Background
"Footprints in the Sand" was written by Simon Cowell, David Kreuger, Per Magnusson and Richard Page,[1][2] and produced by Steve Mac in 2007 at Rokstone Studios, London, England.[1] It is a R&B and pop song,[3][4] which according to music critics contains a gospel production performed by the choir and features "crashing drums".[5][6][7][8] "Footprints in the Sand" was composed using common time in the key of A♭ major with a larghetto tempo of sixty beats per minute, with Lewis' vocal ranging from the tonal nodes of E♭3 to the note of G♯5.[4] The song follows a basic sequence of A♭5–A♭5/B♭–Fm7–E♭ in the verses and A♭–B♭–B♭m–Fm–G♭–D♭ in the chorus as its chord progression.[4] It incorporates five instruments: keyboard instruments (a piano, an organ and synthesizers), guitar, bass, drums and choirs performed by The Tuff Session Singers.[1]
"Footprints in the Sand" was included on Leona Lewis' debut studio album Spirit, released in 2007 by Syco and J Records.[1] The song is an adaptation of the Christian poem "Footprints",[9][10][11] and Lewis commented "I recorded Footprints In The Sand in the UK with Steve Mac. Originally it was a poem; it's very inspirational so we put it into a song. I think it is very moving, with a very emotional lyric and I really love to sing this song".[9] Cowell originally came up with the idea to base a song around the poem, and asked Kreuger and Magnusson whether they could write something dealing with this subject.[12] They took the idea to a songwriting session the pair already had scheduled with Page at his home in Malibu, California and they finished the song the following day.[12] When Cowell mentioned the song concept to Lewis, she agreed that it could be "really quite interesting".[13] Cowell secured a songwriting credit for coming up with the idea.[13] The song is about "standing by someone and being there for people who need your help."[10] In an interview with HitQuarters, Magnusson said they had thought the song would be a good idea for Westlife, but it was offered to Lewis instead.[12]
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
booklet
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Song list: Footprints in the Sand". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
- ^ "Better in Time/Footprints in the Sand". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b c Footprints in the Sand – Leona Lewis Digital Sheet Music, MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc, MN0063217
{{citation}}
:|format=
requires|url=
(help) - ^ Lamb, Bill. "Leona Lewis - Spirit. Stellar Moments in an Uneven Collection". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ^ Segal, Victoria (2 November 2007). "Leona Lewis: Spirit". The Sunday Times. News International. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ "Footprints In The Sand - Leona Lewis". Pandora Radio. Pandora Media, Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (4 February 2010). "'Footprints In The Sand': The Story Behind The 'American Idol' Audition". MTV News. MTV. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Leona to perform on ice show". Metro. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b Allen, Liam (2008-02-15). "Lewis makes footprints in States". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (7 April 2008). "Critics' Choice New CDs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ^ a b c "Per Magnusson, producer and songwriter for Leona Lewis, Il Divo, Britney Spears, Westlife". HitQuarters. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ a b Paphides, Pete (8 March 2008). "Leona Lewis - the X Factor star with more staying power". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 8 March 2008.