An alternative rock power ballad with influences of pop rock, hard rock, and post-grunge,[2] "No Surprise" utilizes layered vocals and distorted guitars to create a radio-friendly rock sound that has been compared to Kroeger's band Nickelback.[3] Its lyrics depict a bittersweet breakup between lovers that has been a long time coming.[4]
The song was a commercial success in the United States, reaching a peak position of 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the group's fourth number one hit on the magazine's Adult Pop Songs airplay chart. It also charted well internationally, peaking at number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100 and being certified Gold by Music Canada, in addition to attaining top 40 positions in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Sweden.
Composition
"No Surprise" is a midtempo alternative rock[2] and pop rock[2][5] ballad with a duration of four minutes and twenty-nine seconds (4:29) on the album track, or four minutes and nine seconds (4:09) on the single edit. According to the digital sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., the song was originally composed in the key of E♭ major and set in common time (4 4) to a "moderate" tempo of 96 BPM.[2] Daughtry's vocals are double-tracked on the majority of the track and span exactly two octaves, from E♭3 to E♭5.[6][2] Distorted guitars dominate the song's instrumentation, while the production employs a Wall of Sound approach.[6]
Lyrically, the song details the overdue end of an unhealthy relationship and has been described as "anthemic."[7][4][3] The narrator appears to have mixed feelings about the breakup, with the chorus alternating between sentimental reflection ("you and I will be a tough act to follow") and relief ("It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow / Can't believe that I stayed 'til today").[6]
Reception
Critical reception
Bill Lamb from About.com was positive in his review on the song, giving it four out of five stars and indicating that "No Surprise" is "possibly stronger than any of the singles off their four million selling debut album".[8]
Commercial performance
"No Surprise" debuted at number fifteen on the BillboardHot 100 the chart week of May 23, 2009. It is the band's highest debut to date on the chart, fueled by strong first week digital sales of 106,000.[9] It is also the band's fifth top twenty hit on the Hot 100, and their highest-charting song since "Home". In addition, it debuted at number 39 on the Adult Pop Songs chart with less than a week of airplay.[10] For the week of August 27, the song hit number-one, becoming the band's fourth number-one single on the Adult Top 40. Only Nickelback has more number ones with five.[11] The song also reached the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary and Pop Songs charts. As of January 2011, the song has sold over 1,201,000 digital copies in the United States.[12]
On the Canadian Hot 100, "No Surprise" debuted at number thirteen, also making it their fifth top twenty hit in that country. The single was certified Gold by Music Canada in July 2009. The song has also charted moderately well internationally, peaking at 34 in Australia, 45 in Austria, 62 in Germany, 22 in Japan, 22 in New Zealand, and 35 in Sweden.
International digital single[14]/European CD single[15]
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Length
1.
"No Surprise"
Daughtry, Kroeger, Moi, Westberg, Dill
4:09
Total length:
4:09
Music video
The video was directed by Nathan Cox[16] and premiered June 3, 2009.[17] It follows the story of a couple who live together but are struggling to make ends meet. It begins with the man trying to sign up for a mining job, but fails after the foreman tells him there are no work positions available. Meanwhile, the girl works at a diner and is being put off by her irritable boss. Later, she accidentally spills soda on a female customer after being bumped into by another man. The boss yells at her and she storms out, throwing her apron on the ground.
The next camera shot is at the couple's home as their neighbor is leaving for a musical gig. Both argue about their foreclosure of their home. The final segment begins the next morning when the man wakes up and leaves. The girl wakes up and is unable to find him. The video concludes with the girl looking around town (alternating shots between the band and her running through town and bumping into a guy) then, finally, sitting down on the ground, leaning against a big rock wondering what will happen next and the camera pans out and the viewer can see that the couple are sitting on opposite sides of the large boulder. In addition, Chris and his band are seen performing at the mining area, and Chris is seen with his guitar in some solo performance shots while standing on the ledge of a forklift arm in both day and night scenes.
