A Word You Left Behind

"A Word You Left Behind" is a single by alternative singer/songwriter Ben Johnston. The song was the second to be released from the soundtrack to "Fall From Grace", a movie starring Dresden & Bareilles. The song was a monumental success for Ben, and for the movie, becoming a major #1 hit in the UK and in America. The song's biggest accolade is winning an Oscar in early 2011 for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture, beating out Dresden & Bareilles' own soundtrack single "Out Of My Mind" from the same movie.

Background
"A Word You Left Behind" was written by Ben Johnston expressly for use on the "Fall From Grace" soundtrack, and Ben was one of the only veteran artists featured on the compilation, which mainly consisted of recordings by lesser-known and newer artists, as well as multiple recordings from the movie's stars. Ben announced the song as a single not long after the first single from the soundtrack, "Out Of My Mind", debuted on the UK chart. For Ben, the song was also coming off the back of a surprise #1 in "Throwing Punches In The Dark", which sensationally beat Emily Henning to the summit. Ben's choice to release the single was a major draw-card for promotion of the movie and its soundtrack, with the single being solely responsible for the major number of copies sold of the soundtrack.

Reception
Having come off the #1 success of "Throwing Punches In The Dark", Ben's popularity was exploding. The single was received extremely well by the public and by critics, being commended as a highlight from its parent soundtrack. The song's overwhelming popularity helped it become a major #1 hit on UK sales and airplay charts, and it even received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. The song was competing against "Out Of My Mind" in the same category, and "A Word You Left Behind" won the battle to earn one of the five Oscar awards won by the movie. Off the back of its Oscar win, the single shot up on iTunes and in March 2011 it became a #1 hit for Ben, to be replaced weeks later by the debut of Dresden & Bareilles' comeback single "Aphrodite Under Fire".

Promo CD

 * 1) A Word You Left Behind (Radio Edit)
 * 2) A Word You Left Behind (Call-Out Hook)

CD1
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CD2
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Digital EP
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Music Video
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Chart Performance
"A Word You Left Behind" was getting very strong predictions off the back of previous #1 hit "Throwing Punches In The Dark", and the single entered at #1 with over 91k sold in its debut week. The single's performance was exceptionally strong, selling 412,189 copies in its run to become the second-biggest hit on Saturdays Records for 2010. The song was also a #1 hit on UK airplay with a major accumulative spin total. Following the song's win at the Oscar awards, the song later became a #1 US hit in March of 2011.

Chart Run
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