If You're Not the One

"If You're Not the One" is written as a love ballad. admitting that he believed that the song is "cheesy." Bedingfield admitted he began writing the song because he realized that material he considered more "complex" was unlikely to get him a record deal. He said, "I didn't want to put "If You're Not the One" on the album as I thought it was too cheesy. I thought it sounded like Westlife. But she (Natasha Bedingfield, his sister) loved it. Women that hear it go all soft and think it's lovely". ==Composition==

"If You're Not the One" plays for 4 minutes and 19 seconds, in common time. It is in the key of B-flat major, and the chorus features Bedingfield singing falsetto, where he hits the note E♭5. ==Critical reception==

"If You're Not the One" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. On the positive side, Peter Robinson, in the Gotta Get Thru This album review for the NME, wrote "'If You're Not the One' [recalls] every chart-mauling uber-ballad you've ever heard". Nedd Raggett of AllMusic commented in his album review "When it comes to ballads, they work best in sudden moments – the soaring end to 'If You're Not the One'". About.com ranked the song at number 27 on its list of the 'Top 100 Pop Songs of 2002', two places behind the album's title track. The song was again ranked at number 27 on the 2003 list, due to it being released in the United States during that year. Music Week felt that the song showed Bedingfield's "sensitive side", and that the song "showcases his vocal range to stunning effect." The magazine even considered it "beautifully crafted." In his review for musicOMH, Michael Hubbard was even less positive, stating, "'If You're Not the One' is as vomit-inducing as anything the man in the plastic mask has ever wretched (sic) forth at the world". ==Chart performance==

When the song was released as a single, it was picked up by radio stations. It was the most added pop song on the radio for the week of 20 February 2003. In the US, the song was the most added song in the Adult Contemporary market for the week of 7 April 2003. In the US, the song was his highest debuting single, debuting at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. ==Music video==

The music video was produced by A1 singer Mark Read. It begins with a series of images of Bedingfield singing in various positions against a black backdrop. When the chorus starts he is seen singing with clouds in the background. The initial sequence is repeated for the second verse. However, half-way through, he starts to write on a wall. The rest of the song follows the same pattern. For the US market, a separate video was made. This version features Bedingfield singing the song while drunk one night after a house party, trying to remember who "the one" is. Several of his and the woman's scenes are shown in split-screen format, and exactly match one another. In the end, it is morning, and she returns to him. ==Track listings==

UK CD single and Australian CD1 • "If You're Not the One" – 4:16 • "James Dean (I Wanna Know)" (acoustic version) – 2:56 • "If You're Not the One" (Metro mix) – 6:37 • "If You're Not the One" (video) – 4:16 UK cassette single and European CD single • "If You're Not the One" – 4:16 • "If You're Not the One" (Metro mix) – 6:37 US CD single • "If You're Not the One" (radio edit) • "If You're Not the One" (Metro edit) • "Album Snippets Medley" US 12-inch single :A1. "If You're Not the One" (The Passengerz Girlfriend club mix) – 7:09 :A2. "If You're Not the One" (Metro remix) – 6:35 :B1. "If You're Not the One" (The Passengerz Girlfriend dub) – 5:55 :B2. "If You're Not the One" (Seth Lawrence Future dub) – 6:26 Australian CD2 • "If You're Not the One" (radio edit) • "If You're Not the One" (Metro mix edit) • "James Dean (I Wanna Know)" (ATFC's Committed vocal) – 2:56 • "Gotta Get Thru This" (video) • "If You're Not the One" (Metro mix video) ==Credits and personnel==

Credits are lifted from the Gotta Get Thru This album booklet. Studios • Recorded and mixed at Metrophonic Studios (London, England) • Strings recorded at Angel Recording Studios (London, England) • Mastered at Sony Music Studios (London, England) Personnel • Daniel Bedingfield – writing, additional production • Adam Philips – guitar • Danny Cummings – drums • Gavyn Wright – concertmaster • Robin Smith – string arrangement, conducting • Mark Taylor – string arrangement, production, recording, mixing • Isobel Griffiths – orchestral contracting • Christian Saint Val – recording and mixing assistant • Jong Uk Yoon – recording and mixing assistant • Steve Pryce – engineering • Mat Bartram – engineering assistant • John Davis – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts ==Certifications==