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"A Thousand Years" is in the key of
B-flat major, with a vocal range of F3 to C5.[2]
The song was written about the love affair between Edward and Bella in the novel and subsequent film series Twilight.[3]
Music video
An official lyric video of the song was premiered on October 17, 2011, via Perri's official
Facebook and
Twitter pages as well as her official website. On October 26, 2011, she released an official video for the song on her YouTube channel. The video begins with Perri holding a candle. It features a few clips from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 interspersed between scenes with Perri singing in a room with a floor full of candles. Perri ends the video singing into a sunset.
It has over 2 billion views,[4] making it one of the top 100 most-viewed
YouTube videos.[citation needed]
Cover versions
In March 2018, mothers of children with
Down syndrome in the United Kingdom produced a video cover of the song for
World Down Syndrome Day that went viral. Christina Perri declared her support for the idea and waived any copyright claim to the music in support of the campaign.[5] As of May 2021, the video has over 8 million views.[6]
American band
New Found Glory also covered it on their cover compilation album From The Screens To Your Stereo Vol. 3.
Chart performance
On the week of October 23, 2011, the song debuted at number 63 on the US
BillboardHot 100 chart,[7] and number 70 on
Canadian Hot 100. It eventually reached a peak at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Perri her second top 40 hit. By July 2013, the song has sold over three million digital downloads in the US.[8] As of June 2014, the song has sold 3,657,000 copies in the US.[9] On March 3, 2022, the single was certified
diamond by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling ten million units in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 32 on its original release in 2011. The following year, after the release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, it peaked at number 13. In 2013, it reached a new peak of 11.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201219 into search.