"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.

"There Is No Arizona"
Single by Jamie O'Neal
from the album Shiver
B-side"Frantic"[1]
ReleasedJuly 31, 2000
GenreCountry
Length3:57
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)Jamie O'Neal
Lisa Drew
Shaye Smith
Producer(s)Keith Stegall
Jamie O'Neal singles chronology
"There Is No Arizona"
(2000)
"When I Think About Angels"
(2001)

Content

edit

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

edit

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

edit

"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

edit
Chart (2001) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 29

Notes

edit
  1. ^ "There Is No Arizona" had not yet peaked when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.

Release history

edit
Release dates and format(s) for "There Is No Arizona"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States July 31, 2000 Country radio Mercury Nashville [6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7088." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "Jamie O'Neal Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Jamie O'Neal Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Best of 2001: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  6. ^ "Going for Adds - Country" (PDF). Radio & Records. July 28, 2000.