"Bubbly" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her first album, Coco (2007). Written by Caillat and Jason Reeves and produced by Mikal Blue, the song was released as the album's lead single on May 15, 2007. "Bubbly" is Caillat's only song to peak within the top ten of US Billboard Hot 100; it remains her highest-charting song. Internationally, "Bubbly" reached number one in Australia, Brazil, and the Czech Republic. It also became a top-10 hit in several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, and Norway, as well as Japan and New Zealand. It is certified six-times platinum in the US and Australia as well as gold or higher in six additional countries. The song's music video, directed by Liz Friedlander, aired on MTV, VH1 and CMT. A still from the music video was used as the cover for Caillat's debut album, Coco.

Background and composition

"Bubbly" was written by Colbie Caillat and Jason Reeves. It is written in the key of A and primarily features a gentle guitar instrumentation which uses a capo of seventh fret. The guitar uses open D tuning (low to high): D–A–D–F♯–A–D. Caillat's vocal range spans from E3 to F♯4. Caillat commented on the lyrical composition of the song in an interview with Wilson County News on February 20, 2008, following her live performance on The View, "I didn't write "Bubbly" for any [special] guy. I wrote it about the feelings you get when you have a crush on somebody, and when they give you butterflies in your stomach and they just make you smile."

Reception

Critical response

Susan Visakowitz of Billboard wrote that Caillat's "warm vocals along with a gentle acoustic arrangement effortlessly conjure the idyllic California she calls home".

Commercial performance

On the issue dated October 6, 2007, "Bubbly" rose from number 16 to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at number five for seven non-consecutive weeks. It also topped the Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts for 19 and 14 weeks, respectively. The song was placed at number two on the Adult Contemporary year-end chart of 2008, behind Sara Bareilles' "Love Song". The single was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 18, 2023, with sales of more than 2.6 million downloads in the US. It peaked at number two for three weeks on the Canadian Hot 100. In Australia—where "Bubbly" was used in a promotional video for the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away—it reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart for the week of April 7, 2008. Elsewhere, the single reached number one in the Czech Republic and charted within the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden. It did not fare as well in the British Isles, peaking at number 58 in the United Kingdom and number 48 in Ireland. On VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s, "Bubbly" ranked number 71 on the list.

Music video

Synopsis

Filmed in Colbie Caillat's hometown of Malibu and in Santa Barbara in southern California, the music video features intercut scenes of Caillat playing the guitar while dreamily singing the lyrics of the song and spending time with her lover in their home and out in nature. It is a sunny day, and some shots feature Caillat in fields as she sings. Later in the video, Caillat drives in an old Bronco and then is pictured singing as she walks slowly along the coast of California and looks out over a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Caillat performs clad in a simple tank top and jeans which are slightly ripped at the knees; she is also barefoot and wearing a necklace made of sea shells.

Reception

Uploaded to Caillat's YouTube and Vevo account on December 13, 2009, the video for "Bubbly" has received a generally positive reaction from fans and has garnered over 125 million views.

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history