Hello Seattle

Last updated
"Hello Seattle"
Hello Seattle song.jpg
Song by Owl City
from the album Ocean Eyes
ReleasedDecember 2009 (2009-12)
Genre
Length2:47
Label Universal Republic
Songwriter(s) Adam Young
Producer(s) Young

"Hello Seattle" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song is the third track from his second studio album Ocean Eyes released via Universal Republic. The song was released as a promotional CD in December 2009 before it was serviced for radio airplay on April 27, 2010. [3] The song peaked at number six on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold in 2014 by the Recording Industry Association of America. [4] [5]

Contents

Background

Adam Young spoke about the song's meaning with Female First:

"'Hello Seattle' is a song about growing up in Minnesota, imagining what the city of Seattle was like without having visited. It's about daydreams and imaginings where you are things that dwell in/around the Emerald City, thus giving the listener a first person view. [6]

Young described "Hello Seattle" as a love song to a place he had never visited. [7] He stated that never travelling to the city was a "pretty big inspiration" to him. [8] The song gained viral popularity on MySpace and earned Young a record contract with Universal Republic. [9]

Composition

Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 90 BPM and is in the key of B-flat major. [10] Young's range in the song spans from the notes F4 to G5. [10] The song was one of the first tracks that Young ever wrote. On a night when Young couldn't sleep, he had an idea for an electronic track that came to be "Hello Seattle". [1] He stated, "'Hello Seattle', which is on the album and is still most representative of the type of music I want to make. It's innocent, accessible pop, but with a melancholy feel and abstract lyrics." [1] The song's lyrics references Young's faith to God. [11]

Versions

"Hello Seattle" first appeared on his debut EP Of June with a runtime of two minutes and 57 seconds. [12] The song was later remastered for his second studio album Ocean Eyes with a runtime of two minutes and 47 seconds. A remix version of the song was also featured on the album. [13]

Critical reception

"Hello Seattle" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Scott Fryberger of Jesus Freak Hideout described the track as "dance friendly." He stated, "The piano at the beginning is a nice touch to get the jam started... it never gets boring as some dance floor hits tend to." [14] AllMusic's Andrew Leahey remarked, "such syrupy sweetness builds to a feverish pitch." [15] A negative review came from Hollis Wong-Wear of the Seattle Weekly . She criticized Young's "overprocessed vocals," as well as the song's lyrics. She also added, "Owl City bites Ben Gibbard's style so hard, contorting Gibbard's earnest lightness." [16]

Charts

Chart performance for "Hello Seattle"
Chart (2010–12)Peak
position
South Korea (GAON) (International Chart) [17] 200
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [4] 6

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [5] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "Hello Seattle"
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
United StatesDecember 2009 CD Republic [3]
April 27, 2010 Contemporary hit radio

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owl City</span> American electronica musical project

Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, who created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement. Owl City developed a following on the social networking site Myspace, like many musicians who achieved success in the late 2000s, before signing with Universal Republic Records, now Republic Records, in 2008.

<i>Ocean Eyes</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Owl City

Ocean Eyes is the second studio album by American electronica project Owl City, released on July 14, 2009, by Universal Republic Records. It features a photograph of the Burj Al Arab as its album artwork. A vinyl edition was released, followed by a deluxe edition available on January 26, 2010. The deluxe edition incorporates four new tracks, including a remix of "Hello Seattle". The album contains guest vocals by Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen on the songs "Fireflies", "Cave In", "The Bird and the Worm", and "Tidal Wave".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breanne Düren</span> American singer-songwriter

Breanne Elizabeth Dürenberger, known professionally as Breanne Düren, is an American musician best known for her work with electronic music project Owl City and her own solo work.

<i>Of June</i> 2007 EP by Owl City

Of June is the first EP by American electronic music project Owl City. It was uploaded by Adam Young to his Myspace page on August 29, 2007. The EP was released digitally on December 16, 2008.

<i>An Airplane Carried Me to Bed</i> 2010 studio album by Sky Sailing

An Airplane Carried Me to Bed is the first and only album by Sky Sailing, a project by Adam Young. The album comprises some of his early recordings from before he started Owl City. It was released digitally on July 13, 2010, before it was released physically on July 27, 2010 via Universal Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Air Balloon (song)</span> 2009 promotional single by Owl City

"Hot Air Balloon" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song was released digitally on May 5, 2009 as the first promotional single from his second studio album, Ocean Eyes. The song appears as the B-side on the European CD release of his debut single, "Fireflies".

