"See You Again" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood. Written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and David Hodges, it was released on April 15, 2013 through 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville, as the fourth and final single from Underwood's fourth studio album, Blown Away (2014). The song was announced in March 2013 and debuted live on the twelfth season of American Idol before being serviced to country and adult contemporary radio formats. It originated from writing sessions for the 2010 film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where it was left unused after another co-written song was selected for the soundtrack.
"See You Again" is a power ballad that centers on themes of loss, faith, and reassurance, which reflects Underwood's belief in life after death. While the lyrics address death and farewell directly, Underwood characterized the song as hopeful rather than mournful, framing it as a reflection on moving forward. Critically, the song received generally positive responses from critics, who highlighted its sincerity and Underwood's vocal performance, though some noted familiar stylistic elements in its chorus. Commercially, it became a major radio success, reaching the top ten on Hot Country Songs, peaking at number two on Country Airplay, and earning multi-platinum certification in the United States.
Underwood promoted the song through televised performances and festival appearances, and it later became associated with tribute performances following national tragedies. Its music video, directed by Eric Welch, depicts scenes of loss and reunion inspired by real-life events, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado.
Backgroud and release
On March 18, 2013, Underwood announced "See You Again" via her official Twitter account.[1] She debuted the song on the twelfth season of American Idol on April 4.[2] The song was sent to country radio on April 15 and Hot/Modern/AC radio on August 26, by Arista Nashville.[3][4] A CD edition includes the original album version of the song as well as a radio edit and a version featuring only the hook.[5]
The song was originally one of three songs written for the 2010 feature film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.[6] Underwood later explained that she collaborated with Hillary Lindsey and David Hodges after being invited to write for the film, and that the trio completed three songs over several days with the intention of presenting options rather than a single definitive submission.[7] Of the three songs, the workers opted to choose "There's a Place for Us", leaving "See You Again" unused at the time. According to Lindsey, the song was initially considered finished after it was not selected for the soundtrack, but nearly three years later it was revisited when Underwood decided to include it on her album, a development Lindsey later described as "unexpected".[8]
"See You Again" is a power ballad,[9][10] written in the key of A♭ music with a vocal range from F3 to D♭5.[11] Underwood felt that the lyrics of the song fit naturally on her fourth studio album Blown Away (2012), as the song presents her faith and views on life after death. In the chorus, she sings, "I will see you again, oh / This is not where it ends". The verses further develop this idea through imagery of loss and absence, while emphasizing reassurance rather than despair, with lines such as "But I won't cry / 'Cause I know I'll never be lonely".[7]
Discussing the song's theme, Underwood explained that while losing someone is painful, her faith offers comfort, stating that "having that faith that you're going to see them again is such a comforting thing". Although the lyrics deal directly with death and farewell, Underwood viewed the song as hopeful in tone, and she framed it as a reflection on moving forward rather than an expression of grief alone.[7]
The song has received positive reviews from music critics. Billboard described the song to be "truly a taste of heaven."[13] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe included the song in his personal favorite tracks from the Blown Away album in the website's 2012 year-end countdown of editors' favorite Country albums of the year,[14] as did Matt Bjorke of Roughstock for their album countdown.[15] Liv Carter of Urban Country News gave the song a "thumbs up", adding that the song resonates because of its sincerity in "wishing to bring comfort", which she suggested is what ultimately "pulls it over the line", while also pointing to Underwood's "confident" vocal performance.[16] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine was less favorable, saying that "the chorus of power ballad 'See You Again' is marred by dated, campy arena-rock clichés."[17]
Commercial performance
"See You Again" debuted at number 60 on the US Country Airplay chart for the week of April 13, 2013,[18] peaking at number 2 for the chart dated September 7, 2013.[19] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 for the chart dated May 18, 2013,[20] and peaked at number 34 for the chart of August 31, 2013.[21] It also peaked at number 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart on August 24, 2013.[22] The single has sold 740,000 copies in the United States as of December 2013,[23] being certificated 2× Platinum by RIAA.[24]
Underwood gave the debut performance of "See You Again" on the twelfth season of American Idol on April 4, 2013.[25][26] She served as closing headliner at CMA Music Festival on June 9, 2013 and included the song in her set.[27] On June 5, she paid tribute to the victims who lost their lives in tornados that devastated Oklahoma on May 20, performing the song at the CMT Music Awards and donating $1 million toward relief efforts.[28][29][30] In 2015, Underwood performed the song while headlining the Big Barrel Country Music Festival in Delaware, where she surprised audiences by incorporating elements of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's song of the same name into her song.[31] During the performance, she transitioned into the chorus of the latter, singing "It's been a long day without you, my friend".[32][10]
On May 13, 2018, she performed it during an episode of American Idol in which she mentored the top five contestants.[33][34] The song was included in the setlist for her sixth headlining concert, Cry Pretty Tour 360.[35] Following the passing of Naomi Judd on April 30, 2022, Underwood dedicated a live performance to the singer.[36]
Christina Vinson of Taste of Country described the imagery as capable of eliciting "pure emotion", noting that the clip juxtaposes moments of "joyful reunions" and "heartbreaking goodbyes" with symbolic elements such as baptism, tombstones, and funeral programs to explore themes of loss, faith, and continuity. She further observed that Underwood's vocals, supported by a backing choir, help shape a video that is ultimately "touching" and "deeply impactful", while remaining centered on human connection rather than narrative exposition.[44]
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.
