Benson | |||
| Theory of a Deadman singles chronology | ||||
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 | |
| Author | Kara DioGuardi (lyrics) Theory of a Deadman Tyler Connolly (lyrics) Dean Back Dave Brenner |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Tablature |
| Publisher | Hal Leonard |
Publication date | 2009 |
| Pages | 8 |
Song meaning
The song is written from the point of view of a man who wants to be with his ex-girlfriend so much after their relationship ends, but she is never satisfied with him and keeps pushing him away, leaving him thinking that their relationship is "not meant to be."
Production
Tyler Connolly and songwriter/producer/American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi wrote the song together at DioGuardi's house.
Amazing. I went over to her place, drank some wine and we wrote 'Not Meant To Be' in 5 minutes. Our writing styles fit together so perfectly it was almost like it was 'meant to be.
- Tyler Connolly[2]
The best part about my job is that you never know who you are going to meet, and who's going to inspire you. Although I'd never worked with Tyler, when he started singing the song, I knew we were onto something special.
- Kara DioGuardi[3]
Music video
The band filmed the music video with Tony Petrossian in February 2009. It features Kara DioGuardi (the song's co-writer/producer) as the love interest. It was released on March 25, 2009. The video begins when Kara walks out on Tyler, breaks up with him and drives away. By the first chorus in the song, all of the non-singing scenes start running backwards: all the objects in the house (including a fish tank, a wine rack, a mirror, a table, two chairs and more) change from broken to unbroken and Kara's car is also shown travelling backwards, implying that the whole timeline of the main story is running in reverse. At the end of the video, Kara goes back to the house and hugs Tyler. The final scene depicts Tyler and Kara hugging each other.
Chart positions
"Not Meant to Be" became the band's highest position on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #55.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 | 53 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 55 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40[4] | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 19 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[5] | 20 |
References
- http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Not-Meant-to-Be/19248094?id=69435&
- http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/260/15150/Theory-Of-A-Deadman-shoot-video-with-American-Idol-judge
- http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/260/15150/Theory-Of-A-Deadman-shoot-video-with-American-Idol-judge
- https://www.billboard.com/music/theory-of-a-deadman/chart-history/
- "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2019.