"A Thousand Miles" (originally titled "Interlude") is the debut single of American pop singer Vanessa Carlton.

Produced by Curtis Schweitzer and Ron Fair, the song was released as the lead single for Carlton's first album, Be Not Nobody (2002).

First released to US radio in February 2002, it became Carlton's biggest hit in the United States and her only single to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five.

Carlton says that the song was inspired by a crush she had on a Juilliard student (who is now a "very famous actor") whom she met while she was attending the School of American Ballet.

Some years later, Carlton recorded a demo tape (which featured several tracks, including "Interlude") and sent it to various producers and labels in the hopes that one would sign her.

"[2] The selection of the song's title was accompanied by a minor disagreement between Carlton and Fair, who was reportedly "adamant" about changing it.

Calderone expressed a desire to begin broadcasting the video at once and Fair agreed to his request, even though the album was still in production at the time and Carlton's marketing "image" had not yet been developed.

[7] The album Be Not Nobody was released on April 30 and, partly because of the popularity of "A Thousand Miles", debuted in the U.S. top five with first-week sales of over 101,000 copies.

It was a top-five hit in Ireland and France, and managed to reach the top ten in other parts of Europe such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Carlton told the website Contactmusic.com of the first time she watched the single's music video, in which she is seen playing the piano while traveling through a variety of settings: I was in the studio and had just taken a break, when someone ran in the room and said, "You're on MTV!"

[13]It received heavy airplay on the channel following its premiere on the top-ten video program Total Request Live on January 4, 2002,[14] and was popular enough to be retired from the show's countdown.

AllMusic wrote: "as it moves from its solo orchestral-backed choruses, the result isn't overwhelming, it's sweet, multi-layered, and appealing".

[19] Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix made favourable comparisons between "A Thousand Miles" and Michelle Branch's debut single "Everywhere", saying, "it's a good-natured reverie, with none of the troubled soul searching that characterizes the work of Tori and Fiona.

[20] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters magazine said the song was "catchy and hard to dislike", but characterized it as "the sort of girly-voiced, introspective pop that is made to please people who are looking for singer/songwriters who look and sound profound, but actually have nothing to say".

Terry Crews' character in the film sings along with it and shakes his head hard when he hears the orchestrated hook.

[24] The song is also prominently featured in the Season 3 finale titled "Flashback in the Day" of the television sitcom Workaholics.

There was no use of green screen or visual effects, only a custom built dolly for the piano and a safety belt on Carlton.

While playing, she passes by bikers and footracers on the road, near a parade downtown, along the beach, and across other parts of the city, gradually taking place until the sun sets.

"[31] A writer for the Boston Phoenix said that with the song, Carlton "won favor with smart but awkward teenage girls who didn't see themselves in more evidently constructed teen-pop personalities like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera",[32] and Slant magazine said it "helped pave the way for an industry beginning to take a turn away from bubblegum pop".