In God's Hands (song)

"In God's Hands"
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Loose
ReleasedNovember 23, 2007 (2007-11-23)
Studio
Length4:12
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • Rick Nowels
  • Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"Do It"
(2007)		 "In God's Hands"
(2007)		 "Win or Lose"
(2008)
Alternative cover
Duet version cover
Keith Urban singles chronology
"Everybody"
(2007)		 "In God's Hands"
(2008)		 "You Look Good in My Shirt"
(2008)
Music video
"In God's Hands" on YouTube

"In God's Hands" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado for her third studio album Loose (2006). It was written and produced by Furtado and Rick Nowels. The song was released as the eighth and final single from Loose on November 23, 2007, by Geffen Records and Mosley Music Group. Furtado later re-recorded the song as a duet with Australian-American country singer Keith Urban; the version was released on April 15, 2008.

"In God's Hands" achieved only moderate success, becoming her lowest-charting single from Loose in every European country in which it was promoted. Following the song's North American re-release in 2008, however, "In God's Hands" reached its peak at number 11 on the Canadian Hot 100, earning Furtado her second highest-charting single to date since the chart's inception in 2007, and also peaked at a career-high position of 15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Lyrics

"In God's Hands" is inspired by Furtado's 2005 breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter.[2] According to Furtado, the song was, at the time of its recording, "as far as [she] was willing to go in terms of pop right now".[3]

Lyrically, the song is about moving on and starting anew, with Furtado declaring in the chorus, "Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven/ Where it began, back in God's hands."[4] Her vocal style on the song has been described as "pretty."[5]

Furtado also recorded a Spanish version, titled "En las manos de Dios", which appears in a Spanish limited edition of Loose.[6]

Re-recording

In early 2008, Furtado re-recorded "In God's Hands" as a duet featuring Australian-American country music singer Keith Urban, who was reportedly Furtado's "first choice."[7][8] On her rationale behind the selection, Furtado said, "I love country music. Keith Urban's voice is plaintive and sweet; he's a pure songsmith, with an extremely humble tone to his voice... He's right on the border of country, roots and pop. He really defies description, and those are my favorite kinds of artists."[8]

Critical reception

Sean Fennessey of Pitchfork criticized the songwriting on the chorus and wrote that, "If "Promiscuous" is one of the fiercest songs of lust in recent memory, "In God's Hands" is one of the limpest."[4] Jonathan Keefe of Slant was more ambivalent, praising Furtado's vocals but maligning the song's inclusion on Loose. "While "In God's Hands" is one of the first times in her career that Furtado's voice could... be described as pretty," writes Keefe, "the song itself... simply doesn't fit with the first two-thirds of the album."[5]

Commercial performance

"In God's Hands" debuted and peaked at number 116 on the UK Singles Chart dated August 11, 2007.[9] It was the first single of Furtado's career (that was promoted to the United Kingdom) to miss the top 100. Elsewhere in Europe, the song performed moderately well. It reached a peak position at number 53 in Austria,[10] number 33 in Germany,[11] number 20 in Italy,[12] number 33 in the Netherlands,[13] and number 58 in Sweden.[14] "In God's Hands" also reached numbers nine and 22, respectively, on the Flanders and Wallonian Ultratip Bubbling Under charts.[15][16]

The 2008 duet version of the song debuted at number 11 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated May 3, 2008 and was the week's highest debut.[17] This tied it with "Say It Right" as Furtado's second highest-charting single to date in her native country since the creation of the Canadian Hot 100 chart in 2007.[18] "In God's Hands" also reached number seven on the Digital Songs component chart dated May 3, 2008.[19] The song spent a total of 16 weeks on the Canadian Hot 100.[20] In the United States, "In God's Hands" entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart dated April 26, 2008 at number 25 and was the week's highest debut.[21] On the chart dated June 21, 2008, the song rose to number 18, breaking out of a tie with "Say It Right" for Furtado's highest-charting adult contemporary single to date.[22] It reached its peak at number 15 on the chart dated July 26, 2008.[23]

