"Bubbly" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her first album, Coco (2007). Written by Caillat and Jason Reeves and produced by Mikal Blue, the song was released as the album's lead single on May 15, 2007. "Bubbly" is Caillat's only song to peak within the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100; it remains her highest-charting song. Internationally, "Bubbly" reached number one in Australia, Brazil, and the Czech Republic. It also became a top-10 hit in several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, and Norway, as well as Japan and New Zealand. It is certified six-times platinum in the US and Australia as well as gold or higher in six additional countries.
The song's music video, directed by Liz Friedlander, aired on MTV, VH1 and CMT. A still from the music video was used as the cover for Caillat's debut album, Coco.
Background and composition
"Bubbly" was written by Colbie Caillat and Jason Reeves. It is written in the key of A and primarily features a gentle guitar instrumentation which uses a capo of seventh fret. The guitar uses open D tuning (low to high): D–A–D–F–A–D. Caillat's vocal range spans from E3 to F4.
Caillat commented on the lyrical composition of the song in an interview with Wilson County News on February 20, 2008, following her live performance on The View, "I didn't write "Bubbly" for any [special] guy. I wrote it about the feelings you get when you have a crush on somebody, and when they give you butterflies in your stomach and they just make you smile."
Reception Critical response Susan Visakowitz of Billboard wrote that Caillat's "warm vocals along with a gentle acoustic arrangement effortlessly conjure the idyllic California she calls home".
Commercial performance On the issue dated October 6, 2007, "Bubbly" rose from number 16 to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at number five for seven non-consecutive weeks. It also topped the Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts for 19 and 14 weeks, respectively. The song was placed at number two on the Adult Contemporary year-end chart of 2008, behind Sara Bareilles' "Love Song". The single was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 18, 2023, with sales of more than 2.6 million downloads in the US. It peaked at number two for three weeks on the Canadian Hot 100. In Australia—where "Bubbly" was used in a promotional video for the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away—it reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart for the week of April 7, 2008. Elsewhere, the single reached number one in the Czech Republic and charted within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden. It did not fare as well in the British Isles, peaking at number 58 in the United Kingdom and number 48 in Ireland.
On VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s, "Bubbly" ranked number 71 on the list.
Music video Synopsis
Filmed in Colbie Caillat's hometown of Malibu and in Santa Barbara in southern California, the music video features intercut scenes of Caillat playing the guitar while dreamily singing the lyrics of the song and spending time with her lover in their home and out in nature. It is a sunny day, and some shots feature Caillat in fields as she sings. Later in the video, Caillat drives in an old Bronco and then is pictured singing as she walks slowly along the coast of California and looks out over a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Caillat performs clad in a simple tank top and jeans which are slightly ripped at the knees; she is also barefoot and wearing a necklace made of sea shells.
Reception Uploaded to Caillat's YouTube and Vevo account on December 13, 2009, the video for "Bubbly" has received a generally positive reaction from fans and has garnered over 125 million views.
Track listings Australian CD single "Bubbly" – 3:17 "Circles" – 3:53 "Magic" (piano version) – 3:18 "Bubbly" (video) – 3:25
UK CD single "Bubbly" – 3:17 "Circles" – 3:53
European CD single "Bubbly" – 2:53 "Magic" (piano version) – 3:18
Personnel Colbie Caillat – vocals Mikal Blue – acoustic guitar, bass, synthesizer, production, engineering, mixing Jaco Caraco – electric guitar Victor Indrizzo – drums Ken Caillat – mixing Doug Sax – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2007–2008) Peakposition Brazil (Crowley) 1 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) 32 French Digital Singles (SNEP) 6 Germany Airplay (BVMI) 2 Japan (Japan Hot 100) 3 Mexico Anglo (Monitor Latino) 1 Poland (Polish Airplay Charts) 5Portugal Digital Songs (Billboard)1 US Pop 100 (Billboard) 2
Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 65 Brazil (Crowley) 95 Germany (Media Control GfK) 67 New Zealand (RIANZ) 32 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 64 US Billboard Hot 100 67 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 35 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 23 US Pop 100 (Billboard) 59
Chart (2008) Position Australia (ARIA) 24 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 30 Brazil (Crowley) 46 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 18 Canada AC (Billboard) 2 French Digital Singles (SNEP) 28 Japan (Japan Hot 100) 57 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 18 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 70 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 77 US Billboard Hot 100 21 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 2 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 14 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 37 US Pop 100 (Billboard) 46
Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position US Billboard Hot 100 79
All-time charts Chart PositionDutch Love Songs (Dutch Top 40) 17US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 12
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormatLabelUnited StatesMay 15, 2007Digital downloadUniversal RepublicJune 19, 2007Contemporary hit radioJuly 24, 2007AustraliaFebruary 25, 2008CD
See also List of Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks number-one singles of 2007 List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2008 List of number-one singles of 2008 (Australia)
References