<i>All Things Bright and Beautiful</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Owl City

All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by the American electronica project Owl City. It was released on June 14, 2011, by Universal Republic Records. Despite receiving mixed critical reviews, it became a commercial success, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deer in the Headlights (song)</span> 2011 promotional single by Owl City

"Deer in the Headlights" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song was released on May 23, 2011 as the first promotional single from his third studio album, All Things Bright and Beautiful. In promotion of the single, a music video was released on June 30, 2011.

<i>Shooting Star</i> (EP) 2012 EP by Owl City

Shooting Star is the second extended play by American electronica project Owl City, released on iTunes and other media outlets on May 15, 2012, through Universal Republic. The extended play consists of four new songs that would also be on Young's subsequent album, The Midsummer Station. Mark Hoppus, vocalist for Blink-182 is featured on the song "Dementia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shooting Star (Owl City song)</span> 2012 single by Owl City

"Shooting Star" is a song by American electronica project Owl City from his second extended play of the same name. The song premiered exclusively via Billboard on May 10, 2012, before it was released as the lead single from the EP on May 15, 2012. The song peaked at No. 176 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 49 on the Japan Hot 100. It was featured twice in the 2013 animated film Escape from Planet Earth.

"I'm Coming After You" is a song by American electronica act Owl City. It was released on August 13, 2012, as the first promotional single from his fourth studio album, The Midsummer Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming With Dolphins (band)</span>

Swimming With Dolphins is an American electronica band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band formed in 2008 by Austin Tofte and Owl City frontman Adam Young. The name of the band was derived, according to Tofte, from "some old Jacques Cousteau documentaries from the 80s". The group is fronted by Tofte, while Young performed synths and programming for the act and additionally served as the producer of the group.

<i>Water Colours</i> 2011 studio album by Swimming With Dolphins

Water Colours is the debut studio album by the American electronica band, Swimming With Dolphins. It was released on May 13, 2011 on iTunes and in physical CD format on May 17, 2011. On May 25, 2011, the band released a trailer for the album's release on YouTube.

<i>Ultraviolet</i> (EP) 2014 EP by Owl City

Ultraviolet is the fourth extended play by American electronica project Owl City, released digitally on June 27, 2014, through Republic Records. The EP's lead single, "Beautiful Times", which features violinist Lindsey Stirling, was released on April 8, 2014.

"Angels" is a song by American electronica act Owl City. It was released on September 20, 2011, for Christian radio airplay as the fourth and final single from his third studio album, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Young (American musician)</span> American musician (born 1986)

Adam Randal Young is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the founder and sole member of electronica project Owl City. Outside of Owl City, Young has recorded music under different musical projects, most notably Port Blue and Sky Sailing. In addition to these works, Young was part of the electronica band Swimming With Dolphins and post-rock band Windsor Airlift.

"Wolf Bite" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song was released on June 18, 2014, as a promotional single from his fourth extended play, Ultraviolet. The song reached number 22 on the Christian Rock Songs chart and number 48 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Things Bright and Beautiful Tour</span> 2011 concert tour by Owl City

The All Things Bright and Beautiful Tour is the second headlining concert tour by American electronica project Owl City, in support of his third studio album, All Things Bright and Beautiful (2011).

The Ocean Eyes Tour is the first headlining concert tour by American electronica project Owl City, in support of his second studio album, Ocean Eyes (2009).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lisa Verrico (February 14, 2010). "Owl City: the sensational sensitive man". The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Chris Reimenschneider (February 17, 2009). "Whooo's Owl City?". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. 1 2 "Owl City Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "American single certifications – Owl City – Hello Seattle". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Owl City : Ocean Eyes Track by Track". Female First. February 15, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Joanna Horowitz (March 25, 2010). "Owl City will say 'Hello Seattle' on April 1". The Seattle Times . Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Hello Seattle - Owl City Songfacts". Songfacts . Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ Andrew Leahey. "Owl City Biography by Andrew Leahey". AllMusic . Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Owl City "Hello Seattle" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ Adam Dawson (August 24, 2009). "Owl City – Ocean Eyes". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ Jared Johnson. "Of June Review by Jared Johnson". AllMusic . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ocean Eyes (Deluxe Edition) by Owl City". Apple Music . Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ Scott Fryberger (March 3, 2010). "Owl City – Ocean Eyes (Deluxe Edition)". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ Andrew Leahey. "Ocean Eyes Review by Andrew Leahey". AllMusic . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hollis Wong-Wear (November 19, 2009). "The Worst Song About Seattle of the Decade Goes to..." Seattle Weekly . Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart - 2012-03-02". GAON . Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.