Music video

A music video for the song was shot on May 9, 2007 between 5 and 7 a.m. in Los Angeles, California and directed by Jesse Dylan.[24] It features Furtado on a beach during both daytime and nighttime, singing the song while sitting on a tree stump, lying on the sand and holding a white sheet, which she lies under. Furtado is also shown walking on the shore, weeping and looking onto the ocean. The video is shot entirely in black and white.[25] It was made available via Furtado's Vevo channel on February 12, 2008.[26]

Track listings and formats

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats
Region Date Format(s) Version(s) Label(s) Ref.
Germany November 23, 2007 Original Universal
Europe December 3, 2007 Digital download
December 17, 2007 Digital download (EP)
Canada April 15, 2008 Digital download Duet
United States
France April 28, 2008 Polydor
Italy Universal
Germany May 2, 2008

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 In Australia, Canada, and the US, the duet version of "In God's Hands" charted instead of the original.

Citations

  1. ↑ Loose (CD liner notes). Nelly Furtado. Geffen Records, Mosley Music Group. 2006. B000800302.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Intini, John. "Nelly Furtado: 'I'm not Mother Teresa'". Maclean's. August 25, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Furtado Ready To Dance on New Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 8, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Fennessey, Sean (June 23, 2006). "Nelly Furtado: Loose Album Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Keefe, Jonathan (June 12, 2006). "Nelly Furtado Loose | Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Loose [Spanish Limited Edition] – Nelly Furtado | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  7. ↑ CBC Arts (May 7, 2008). "Furtado to be honorary fellow at Toronto's Royal Conservatory". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado duets with Keith Urban on "In God's Hands", available now at iTunes!". Nelly Furtado. April 18, 2008. Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "CHART LOG UK: NEW ENTRIES UPDATE 11.08.2007 (wk31)". zobbel.de via Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. 1 2 "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  12. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands". Top Digital Download.
  13. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands". Singles Top 100.
  15. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado – In God's Hands" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100" (The Week Of: 3 May 2008). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ↑ "Chart history of "In God's Hands" on Hot Canadian Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Chart history of "In God's Hands" on Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Adult Contemporary" (The Week Of: 26 April 2008). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Adult Contemporary" (The Week Of: 21 June 2008). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Adult Contemporary" (The Week Of: 26 July 2008). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Nelly Furtado - In God's Hands (2007)". IMVDb. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  25. ↑ "In God's Hands (2007)". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  26. ↑ NellyFurtadoVEVO (February 12, 2008). "In God's Hands - Nelly Furtado - Vevo" (video). Vevo. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 952". ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  30. ↑ "ČNS IFPI – CZ Radio – Top 100 – 09. týden 2008" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.
  31. ↑ "TOP 40 – European Hit Radio" (in Lithuanian). European Hit Radio. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 2008" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  33. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200814 into search.
  34. ↑ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  35. ↑ "Top Canada AC Songs". Radio & Records. December 12, 2008. p. 67.
  36. ↑ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2008". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  38. ↑ "In God's Hands (2-Track)" (in German). Universal Music Group. November 23, 2007. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
  39. ↑ "In God's Hands [Maxi-CD]" (in German). Universal Music Group. November 23, 2007. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
  40. ↑ "In God's Hands" (in Italian). Universal Music Italy. December 3, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  41. ↑ "In God's Hands". Universal Music Group. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via 7digital.
  42. ↑ "In God's Hands (International Version)" (in Portuguese). Universal Music Group. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via 7digital.
  43. ↑ "In God's Hands (International Version)" (in German). Universal Music Group. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via 7digital.
  44. ↑ "In God's Hands (3 track single)" (in French). Polydor Records. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
  45. ↑ "In God's Hands (3 track single)" (in German). Universal Music Group. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
  46. ↑ "In God's Hands (feat. Keith Urban)". Universal Music Canada. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via iTunes Store.
  47. ↑ "In God's Hands (feat. Keith Urban)". Geffen Records. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via iTunes Store.
  48. ↑ "In God's Hands (single)" (in French). Polydor Records. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
  49. ↑ "In God's Hands" (in Italian). Universal Music Italy. April 28, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  50. ↑ "In God's Hands (single)" (in German). Universal Music Group. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via Amazon.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.