Scar (song)

"Scar"
Single by Missy Higgins
from the album The Sound of White
B-side
  • "Casualty"
  • "Dancing Dirt into the Snow"
  • "The Cactus That Found the Beat"
Released2 August 2004 (2004-08-02)
Length3:36
LabelEleven
Composers
LyricistMissy Higgins
ProducerJohn Porter
Missy Higgins singles chronology
"Scar"
(2004)		 "Ten Days"
(2004)

"Scar" is a pop song written by Australian singer Missy Higgins and Kevin Griffin of American band Better Than Ezra. Released on 2 August 2004 on Eleven: A Music Company, it was released as the first single from Higgins' debut album, The Sound of White (2004). "Scar" entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number one and received a quadruple-platinum sales certification. It also charted in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 20 in January 2005. The song was mixed by 12-time Grammy winner Jay Newland. In 2025 the song was voted fourth on the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.[1]

Background

Following the song's fourth-place finish on the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs, Higgins shared that the song was written as a response to negative experiences she had had with collaborators in the music industry.

It was the song I wrote when I was 19 about some bad experiences I had with different people I was collaborating with, who were trying to make my music into something else. And trying to make me sound a certain way and appear a certain way, and just people in the industry that I'd come across that were, you know, trying to squeeze a triangle through a circle or whatever it is I say. So, you know, it's a song about staying true to who you are and not letting anyone else, you know, pretend that they know what's best for you.[2]

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

Track listing

Australian CD single[5][6]

  1. "Scar" – 3:34
  2. "Casualty" – 4:12
  3. "Dancing Dirt into the Snow" – 3:26
  4. "The Cactus That Found the Beat" – 2:02

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the Australian CD single liner notes.[5]

  • Missy Higgins – lyrics, music, vocals
  • Kevin Griffin – music
  • John Porter – production
  • Rik Pekkonen – engineering
  • Jay Newland – mixing
  • Don Bartley – mastering
  • Cathie Glassby – artwork design
  • Adrienne Overall – photography

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[10] 5× Platinum 350,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[11] Gold 15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Australia 2 August 2004 CD Eleven [12]
United States 6 June 2005 Triple A radio Reprise [13]
13 February 2006 Hot adult contemporary radio [14]

References

  1. ↑ "The Hottest 100 Archive: 2025 (Of Australian Songs)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  2. ↑ @MissyHigginsOfficial on 'scar' landing at #4 in the #hottest100 of australian songs #ausmusic. Retrieved 27 July 2025 – via www.youtube.com.
  3. ↑ "Previous Winners Song of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  4. ↑ "2005 Winners – APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  5. 1 2 Scar (Australian CD EP liner notes). Eleven: A Music Company. 2004. ELEVENCD26.
  6. 1 2 "Missy Higgins – Scar". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Missy Higgins – Scar". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Missy Higgins Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2004". ARIA. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2025 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Missy Higgins – Scar". Radioscope. Retrieved 7 December 2025. Type Scar in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  12. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 02/08/2004" (PDF). ARIA. 2 August 2004. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1609. 3 June 2005. p. 19. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "AC – Airplay Archive". FMQB. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
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