And it's sad because it's like a surprise to people - almost an anomaly - when artists are actually refined and trained on an instrument. That's the last thing people think about.

MTV censored and later banned the single's music video because of a controversial lyric in the song that refers to sexual intercourse. It became a hit peaking inside the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the sixth-most-played song of the year as well as garnering Grammy Award nominations for "Record of the Year" "Song of the Year" and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)". She later toured Europe in 2003.

Her debut album Be Not Nobody followed and received platinum certification in the United States. Three months after recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo Vanessa Carlton signed with A&M Records.