Peak
31
Weeks
26
Score
2,618
Chart Year
2012
An official lyric video of the song was premiered on October 17, 2011, via Perri's official Facebook and Twitter pages as well as her official website. On October 26, 2011, she released an official video for the song on her YouTube channel. The video begins with Perri holding a candle. It features a few clips from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 interspersed between scenes with Perri singing in a room with a floor full of candles. Perri ends the video singing into a sunset. As of May 2024, the video has accumulated almost 2.5 billion views
For Twilight fan Christina Perri, landing a track on the soundtrack for Breaking Dawn was a dream come true. She told MTV News how she penned the song after attending an early screening of the movie. Said Perri: "I tried not to get hyped out, because it's one of my favorite movies, one of my favorite books, one of my favorite soundtracks, and that could potentially freak out the little songwriter in me. So I tried to put that aside and take it one step at a time, went to see the movie and cried like a baby, because it's so good, and I felt so lucky to be there. And then went home and wrote a love song to Edward and Bella... and to have it be chosen, I'm unbelievably honored." Perri wrote the song based on the emotions that she felt reading about the star-crossed love affair between Edward and Bella throughout Stephenie Meyer's series. "When we went to watch the screening, they told us to see where there was temporary music added and just jump into those scenes a little harder," she explained to MTV News. "But I'm fortunately a fan of the movie and the characters, and I feel like, by reading these books, I can step into that feeling that Edward and Bella have for each other. So [songwriter] David Hodges and I sat down, and it just came out in one afternoon. I feel like it was all meant to happen; I feel like it was all waiting inside me, waiting to come out." The lines, "I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more," are appropriate for vampires like Edward and Bella because, they're like, immortal, but humans also took to this song, using it in their weddings as an expression of everlasting love. Perri recalled to Billboard magazine: "Atlantic Records (was) doing the writing for Breaking Dawn. They asked me to come in and screen the movie and then write something. They were going to give me a shot because they knew what a big fan I was. So, I saw the movie in this little screening room with all these super-Hollywood-y dudes on their Blackberries not watching... and I'm in the front row crying the whole time. I went straight home and wrote 'A Thousand Years.'" "A Thousand Years" was Perri's third single, following her hit debut, "Jar of Hearts," and its follow-up, "Arms." She was in her mid-20s when she had this run of hits. After a few years of touring, she backed away from the industry and started a family, getting married in 2017 and having her first child the following year. The song reached a new peak position of #11 in the UK in September 2013, after contestant Nicholas McDonald performed it on the British version of X Factor. "A Thousand Years" returned to the UK Top 75 in the spring of 2018 after it was used in a carpool karaoke-style clip in support of World Down Syndrome Day. The video features 50 mums and their children singing along to Perri's hit.
Heart beats fast Colors and promises How to be brave How can I love when I'm afraid to fall But watching you stand alone All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow One step closer I have died everyday, waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more Time stands still Beauty in all she is I will be brave I will not let anything, take away What's standing in front of me Every breath, every hour has come to this One step closer I have died everyday, waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed, I would find you Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more One step closer One step closer I have died everyday, waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed, I would find you Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 5, 2011 | 74 | 52 |
| 2 | Nov 12, 2011 | 95 | 31 |
| 3 | Nov 19, 2011 | 59 | 67 |
| 4 | Nov 26, 2011 | 46 | 80 |
| 5 | Dec 3, 2011 | 43 | 83 |
| 6 | Dec 10, 2011 | 50 | 76 |
| 7 | Dec 17, 2011 | 55 | 71 |
| 8 | Dec 24, 2011 | 62 | 64 |
| 9 | Dec 31, 2011 | 60 | 66 |
| 10 | Jan 7, 2012 | 52 | 74 |
| 11 | Jan 14, 2012 | 50 | 76 |
| 12 | Jan 21, 2012 | 52 | 74 |
| 13 | Jan 28, 2012 | 54 | 72 |
| 14 | Feb 4, 2012 | 54 | 72 |
| 15 | Feb 11, 2012 | 51 | 75 |
| 16 | Feb 18, 2012 | 38 | 88 |
| 17 | Feb 25, 2012 | 31 | 95 |
| 18 | Mar 3, 2012 | 35 | 91 |
| 19 | Mar 10, 2012 | 34 | 92 |
| 20 | Mar 17, 2012 | 36 | 90 |