"Budapest"
Single by George Ezra
from the album Wanted on Voyage
B-side"Angry Hill"
Released13 December 2013
Recorded2013
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length3:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Cam Blackwood
George Ezra singles chronology
"Did You Hear the Rain?"
(2013)		 "Budapest"
(2013)		 "Cassy O'"
(2014)
Alternate cover

"Budapest" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Ezra, from his debut studio album, Wanted on Voyage (2014). It was released as the album's second single on 13 December 2013 in Italy, and on 13 June 2014 in the United Kingdom. The song was co-written by Ezra with Joel Pott and produced by Cam Blackwood.

The single was released on Columbia Records, and distributed by Sony Music, and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. "Budapest" has also been a major hit for Ezra in Austria, New Zealand, and Slovenia, topping the charts in all three countries, while reaching the top ten in eleven additional countries. It was the 10th-best-selling single of 2014 in the UK.[2] The song was released in the U.S. in late 2014 and has peaked at number 32.[3]

Background

Ezra told The Daily Telegraph that "Budapest" was "[his] first attempt to write a love song, and it uses the first three guitar chords [he] ever learned. There's a lot to be said for that simplicity."[4] Ezra has also insisted that, despite its title, the lyrics of "Budapest" do not have anything to do with the city in Hungary and that he had never even been there before. He said, "I was in Malmö in Sweden and the Eurovision Song Contest was being held in Malmö on that night, and I didn't have a clue about it but everyone there seemed to be really excited about it and having parties. But I didn't know you couldn't buy alcohol after 10 o'clock at night. So I ended up buying a bottle of like, rum, or something like that from a guy in a park so I could have something to drink at this party. Anyway, I was meant to be getting a train to Budapest the next day, and I never got it because I was too hungover and didn't fancy it. So I wrote the song about being miles from Budapest."[5]

"Budapest" was originally released as part of Ezra's EP Did You Hear the Rain?, which contains the song of the same name. When asked about how the song became popular, Ezra revealed, "At first we gave it away as a free track off the/my EP for like a month, and then in Italy it just kicked off for some reason. I've never even been over there, but [the song] was just huge on the radio. It kind of happened overnight. Then it went over [to] Germany and when we released it in the UK, it took off there as well."[6]

Composition

With a tempo of 128 bpm, the song "Budapest" is composed in the key of F major.[7]

Critical reception

Chris Willman of Billboard called it an "acoustically inclined, eminently hummable single".[8]

Chart performance

In 2015, "Budapest" became a sleeper hit in the United States. It debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2015,[9] and peaked at number 32 in May. It charted for 30 weeks on Adult Alternative Airplay, 10 of which were spent at the pole position;[10] in February 2021, for the chart's 25th anniversary, Billboard ranked "Budapest" at number 12 on its list of the 100 most successful songs in the chart's history.[11][12] The song performed well on several other Billboard airplay charts, reaching number 6 on Adult Top 40,[13] number 9 on the overall Rock Airplay chart,[14] and number 14 on Adult Contemporary.[15]

Music video

An official music video for "Budapest" was first released onto YouTube on 21 April 2014. It consists of a large crowd of people all with different styles and accessories all standing motionless together in a tight-knit crowd, occasionally being inter-cut with footage of one of them doing something minor like shifting slightly where they stand, one of them sneezing gaining the attention of everyone around and George playing his guitar and singing to the camera with a smile. As the video goes on, the people start to move and interact by passing their accessories around, a group of three young men having one of them bite into a very spicy chili pepper, a party attendee in a sash and tiara talking on the phone to someone, the crowd looking up together and putting on 3-D glasses, all inter-cut with George crowd-surfing them and playing and singing to the camera again.

