There Is No Arizona
| "There Is No Arizona" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jamie O'Neal | ||||
| from the album Shiver | ||||
| B-side | "Frantic"[1] | |||
| Released | July 31, 2000 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:57 | |||
| Label | Mercury Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jamie O'Neal Lisa Drew Shaye Smith | |||
| Producer(s) | Keith Stegall | |||
| Jamie O'Neal singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"There Is No Arizona" is the debut single by Australian country music artist Jamie O'Neal. O'Neal co-wrote the song with Lisa Drew and Shaye Smith and was produced by Keith Stegall. The song was released on July 31, 2000, as the lead single from her debut studio album Shiver (2000). As included in the song title, the song references the state of Arizona and famous landmarks in the state. It would be the last number one country hit by a female artist with a state in its title until Beyoncé's single "Texas Hold 'Em" in 2024.
In February 2001, the song topped the US Hot Country Songs chart, making O'Neal the first female Australian country singer to top the chart. Along with Keith Urban, she was the only Australian act to top the country charts in the 2000s decade.
Content
The narrator talks about how a man leaves his partner to settle in Arizona, and promises to send for her (the narrator) when he has things set up. Time goes by and she gets one postcard with no return address but nothing more. Her friends keep asking her when she's going. She tries to hold out hope that he'll come back or send for her. Finally, she realizes that the dream of having a better life with him in Arizona is never going to come true. Some landmarks and places that are referenced include Painted Desert, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Tombstone.
Music video
The music video was directed by Lawrence Carroll and premiered in mid-2000. It starts with O'Neal sitting on a bench in a desert with a postcard in her hand singing. She eventually tears up the postcard and the pieces blow away in the wind. Once the second chorus hits, a tarp behind her is revealed, and behind her is a skyscraper (actually the Empire State Building) in New York City. She then is seen walking through NYC (including sitting on another bench, standing in the heart of Times Square, in front of the Flatiron Building, and walking through a small park, all while others are passing her by. As the song ends, she (in Times Square again) simply turns and walks away.
Chart performance
"There Is No Arizona" debuted at number 69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of August 12, 2000.
| Chart (2000–2001) | Peak position[1] |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2] | 52[a] |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 40 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 29 |
Notes
- ^ "There Is No Arizona" had not yet peaked when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 31, 2000 | Country radio | Mercury Nashville | [6] |
References
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7088." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "Jamie O'Neal Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Jamie O'Neal Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2001: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Going for Adds - Country" (PDF). Radio & Records. July 28, 2000.