1997 Cover Song Was an Overlooked Hit That Became a Heartbreak Anthem
In the late '90s, if you found yourself "cold" and "shamed" after a breakup, or maybe quite unfortunately "lying naked on the floor," it's probably because you were feeling seen by the 1997 Natalie Imbruglia hit song "Torn." What many listeners, heartbroken and otherwise, never realized is that the song by the Australian-British pop singer is a cover of a previously overlooked recording. It was Imbruglia's smash hit version that became a lasting heartbreak anthem.
Imbruglia changed things up in her rendition of "Torn." She took the original song's relatable lyrics and added her crisp, vulnerable vocals and emotional honesty. The 1997 cover song's bright pop-rock sound made it the ultimate cry-in-the-car ballad. Tears fell, as listeners belted out every word: "I'm all out of faith! This is how I feel!"
For anyone wrapped up in betrayal and heartache, "Torn" became the salve. If you were hijacked by emotions of "should I / shouldn't I take them back?" confusion, Imbruglia's song provided words to make sense of it all: "Illusion never changed / Into something real," Imbruglia sang, "I'm wide awake and I can see / The perfect sky is torn / You're a little late / I'm already torn."
The memorable "Torn" music video only helped solidified the song's effect. Not only did we get to bask in Imbruglia's adorable, late-'90s aesthetic and style, but the behind-the-scenes feel perfectly captured the awkwardness of trying to make a relationship work: It's hard. You try another way. You mess up. You lose faith. In desperation and despair, you try again.
Related: 1990 Tearjerker Cover Hit Became a Devastating Breakup Anthem for a Generation
Natalie Imbruglia released her hit cover in October 1997, as the lead single from her debut album, Left of the Middle. "Torn" debuted on the charts in February 1998, and by May 1998, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, where it held for 11 weeks. The song also saw success globally, selling over four million copies and reaching No. 1 in Belgium, Canada, Spain, and Sweden.
The track earned Imbruglia a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" in 1999, losing to the Titanic megahit "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. The video also won the 1998 MTV Video Music Award for "Best New Artist in a Video."
While the Imbruglia cover version of "Torn" is the most famous, the song was originally written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley in 1991, and released by the alternative rock band Ednaswap in 1995.
Check out the original recording of "Torn" by Ednaswap:
And now, almost three decades after Imbruglia released the song, the breakup anthem is etched on the hearts of music lovers across generations. Gen X and millennials loved the song in real-time, and then Gen Z favorites like Olivia Rodrigo and Camila Cabello reinvigorated the song by widely performing their own covers of "Torn."
The 1997 hit continues to show up on today's playlists with over 1.1 billion streams on the Spotify streaming service to date.
"Torn" ranks No. 10 on Collider's current list of the "10 Greatest Pop Songs of the ‘90s." But for late '90s pop fans, "Torn" is more than a simple pop sensation. For so many listeners, the song was right on time to transport them through late '90s heartbreak, and for that reason, it's a forever appreciated anthem for a lifetime of post-healing recovery.
Watch the official music video for "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia:
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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 2:03 PM.