1234 Lyrics
One, two, three, four, tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for
Old teenage hopes are alive at your door
Left you with nothing, but they want some more
[Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh, you're changin' your heart
Oh, oh-oh, you know who you are
[Verse 2]
Sweetheart, bitter heart, now I can't tell you apart
Cozy and cold, put the horse before the cart
Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes
Too scared to own up to one little lie
[Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh, you're changin' your heart
Oh, oh-oh, you know who you are
[Bridge]
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
Oh, oh-oh, you're changin' your heart
Oh, oh-oh, you know who you are
Oh, oh-oh, you're changin' your heart
Oh, oh-oh, you know who you are
Who you are (Woo-ooh)
[Outro]
For, for the teenage boys
They're breakin' your heart
For the teenage boys
They're breakin' your heart
About
Track #9 on Feist’s third full-length album The Reminder.
Feist performed in an accompanying music video for this song produced in 2007 by Polydor:
Leslie Feist was also featured in an episode of the American children’s show Sesame Street, singing and dancing to an alternate version of the song:
It’s the song that sold a whole bunch of iPods and gave Sesame Street a chance to learn a new way to count. And it’s a tune that vaguely mirrors Feist’s own transformation from beloved Broken Social Scenester to ubiquitous adult-contemporary everywoman– it starts off modest and gentle atop some acoustic strumming (on guitar and banjo), and then gradually builds to an ebullient horn-filled crescendo, with Feist proving to be just as adept at belting as at murmuring, but never at the expense of the song.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #51 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:
With the release of ‘1234,’ Feist arrived as a new type of singer-songwriter-superhero, equipped to joyfully save the spirit of indie rock in blue sequins. The nano-sized elephant in the room is, the iPod commercial helped catapult Feist into pop culture consciousness, but Apple can’t take credit for this song’s indelible charm nor its enduring appeal. Those accolades belong to Feist and co-writer Sally Seltmann, who, with nursery-rhyme simplicity and a sweet swell of innocent emotion, manage to deliver one of those rare moments of pop culture magic where everyone — even Elmo, who harmonized with Feist on Sesame Street in 2008 — seemed to be singing along to the same big shiny tune.
- 1.So Sorry
- 4.The Park
- 5.The Water
- 6.Sealion
- 9.1234
- 10.Brandy Alexander
- 11.Intuition
- 12.Honey Honey
- 21.Lover’s Spit