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==External Links==
==External Links==
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts *We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe [OFFICIAL VIDEO<nowiki>]</nowiki>]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts *We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe [OFFICIAL VIDEO<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

[http://www.lyricsnmusic.com/the-wired-strings-jeff-bhasker-and-fun/we-are-young-lyrics/26006279 *We Are Young - Lyrics]
[http://www.lyricsnmusic.com/the-wired-strings-jeff-bhasker-and-fun/we-are-young-lyrics/26006279 *We Are Young - Lyrics]


Revision as of 23:37, 28 April 2012

"We Are Young"
Song
B-side"One Foot"

"We Are Young" is a song by American indie pop band Fun., featuring American singer Janelle Monáe. The song was released on September 20, 2011, as the first single from Fun's second studio album Some Nights. The song was the first to be written for the band's second album and was the first to be recorded, setting a template for the rest of the sessions that created the record. "We Are Young" was described by Billboard magazine as a "grandiose alternative number, built on theatrical orchestration and a propulsive, immediate chorus that beams with inspirational effect."[1] An indie pop and alternative rock power ballad, "We Are Young" also draws influences from the genres of power pop and stadium rock.[2]

The track initially only gained attention from online media, but was soon covered by the television show Glee. With the Glee version having success on the charts, the song was licensed for use in a Chevrolet spot to air during Super Bowl XLVI. The single soon bolstered the band into mainstream success, topping the digital charts in February 2012 and becoming a crossover hit, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 through airplay on contemporary hit radio stations. "We Are Young" has been certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America and has been widely credited for propelling the band into popularity, after some minor success with their debut album Aim and Ignite in 2009. The song is Fun's and Monáe's first charting single on the Hot 100 as well as their first number-one single. It is the first song ever to log seven weeks of 300,000 or more in certified digital downloads.

Background

The song's roots can be traced back to February 2011, when Fun. frontman Nate Ruess succeeded in meeting with high-profile hip-hop producer Jeff Bhasker in New York City. Ruess was anxious about meeting Bhasker, so he arrived early at the bar in the Bowery Hotel on the Lower East Side "and had a little to drink just to make sure I was loosened up."[3] Bhasker had just finished a long day in the studio with Beyoncé, and had decided to give Ruess 10 minutes. He had previously already canceled two meetings with him. The two began talking about music, and Ruess' desire to merge hip-hop beats and electronic effects with pop rock intrigued Bhasker, who invited Ruess up to his hotel room to show him some Beyoncé tracks he had been working on. "Slightly tipsy and feeling inspired," Ruess belted out the chorus for "We Are Young", which at that time was an unfinished composition.[3] Bhasker was taken aback and automatically "freaked out," demanding he see the band for studio time "in the next few days." The next day, Bhasker and Ruess booked a New York studio and cut a version of "We Are Young" not far from the final version of the track.[4]

The band invited Janelle Monáe to provide guest vocals on "We Are Young" through her friendship with Bhasker. After being played the song, Monáe was enthused about the song and recorded her vocals in England.[5] Guitarist Jack Antonoff called "We Are Young" the "bull's-eye center" of the sound the band was striving for while producing Some Nights.[6] The song displays the influences brought by Jeff Bhasker and hip-hop music. Antonoff agreed with the notion that the song was their de facto anthem: "It's pretty rare, because any other projects that we've done, I don't think any of us have ever had that song that was like, 'This is our band,'" Antonoff said. "We're proud to say, 'Listen to this one song, and then come listen to the rest. Here it is.'"[6]

Composition

"We Are Young" is a power ballad. The song combines the genres of indie pop, alternative rock, stadium rock, and power pop.

The song is written in the key of F major and follows a tempo of 120 beats per minute in common time.[7] It starts out with a confused, fumbling apology in a bar — an atonement to someone for a mysterious past offense — before breaking into an anthemic chorus about being young.[3] In the song, "careful arrangements layer sharp, bright piano melodies with big, booming drums and multiple vocal harmonies." Reuss shifts from "vulnerable verbal tumbling in the song's sonically sparse intro to the grandiose declaration, 'Tonight, we are young / So let's set the world on fire' in the massive chorus."[8]

Release and promotion

"Obviously you never write the song hoping it ever fits into a commercial of something, you just want to write a good song. I think we'd be more apprehensive if it was something like a cheese commercial."

—Reuss, on the song's licensing for the Chevrolet spot[9]

The song was covered on Glee on the episode "Hold On to Sixteen", aired in December 2011.[1] The track was given to Glee music supervisors by John Janick, head of Fueled by Ramen, "about five months" before its release, according to Ruess.[10] Producers of Glee were incredibly receptive to the track, and set on including it in an episode regardless of whether it became a hit or not. The Glee cast version topped the Digital Songs chart in December 2011, hitting number one on iTunes and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1][11] As Glee's version of "We Are Young" gained popularity before the original did, Ruess e-mailed the musical director of the program, writing, "You guys are #1 right now, but we are coming for you, we're going to reclaim the spot!"[10]

"We Are Young" was selected as the soundtrack of a one-minute Chevrolet advertisement for the Chevy Sonic, aired during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. Chevrolet's agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners considered "hundreds of songs" before settling on the track. "It's a beautiful song, with a number of different projections in that driving beat and very sweet melody," said Andrew Bancroft, associate creative director for Chevrolet. "He liked the track so much he selected it even before pairing it with the ad's footage, a rarity in music-synching terms," said Billboard.[9] Although most commercials of that kind go through many different competing soundtracks, Chevrolet loved "We Are Young" from an early, rough cut of the spot. After the song's appearance in the spot, it was largely credited for the song's massive commercial success to come.[12][4][13]

The song was used by the WWE as background music to highlight the nominees for Game Changer of the Year at the 2011 WWE Slammy Awards on the December 12th edition of WWE Raw and in the Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs John Cena special that aired on the USA Network to help promote their highly anticipated match at WrestleMania XXVIII. It was used at the end of Interactive Multimedia's Trash Bash 2012 at MCCTC.

The song was released in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2012.

Chart performance

"We Are Young"
A sample of "We Are Young", displaying the deep-layered drums and vocal harmonies, as well the grandiose nature of the chorus.[8]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"We Are Young" entered the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2011 at number 53 but quickly fell off.[9] While the release of the Glee version did cause a 1,650% jump in sales of "We Are Young" (from 3,000 to 49,000 during the week of Dec. 11, 2011), it wasn't until the song appeared in the Super Bowl spot that it took off, exploding at radio and at retail.[1] The song began to climb up the charts immediately following the Super Bowl, climbing its way back up to eclipse its peak position. In the week following the Super Bowl, it rose 26 spots to number 63 on the Hot 100, and jumped from number 72 to 41 on the Hot Digital Songs chart.[9] It eventually rose to number 41 and then rocketed up the chart in the week preceding the release of Some Nights to the top ten, peaking at number three.[4] The following week, the song dropped to number six but rebounded back to number three on February 29.[4] On March 7, 2012, "We Are Young" ascended to the top position on the Billboard Hot 100.[12] It has remained at the number one position for six consecutive weeks, and is also the first song to log seven weeks of 300,000 or more in digital sales.[14]

Critical reception

"We Are Young" received immense praise and positive commentary from major music critics and is considered a breakthrough for the indie music genre. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called the song "rollickingly catchy," writing that "Ruess' knack for the anthemic is matched by Gen-Y humor – emo self-deprecation that leavens the bombast."[15] In addition, fellow Rolling Stone columnist Steve Knopper compared the song's crossover success to that of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" (2011), writing that the song displays a "sprightly pop-novelty feel" that is the best track on the album.[16] Al Shipley of The Village Voice agreed with this comparison, attributing the song's success to the changing music industry as a result of advertising and iTunes.[11] MTV News called "We Are Young" the band's "breakout anthem" and one of the year's most unlikely sensations.[6]

Spin reviewed the track positively based on its inclusion in the album, singling it out for "marrying fist-pump stadium rock to the prim indie-pop of Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks," keeping the deliberate beats and soaring melodies but replacing choirboy primness with a percussive whomp."[2] RJ Cubarrubia of Billboard commended the band for taking their "warm retro sound into soaring ballad territory," calling the track a "bold statement." He did however, criticize the small inclusion of Janelle Monáe in the track: "Monáe's guest spot is a missed opportunity, as the budding R&B star is relegated to background harmonies instead of adding something soulful and special to an already powerful hook."[8]

The breakout success of "We Are Young" catapulted Fun. to levels of success that "no bands today usually receive," according to Billboard.[9] "Since the moment the first note was ever written, there's just been this huge level of excitement," said Ruess. "It's always seemed like we had this big secret, that we couldn't tell anyone, and now, it's just slowly unravelling."[6] John Janick, president/CEO of Fueled by Ramen and co-president of Elektra Records, states that everyone involved felt like "We Are Young" was a special song. "It just felt like a massive record from the beginning," said Janick in March 2012. "Not to say that we can foresee the future, but I've noticed in my life there's very few projects where something feels special and you go after things and they come to you and things fall into place. This is one of those projects."[1] Janick brought the song to the attention of Glee music supervisor PJ Bloom. "I vividly remember John dropping by my office with a just-mastered 'We Are Young' in hand," said Bloom. "It was still on its original blank CD-R titled in poorly handwritten red Sharpie." When Janick suggested that the track was perfect for the musical show, Bloom demurred. "Glee doesn't break bands, we celebrate existing pop success-that's our core model."[1] Bloom changed his mind after playing the song only once and less than five minutes later sent it to Glee co-creater Ryan Murphy. Bloom called the cover of "We Are Young" one of "the pinnacle song moments of the entire series," and continued, "For Fun., Glee provided a launching pad for much of the success to come. For Glee, Fun. allowed us to show the world we could be an A&R source and break a band. It was music business perfection." According to Columbia, which handles Glee releases, "We Are Young" marks the first track that was truly broken by Glee.[1]

The band's extensive touring, which has included playing Coachella, ensured that the groundwork was already in place for the act to grow, according to Fun.'s manager, Dalton Sim of Nettwerk Records. "From my perspective, the success comes from the hard work the band, Nettwerk Records and Fueled by Ramen have put into the band for the last three-plus years to develop a real fan base. Now, with some great exposure, the Fun. fan base is taking those looks and spreading and connecting the band to new people."[1] In addition, influential Los Angeles-area alternative station KROQ put "We Are Young" in rotation before the Super Bowl appearance based on its anthemic sound and lyrical relatable nature . "That's always the first thing that will get a song on the air, if it's a song we love and we think the listeners will love," said Lisa Worden, music director of KROQ. "That's why it went on the air, and then all the marketing around it is an added bonus. That's helped in getting the song out and reaching a different audience."[1] Al Shipley of The Village Voice called the track "one of 2012's ubiquitous songs," predicting it would fully saturate pop culture in May 2012, when "it inevitably becomes the biggest commencement song since Vitamin C's ghastly 'Graduation (Friends Forever)'."[11]

Music video

The music video, directed by Marc Klasfeld, features Fun. performing on a stage at a bar where a riot breaks out. A majority of the scenes were shot in slow motion with the rest shot in real time. The video opens with a girl messaging another person on an HTC Titan, the message of which read "NOW!". The message was possibly a signal to begin a riot. The girl then throws the smartphone into the middle of the bar where it hovers in mid-air. As the first chorus begins the girl gets a wine glass smashed over her head as the patrons degenerate into a bar fight. Different types of food are thrown and smashed at various points in the video, most notably grapes. Large amounts of flour and confetti are sprayed across the stage from the left and right. People run, fall and fly across the bar. Streamers and a disco ball also fall from the ceiling. During the second chorus various glassware is thrown around and as a result, shatter. A couple kiss with food spread all over their faces and Janelle Monáe walks into the center of the bar and sings the first half of her bridge in real time and the second in slow motion. Monáe's role in the video was described as being The Eye of the Storm. It is also implied that Fun.'s performance mirrors the intensity of the bar's atmosphere, as their performance becomes more intense and energetic as the video progresses. The video concludes with Fun. ending their performance as the girl from the beginning of the video runs out of the bar.[17][18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, and Jack Antonoff

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."We Are Young"4:10
7" vinyl (2011)
No.TitleLength
1."We Are Young"4:10
2."One Foot"3:32

