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.[7]
Young described "Hello Seattle" as a love song to a place he had never visited.[8] He stated that never travelling to the city was a "pretty big inspiration" to him.[9] Once he got the chance to visit the city, Young recalled that the experience "wasn't anything like the place in my head, it was just different."[10] The song gained viral popularity on MySpace and earned Young a record contract with Universal Republic.[11][12]
Composition
Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 90 BPM and is in the key of B-flat major.[13] Young's range in the song spans from the notes F4 to G5.[13] It is the first song he wrote under the Owl City name.[14] On a night when Young couldn't sleep, he had an idea for an electronic track that came to be "Hello Seattle".[1] He described the song as a "representative" of the type of music he wanted to make. He also stated, "It's innocent, accessible pop, but with a melancholy feel and abstract lyrics."[1] In addition to the lyrics being about Young's imagination of everything he dreamed the city to be,[15] it also references his faith to God.[16]
Versions
"Hello Seattle" first appeared on his debut EP Of June with a runtime of two minutes and 57 seconds.[17] 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.[18]
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."[19]AllMusic's Andrew Leahey remarked, "such syrupy sweetness builds to a feverish pitch."[20] 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."[21]
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