Insensitive (song)


"Insensitive" is the second single released from Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden's 1994 album Living Under June. Written by Anne Loree and produced by Arden and Ed Cherney, the song became Arden's most successful single, reaching number one in Canada and Australia and number 12 in the United States.

Background

Anne Loree would recall writing "Insensitive" in response to an unhappy tryst with a chef at a Calgary restaurant where Loree was waiting tables. "I sat down at my electric piano in the basement of a rented house I shared with four roommates, broke and brokenhearted, full of pain and angst, and wrote 'Insensitive'. It took me probably less than half an hour and I walked away feeling much better for it and much hipper to Prince Charmings who aren't really into you." Jann Arden, then based in Calgary, optioned "Insensitive" for Living Under June after hearing Loree perform the song at a local club.
"Insensitive" remains by far Arden's most successful single to date. It reached number one in her native Canada for three weeks, number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number four on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The song's US success was assisted by its presence in the film Bed of Roses; although Bed of Roses was not a major success, the video for "Insensitive" was aired on an episode of Entertainment Tonight, on which the film had been promoted. "Insensitive" afforded Arden a hit in Italy, reaching number 14 in December 1994. Its Italian success was occasioned by its use as a jingle in a TV ad campaign for a brand of jeans. On August 20, 1995, "Insensitive" reached number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart for one week, and it also charted in New Zealand at number 44 and in the United Kingdom at number 40. At the Juno Awards of 1996 "Insensitive" was named Single of the Year.
"Insensitive" was also included on Jann's 2001 greatest hits album, Greatest Hurts, in both the original and live versions.

Music video

For the track's US release a video was prepped comprising clips from the film Bed of Roses interspersed with footage of Jann singing the song; Jeth Weinrich directed. The video for "Insensitive" was nominated for Video of the Year at the 1995 Juno Awards.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australia 12
Canada Top Singles 14
Canada Adult Contemporary 15

Certifications

Cover versions

Country singer LeAnn Rimes also released her own version of "Insensitive" on her 1998 album Sittin' on Top of the World. :nl:Jasper Steverlinck|Jasper Steverlinck remade "Insensitive" for his 2004 album Songs of Innocence. Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario-based punk rock band The Decay also released a cover version on the Juicebox Recording Co. compilation Our Favourite Songs.
Australian singer Beccy Cole recorded a version for her album, Preloved.

In popular culture

The popular podcast "How to Do Everything" created by the producers of the NPR news quiz "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" featured the song in a series of podcasts. The song was introduced by a music expert when asked if there was a song she loved, but understood was terrible. This began a segment on the podcast titled "Best-Worst Song Competition" where listeners submitted songs they secretly enjoyed, but knew were generally considered to be poor songs. Each segment opened with a clip of "Insensitive" with the hosts saying "You know what that sound means – it's time for our Best-Worst Song Competition!"
The song is also featured in the Corner Gas episode "Super Sensitive".