The Greatest (Six60 song)

Last updated

"The Greatest"
Six60 - The Greatest.jpg
Single by Six60
from the album Six60
Released26 July 2019 (2019-07-26)
Genre Pop
Length2:51
Label Epic, Massive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Malay
Six60 singles chronology
"Up There"
(2017)
"The Greatest"
(2019)
"Catching Feelings"
(2019)
Music video
"The Greatest" (lyric video) on YouTube

"The Greatest" is a song by New Zealand band Six60, released as the lead single from their third album Six60 in July 2019. The song was a commercial success, becoming triple Platinum certified in New Zealand.

Contents

Background and composition

The song was written and produced by the band in collaboration with American music producer Malay, and was one of the first songs the group wrote together with Malay. [1] The song was inspired by a 1964 photo of British band the Beatles meeting boxer Muhammad Ali. The band wanted to create a song expressing how they wanted to continue to strive to be better musicians and people. [2]

The single artwork is an homage to the photo of the Beatles and Ali. [2]

Release and promotion

The song was released on 26 July 2019, as the leading single from their third studio album Six60 . [3] [4] The band released a trailer for their documentary Six60: Till the Lights Go Out at the time of the release of "The Greatest". [5]

In 2023, the song was translated into Māori language with the help of Rob Ruha, to serve as the theme song of the 2023 Te Matatini kapa haka festival. [6]

Critical reception

The song was nominated for the Aotearoa Music Award for Single of the Year at the 2019 New Zealand Music Awards, losing to "Soaked" by Benee [7]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [8] [9]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "The Greatest"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [14] 4× Platinum120,000Double-dagger-14-plain.png

Double-dagger-14-plain.png Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. Schulz, Chris (8 October 2022). "Meet the secret super producer behind Lorde and Six60's success". The Spinoff . Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Kiwi music giants Six60 release first single from new album drawing inspiration from iconic photo". The New Zealand Herald . 26 July 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  3. "LISTEN: Six60 Drop New Single 'The Greatest'". George FM. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  4. "The Greatest - Single". iTunes . 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  5. "Six60 Are Back With Feel-Good Song 'The Greatest'". More FM. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. Hurihanganui, Te Aniwa (12 January 2023). "Six60 tune transformed into kapa haka festival anthem". 1 News . Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  7. Andelane, Lana (14 November 2019). "As it happened: 2019 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards". Newshub. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  8. "Credits / The Greatest / SIX60". Tidal . Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  9. "Credits / SIX60 / SIX60". Tidal . Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. "Six60 – The Greatest". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  11. "END OF YEAR CHARTS 2019". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  12. "END OF YEAR CHARTS 2020". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  13. "END OF YEAR CHARTS 2021". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  14. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 8 February 2023.