Left Outside Alone

"Left Outside Alone"
Single by Anastacia
from the album Anastacia
B-side	"Get Ready"
Released	March 15, 2004 (2004-03-15)
Format	CD single digital download 12" single
Recorded	December 2003; O'Henry Sound Studios (Burbank, California) Record One (Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California) The Record Plant (Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:17 (album version) 3:35/3:50 (radio edit)
Label	Epic Records Daylight Records
Writer(s)	Anastacia Dallas Austin Glen Ballard
Producer(s)	Dallas Austin Glen Ballard
Anastacia singles chronology
"Love Is a Crime" (2003) "Left Outside Alone" (2004) "Sick and Tired" (2004)
Music sample Left Outside Alone

"Left Outside Alone" is a song by American recording artist Anastacia from her third studio album, Anastacia. Written primarily by Anastacia as well as Dallas Austin, and Glen Ballard detailing the singer's strained relationship with her estranged father. The song was released as the album's lead single on March 15, 2004 to both critical and commercial success. The song peaked at number one in Australia, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland; number two in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway; and number three in the United Kingdom and Hungary, while overall it became the 6th biggest selling European single of 2004.

In the United States, "Left Outside Alone" was another success on the Billboard dance charts, where it reached the top position on the Hot Dance Singles Sales, as well as number five on the Hot Dance Club Play. The track garnered near universal critical acclaim with praise coming from Anastacia's new musical sound as well as her new singing sound found in the opening of the song being compared to Evanescence's Amy Lee.

Critical reception and composition

AllMusic editor Matthew Chisling wrote "Stronger tracks on the album include "Left Outside Alone,"..., on which Anastacia berates the listener with cries of frustration in pop/rock at its finest." Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote "Apparent references pop up: "It's not OK, I don't feel safe," runs the chorus to Left Outside Alone." The Independent editor Andy Gill said that this song is "the source of the vulnerability." Dom Passantino of Stylus Magazine wrote “Left Outside Alone” starts off as if we’re being sang to by the Holy Ghost (assuming Kate Bush is the Father and Tori Amos is the Son), over, yes, exactly the same chords that oversaw “Daredevil”... Then Anastacia switches style back to her normal voice… calling it normal seems a fallacy." He later praised the song with these words "genuinely interesting, genuinely experimental, and genuinely good single." Yahoo Music! editor Dann Ginoe praised the song: "With a high-pitched gothic quiver floating atop ambient brooding, "Left Outside Alone"’s opening strains could easily have her mistaken for Evanescence’s Amy Lee. The familiar air-raid siren wail does kick in eventually, but it’s bellowing to an uncharacteristically snarly, guitar-churning chorus. Yup, that’s right, Anastacia’s gone rock."

Music videos

Shot in Burbank, California in February 2004, the regular music video for "Left Outside Alone" directed by Bryan Barber. There are actually three music videos for the song. The regular (and first) version was released to the worldwide market, excluding North America.

The regular version begins with Anastacia on a bridge. Later she is walking along a street with a red poster on an advertising pillar. Then she gets in a car, and whilst driving, she looks into a car next to her and sees "herself" canoodling passionately with a man. When she gets out of the car she notices people dancing to her song on the street.

The alternate version of this video, known as the "blue-poster version", was made for the Jason Nevins Global Club Edit of the song, contains different edits, including the usage of a blue poster instead of the red one, and it also has a different ending.

In 2005, a completely new video was released for American audiences. Shot on May 19–20, 2005, this version was directed by David Lippman and Charles Mehling, and was shot in Los Angeles, California. Although this version was recorded specially for the American market, "Left Outside Alone" was never officially released there. In this version, Anastacia is in a castle lying alone in a bed surrounded by candles.

Part 2

A different version of the track (entitled "Left Outside Alone, Part 2") appears on the deluxe edition of Anastacia's sixth studio album Resurrection. This version is a piano ballad with an alternative melody for the same lyrics heard in the original song. She was quoted as saying: "Ten years later, I’m putting out an album and I wanted to revisit that song. I gave myself an opportunity to do that. I loved it and it’s a completely different perspective on the song."

Track listings

Australian CD single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Get Ready" – 3:30
3. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16

European CD maxi single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Get Ready" – 3:30
3. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16
4. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show Edit) – 3:14
5. "Left Outside Alone" (M*A*S*H Rock Mix) – 4:04

European promo CD single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40

German limited 3" CD single (POCK IT!)

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16

UK CD single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Get Ready" – 3:30

UK promo maxi single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Left Outside Alone" (Love To Infinity Mix)
3. "Left Outside Alone" (Soda Club Remix)
4. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Remix)

US CD maxi single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Radio Edit) – 3:40
2. "Get Ready" – 3:30
3. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16
4. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club) – 8:05
5. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show) – 5:21

UK 12" promo single

A1. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Mix) – 7:51

B1. "Left Outside Alone" (M*A*S*H Master Mix) – 6:23

B2. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show) – 5:21

US promo CD single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club) – 8:05
2. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16

US promo CD maxi single

1. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club Edit) – 4:16
2. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club) – 8:05
3. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show Edit) – 3:14
4. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show) – 5:21

US 12" promo single

A1. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Global Club)

B1. "Left Outside Alone" (M*A*S*H Master Mix) – 6:23

B2. "Left Outside Alone" (Jason Nevins Mix Show) – 5:21

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (2004/2005)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	1
Austrian Singles Chart	1
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)	5
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)	7
Danish Singles Chart	2
Dutch Top 40	2
European Hot 100 Singles	2
Finnish Singles Chart	6
French Singles Chart	9
German Singles Chart	2
Hungarian Singles Chart	3
Irish Singles Chart	2
Italian Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	20
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
Polish Singles Chart	4
Portuguese Singles Chart	1
Spanish Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	6
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	3
US Hot Dance Club Play	5
US Adult Top 40	30

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	2× Platinum
Austria (IFPI)	Gold
Belgium (IFPI)	Gold
Germany (BVMI)	Gold
Norway (IFPI)	Gold
Switzerland (IFPI)	Gold
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	371,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2004)	Position
Australian Singles Chart	2
Austrian Singles Chart	10
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)	15
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)	31
Dutch Top 40	9
European Hot 100 Singles	6
French Singles Chart	56
German Singles Chart	17
Irish Singles Chart	5
Swedish Singles Chart	19
Swiss Singles Chart	8
UK Singles Chart	7

Chart succession

Preceded by "Dragostea din tei" by Haiducii	Italian Singles Chart number-one single March 12, 2004 – April 16, 2004	Succeeded by "A chi mi dice" by Blue
Preceded by "Love Profusion" by Madonna	Spanish Singles Chart number-one single March 22, 2004	Succeeded by "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone
Preceded by "Augen Auf!" by Oomph!	Austrian Singles Chart number-one single March 24, 2004 – April 21, 2004	Succeeded by "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
Preceded by "A Kiss Goodbye" by MusicStars	Swiss Singles Chart number-one single March 28, 2004	Succeeded by "In Love with You Again" by Carmen Fenk
Preceded by "My Band" by D12	Australian Singles Chart number-one single May 9, 2004	Succeeded by "My Band" by D12

Release history

Region	Date
World	March 15, 2004 (2004-03-15)
United States	March 22, 2005 (2005-03-22)

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics