"Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven and Phil Thornalley in 1993. It was first recorded that year in Danish (renamed "Brændt" (Danish for "Burned")) by singer Lis Sørensen, then two years later by Cutler and Preven's American alternative rock band Ednaswap, and in 1996 by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein.
"Torn" is best known as Australian pop singer Natalie Imbruglia's 1997 debut single, which peaked at number one on singles charts in Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Spain and Sweden and on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 charts. It reached number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and the Italian, Swiss and United Kingdom charts.
Other artists have covered the song since.
In 1997, Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, working with Thornalley, covered the song for her debut studio album Left of the Middle (1997). Imbruglia's version was recorded in Kilburn, London with David Munday (lead guitar), Phil Thornalley (bass, rhythm guitars), David Meads (guitar solo), Chuck Sabo (drums), Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker (Zero 7) (drum programming) and Katrina Leskanich (background vocals). It was mixed by Nigel Godrich. Released as a single, Imbruglia's version became a worldwide hit, being considered as an "All Time Pop Hit".
For the track, Imbruglia received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". The music video for "Torn" features British actor Jeremy Sheffield. She also did an MTV Unplugged version of the song, which removed the outro.
For the track, Imbruglia received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". The music video for "Torn" features British actor Jeremy Sheffield. She also did an MTV Unplugged version of the song, which removed the outro.
The music video to Natalie Imbruglia's cover version, directed by Alison Maclean, features a continuous shot of an apartment that never changes its angle of vision. Shots of Natalie Imbruglia singing along with the song are interspersed with footage of her and actor Jeremy Sheffield engaging in a romantically inclined conversation. These couple of scenes turn out to be B-roll footage, as the two actors are seen fumbling their lines and positions; and the director constantly steps into frame to redirect the two. During the last chorus, the apartment walls start wobbling and the crew comes to dismantle it, revealing the location to be a set inside a soundstage. Imbruglia begins to dance during the finishing guitar solo as her "world" crumbles around her.
It was rated the second best music video of all time by MTV Italy.
The song was pantomimed by David Armand for a 2005 HBO broadcast which spread on the internet. This popularity of the "Karaoke for the Deaf" performance by David Armand as Johnn Lippowitz resulted in the 2006 live performance (Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball) with Natalie Imbruglia where she sings "Torn" and then joins into the "interpretive dance" pantomime featuring both David and Natalie acting out the words of the song.
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