Song · Feist
“1234” by Feist
From the album The Reminder (2007)
“1234” by Feist appears on 22 radio countdowns from 14 stations between 2007 and 2025. It was first released in 2007 on the album The Reminder. Its best result is #2 on the WXPN Year in Review: Top 100 Songs of 2007. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #60 alternative song of 2007.
Watch
Video from YouTube (FeistVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"1234" nearly belonged to somebody else. Australian songwriter Sally Seltmann, who recorded as New Buffalo, wrote it as a small heartbreak tune about a love that slipped away and the wish to win it back, decided it sounded too much like Feist to use herself, and put it in a drawer. Then she spent late 2005 opening for Feist and Broken Social Scene across Canada, and at the last Broken Social Scene show she worked up the nerve to offer it.
The two share the writing credit, and Feist put it on The Reminder in 2007, where it grew into her biggest American hit. Producing with Chilly Gonzales and Renaud Letang, she keeps it light on its feet, a plucky acoustic strum and a counting-off hook, while co-producer Ben Mink adds guitar, strings and extra voices. Letang engineered and mixed it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 37 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2007 | 107 |
| 2007 | 34 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2007 | 91 |
| 2007 | 15 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2007 | 100 |
| 2007 | 97 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 107 Songs of 2007 | 107 |
| 2007 | 100 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2007 | 101 |
| 2007 | 35 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2007 | 103 |
| 2007 | 2 | WXPN Philadelphia, PA | WXPN Year in Review: Top 100 Songs of 2007 | 100 |
| 2007 | 74 | KWOD Sacramento, CA | KWOD Top 106 Songs of 2007 | 106 |
| 2007 | 34 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2007 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 22 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2009 | 142 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2013 | 96 | BBC Radio 6 Music | BBC 6 Music 100 Best Tracks Of The Last 10 Years | 100 |
| 2013 | 752 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2018 | 816 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2018 | 90 | WTMD | WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018 | 896 |
| 2019 | 680 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2019 | 680 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2022 | 835 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 | 603 |
| 2024 | 205 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 156 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 529 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
| 2025 | 246 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
Also listed as: 1,2,3,4; 1-2-3-4.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "1234" by Feist.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.