As the video starts to come to an end, George begins to crowd-surf standing up instead, taking off his guitar and passing it down to join all the other accessories being passed around, this time with people interacting more and dancing together. The video ends with George singing with his guitar standing in the again-motionless crowd; when the song ends he simply stops and becomes motionless too. In a small epilogue, some members of the crowd are all on the floor silently cheering, laughing and clapping together.[16]

Formats and track listings

  • Digital download (United Kingdom)[17]
  1. "Budapest" – 3:20
  • CD single (Germany)[18]
  1. "Budapest" – 3:23
  2. "Angry Hill" – 4:11

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[78] 9× Platinum 630,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[79] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[80] Platinum 30,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[81] 2× Platinum 180,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[82] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[83] Platinum 300,000^
Italy (FIMI)[84] 3× Platinum 90,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[85] Platinum 60,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[86] Gold 10,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[87] 2× Platinum 30,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[88] Platinum 10,000*
South Africa (RISA)[89] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[90] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[91] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[92] 5× Platinum 3,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[93] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[94] Platinum 2,600,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Italy[95] 13 December 2013 Contemporary hit radio Sony
Germany[18] 18 April 2014 CD single
United Kingdom[17] 13 June 2014 Digital download
United States[96][97][98] 25 August 2014 Adult album alternative radio Columbia
23 September 2014 Modern rock radio
27 October 2014 Hot adult contemporary radio

References

  1. ↑ "Mystery surrounding George Ezra and other foreign singers fuels buzz". Los Angeles Times. 23 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (31 December 2014). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Chris Martins (April 24, 2015). "George Ezra on 'SNL' Ignorance, Why Relationships Are a 'Distraction,' and Being an Old Soul at 21". Billboard. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ McCormick, Neil (23 December 2014). "George Ezra: Old, new, borrowed and blue". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Pritchard, Jon (16 June 2014). "Interview: George Ezra". Brum Notes. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  6. ↑ LeDonne, Rob (1 October 2014). "Q&A: George Ezra on his hit song "Budapest" and burgeoning fame". American Songwriter. ForASong Media. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "George Ezra "Budapest" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com.
  8. ↑ Willman, Chris (27 January 2015). "The Bellowing, British Blues of 'Budapest' Singer George Ezra". Billboard. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Cantor, Brian (February 5, 2015). "Hot 100: Imagine Dragons, George Ezra, Nick Jonas, and Tove Lo debut this week". Headline Planet. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  10. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (18 February 2021). "Dave Matthews Band & The Wallflowers' 'One Headlight' Top Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  13. 1 2 "George Ezra Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  14. 1 2 "George Ezra Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  15. 1 2 "George Ezra Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest (Official Video)". YouTube. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  17. 1 2 "Budapest – Single by George Ezra". iTunes Store. United Kingdom: Apple. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Budapest" (in German). Amazon.de. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  21. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  24. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201426 into search. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201433 into search. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest". Tracklisten. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  30. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  32. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History". RÚV. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  33. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 33, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  34. ↑ "Media Forest Week 30, 2014". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
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  36. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – George Ezra" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
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  40. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  41. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201427 into search. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  42. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201434 into search. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  43. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart". SloTop50. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  44. ↑ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2014-09-16". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  45. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest" Canciones Top 50.
  46. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  47. ↑ "George Ezra – Budapest". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  48. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  49. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  50. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  51. ↑ "George Ezra Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  52. ↑ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  53. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2014". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  54. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  55. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  56. ↑ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  57. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  58. ↑ "Single Top 100 - eladási darabszám alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  59. ↑ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
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  61. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 2014". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  62. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2014". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  63. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official year end singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  64. ↑ "Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  65. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  66. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  67. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  68. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official year end singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  69. ↑ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
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  72. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  73. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs - Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
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  75. ↑ "As 100 Mais Tocadas nas Rádios Jovens em 2016". Billboard Brasil (in Portuguese). January 4, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  76. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official year end singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  77. ↑ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  78. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  79. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  80. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2015". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  81. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  82. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (George Ezra; 'Budapest')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  83. ↑ "Italian single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Budapest" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  84. ↑ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 7 June 2022. Type George Ezra in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Budapest in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  85. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 11 October 2021. Enter Budapest in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2014 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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  88. ↑ "South African single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest". RISA. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
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  91. ↑ "British single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  92. ↑ "American single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  93. ↑ "Danish single certifications – George Ezra – Budapest". IFPI Danmark.
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