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I Don't Want to Be

"I Don't Want to Be" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw from his 2003 debut album, Chariot. The song gained exposure after the chorus was featured as the opening theme to The WB/CW teen drama series One Tree Hill, and it was released as a radio single on February 17, 2004. It peaked at number 10 in the United States in January 2005 and became a top-20 hit in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The song is certified double platinum in the US, having sold and streamed over two million units. In 2012, the song reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, its highest position, due to the finale of One Tree Hills ninth and final season airing, which also featured DeGraw. The song's music video follows the message of the lyrics, featuring a girl investigating her high school peers while they are frozen in time, and she eventually decides to be herself.

Background and composition

Gavin DeGraw wrote the song as a message to adolescents, encouraging them to be themselves and to not let outside factors change their personalities. DeGraw explained:

Upon finishing the song, DeGraw was happy with the results, but he was unsure if the song would become a hit despite being able to "have an impact on people's psyche and on their tapping toe". Musically, the track is written in the key of C minor and proceeds at a moderately slow tempo of 76 beats per minute.

Track listings

UK and Australian CD single

  1. "I Don't Want to Be" (album version) – 3:37
  2. "I Don't Want to Be" (Stripped/acoustic version)
  3. "Just Friends" (album version) – 3:24
  4. "I Don't Want to Be" (video)

European CD single 1

  1. "I Don't Want to Be" (album version) – 3:38
  2. "I Don't Want to Be" (Stripped version) – 4:04
  3. "Get Lost" – 4:26
  4. "I Don't Want to Be" (video)

European CD single 2

  1. "I Don't Want to Be"
  2. "I Don't Want to Be" (Stripped version)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD single liner notes.

Studios

Personnel

  • Gavin DeGraw – lyrics, music, vocals, piano
  • Michael Ward – guitars
  • Alvin Moody – bass
  • Joey Waronker – drums
  • Mark Endert – production, recording, mixing
  • Steve Gryphon – additional editing, additional programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Use in media

References