“The future is unwritten,” said The Clash’s Joe Strummer. And everyone is ultimately the author of their future. This foresight was something Natasha Bedingfield was also mindful of when writing a song to her younger self, or anyone fretting about their future on her 2004 hit “Unwritten.”
Released on her debut Unwritten, which topped the UK chart and gave Bedingfield her No. 1 hit, “These Words,” “Unwritten” is a missive to youth to open the blank page before them, and start writing.
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Bedingfield’s 14-Year-Old Brother
Written by Bedingfield along with co-writers Danielle Brisebois and Wayne Rodrigues, “Unwritten” captured the essence of one’s teen years and came from a familial place. When asked to come out to Los Angeles to work with some songwriters, Bedingfield was forced to miss her brother Joshua’s 14th birthday and decided to gift him a song.
“‘Unwritten’ was written with a 14-year-old in mind,” said Bedingfield in 2024. “At that age, you’re desperate to be taken seriously, but at the same time, everyone is asking what you’re going to do. There’s this huge pressure to map out your future.”
A “Blank Page”
The song started as a poem that Bedingfield had tucked away since 2003, before it evolved into something more expansive. “I found the right songwriter in Danielle Brisebois, who’d had amazing experiences as a child actor and in the band New Radicals,” said Bedingfield. “She helped me with the idea that every child is a blank page and can write their own future.”
I am unwritten
Can’t read my mind
I’m undefined
I’m just beginning
The pen’s in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The Beatles’ “Indian Period”
Recorded in Venice Beach, California, Bedingfield initially wanted to incorporate a choir on “Unwritten” and was inspired by the Beatles’ late-’60s era. “For the verse, I had the Beatles’ Indian period in my mind,” she said.
“The gospel choir section is rooted in my childhood: my family [was] lucky enough to be invited into an amazing African-Caribbean church in London run by the Wade brothers, who encouraged children to do music,” added Bedingfield, who didn’t have access to an actual choir when it was time to record and layered up vocals instead.
“I wanted a real choir for ‘Unwritten’ but my sister Nikola was in [Los Angeles] visiting at that time,” said Bedingfield, “so with my friend Jessi Collins we just layered up the vocals.”
MTV and ‘The Hills’
By 2006, “Unwritten” was chosen as the theme song for MTV reality series The Hills. “The song really reflected the feel of the show and we wanted to help push the career of artists like Natasha to make sure that everyone was really aware when they were watching the show who it was sung by,” said Joe Cuello, vice president of music integration at MTV.
“We tried to dovetail it all together so we featured her music video over the end credits,” added Cuello. “For us, that’s a really incredible promotional tool. We see a huge response from that in terms of online and in sales. It’s really gratifying years later to see that it’s so inextricably tied to our show.”
When released in 2004, “Uwritten” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reemerged on the UK charts (at No. 12) for its 20th anniversary in 2024 after being featured in director Will Gluck’s 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. After being featured throughout the film, “Unwritten” went viral on TikTok.
Photos: Natasha Beddingfield performs on stage at the annual T4 Pop Beach outdoor concert on Great Yarmouth Beach on June 4, 2004, in Norfolk, England. (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)
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