Credits and personnel

Recording
  • Recorded at: Jungle City, Enormous Studios, and the Village Recorder
Personnel
  • Jeff Bhasker – production, audio mixing, drum programming, keyboards, background vocals, orchestrations
  • Stuart White – engineering, assistant audio mixer
  • Andrew Dawson – engineering
  • Ken Lewis – additional programming
  • Rosie Danvers – orchestrations
  • Wired Strings – orchestrations
  • Sonny Pinnar – studio engineering
  • TommyD – orchestration producer

Charts and certifications

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zemler, Emily (2 March 2012). "Fun.: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b Johnston, Maura (1 March 2012). "Review: Some Nights". Spin. Retrieved 8 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c McKinley, James (9 March 2012). "That '70s Style, Reinvented". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "NYT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d Trust, Gary (29 February 2012). "Kelly Clarkson Returns to Hot 100 Peak, The Wanted Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Kaplan, Ilona. "All in Good Fun". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Montgomery, James (21 February 2012). "Fun. Find Breakout Anthem With 'We Are Young'". MTV News. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Fun. – We Are Young". Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Cubarrubia, RJ (27 January 2012). "Track Review: Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, 'We Are Young'". Billboard. Retrieved 8 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e Hampp, Andrew (5 February 2012). "How Fun.'s 'We Are Young' Scored Chevy's 'Stunt Anthem' Super Bowl Spot". Billboard. Retrieved 18 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b Robert, David (1 March 2012). "Fun Talk Music, Touring and Being On Glee With MTV News". MTV News. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Shipley, Al (22 February 2012). "Radio Hits One: Fun.'s "We Are Young" Brings Indie Pop To The Super Bowl And The Hot 100". The Village Voice. Retrieved 8 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b Trust, Gary (5 March 2012). "Fun.-tastic! 'We Are Young' Tops Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Martins, Todd (15 February 2012). "Adele, Whitney Houston, Fun make an impact on the charts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Gary Trust (2012-04-11). "Hot 100: Fun. Makes Digital Sales History in Sixth Week at No. 1". Billboard. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Rosen, Jody (1 March 2012). "Review: Some Nights". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Knopper, Steve (29 February 2012). "On the Charts: How Do You Spell Fun.?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 March 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duVWUCkT92Q
  18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts
  19. ^ "australian-charts.com - Fun feat. Janelle Monáe - We Are Young". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  20. ^ "Fun Feat. Janelle Monae – We Are Young" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  21. ^ "Fun Feat. Janelle Monae – We Are Young" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  22. ^ "Fun Feat. Janelle Monae – We Are Young" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h "We Are Young - Fun". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  24. ^ Rock, Canadian. "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Alternative Rock - April 24, 2012". Canadianrockalt.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  25. ^ Rock, Canadian. "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Alternative Rock - March 27, 2012". Canadianrockalt.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  26. ^ "ARC, Issue Date: March 26, 2012" (in Croatian). HRT. 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  27. ^ http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=2&titul=150129&sec=4ca20131036c6d149d5da9e9213bc2c7
  28. ^ "Suomen virallinen lista". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  29. ^ "Charts in France (SNEP)". SNEP. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  30. ^ "Chart Track: Week 16, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  31. ^ "Media Forest: Airplay chart". mediaforest.biz. 2012-03-24.
  32. ^ "Fun. feat. Monáe – We Are Young". Top Digital Download.
  33. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/japan-hot-100?begin=1&order=position
  34. ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.monitorlatino.com.mx/
  35. ^ Steffen Hung. "Fun. feat. Janelle Monáe - We Are Young". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  36. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  37. ^ "Top 5 airplay - nowości" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  38. ^ ds. "Sns Ifpi". Ifpicr.cz. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  39. ^ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Fun%2E+feat%2E+Janelle+Mon%E1e&titel=We+Are+Young&cat=s
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  41. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  42. ^ a b "Chart Highlights: Adele, Taylor Swift, Madonna Notch New No. 1s". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  43. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pitbull, Shakira Debut New Singles". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  44. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pitbull, Shakira Debut New Singles". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  45. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display.asp?chart=1U50
  46. ^ http://musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssd=3/1/2012&ssb=Cert.%20Date
  47. ^ http://www.fimi.it/temp/cert_GFK_download_152012.pdf
  48. ^ Top Selling Artists, riaa.com, retrieved 15 November 2008
  49. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

*We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

*We Are Young - Lyrics

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