Get Along (Guy Sebastian song)

"Get Along" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian, released in November 2012 as the fourth single from his seventh album Armageddon. It was written by Sebastian and Ian Barter, who also produced the song. "Get Along" reached number 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart, the fourth top ten single released from "Armageddon".[1] It is also Sebastian's 11th top ten single in Australia, and ninth to peak in the top five.[2] "Get Along" has been certified 3× platinum.[3] "Get Along" also reached number nine and gold certification in New Zealand. The song was a finalist in the Pop/Top 40 category of the 2013 International Songwriting Competition, and was also one of the final five nominees for the APRA Song of the Year Award.[4][5] It was also nominated for Song of the Year in the 2013 ARIA Awards.[6]

"Get Along"
Single by Guy Sebastian
from the album Armageddon
Released10 November 2012 (2012-11-10)
GenrePop, R&B
Length4:22
LabelSony Music Australia
Songwriter(s)Guy Sebastian, Ian Barter
Producer(s)Ian Barter
Guy Sebastian singles chronology
"Battle Scars"
(2012)		 "Get Along"
(2012)		 "Bed of Clouds"
(2013)
Music video
"Get Along" on YouTube

Background and development

"Get Along" is a song which deals with the damage inflicted by religious, cultural and racial intolerance. It is a stripped back pop ballad with minimal instrumental accompaniment.[7] Sebastian said that in the lead up to the birth of his first child in early 2012 he began analysing the world his son would grow up in.[8] He explained that while he had always taken notice of the state of world affairs, he had never written about it in song, as he had never felt it was his position or role "to put it to paper as a songwriter".[9][10] Sebastian said, "It sends your brain into overload when you are expecting your first child. It definitely makes you take a step back to try to gain some perspective on this world we live in. This song tries to encapsulate that. The hunger for utopia, that perfect world where everyone just accepts people. Obviously that's not a world we currently live in, and not a world my son has inherited." Sebastian says he started thinking about "why it is that we live in such a tumultuous world that is so full of beauty, but on the flipside also just so full of hate".[11] He said it is his favourite song he has written, and that he is proud of its message that if people were more accepting of different religions, cultures and races the world could be a better place.[12] He added, "Just this year Rodney King died and his whole slogan I guess was 'Can we all get along'."[11]

Release and promotion

"Get Along" was serviced to radio in the first week of November 2012, and was the most added song to Australian radio in its first week.[13][14] It reached number 24 on the National Airplay Chart in its first full week of radio play.[15] The song is currently only available to download from the album as no individual single has been released as yet.[16] Sebastian performed "Get Along" on the Seven Network's morning program Sunrise on 12 November, and also on the first night of the 2012 X Factor Grand Final on 19 November.[17][18]

Reception

Critical response

"Get Along" has received positive reviews. Jamie Horne, music journalist for the Border Mail called the song "inspiring" and said it was "a lyrical triumph."[19] Take 40 wrote, "It really shows the beautiful timbre of his voice, and has a very inspiring message."[7] Cameron Adams from the Herald Sun said Sebastian's songwriting had matured and that he showed new depth with "Get Along".[20] Music site auspOp wrote, "This one is designed to get you thinking. To tap into your emotions. 'Get Along' is a song about hope, peace and understanding and a dream that perhaps one day we'll all be united, together as one people, one world, despite our differences in opinion, religion, creed and race. [...] Good on Guy for shining some light and spreading the love."[21] David Lim, a music journalist and announcer on radio station Joy 94.9, wrote, ""The emotive political ballad 'Get Along' is possibly the best single Sebastian has ever released. I just can't get over how great his observant lyrics about religious wars are. The hook – 'Dear God, dear soul, dear Mary, Mohammed... can we all just get along?' – absolutely rips right through the heart.[22] Jessica Tisdell from music site Novastreamusic said, "The lyrics are definitely heart-warming and send a great message to humanity. You can almost tell that Guy's song writing has matured and focuses more on real life rather than recent dance pop songs."[23]

Commercial performance

"Get Along" debuted at number thirty-four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart before ascending to number-five the following week, becoming Sebastian's fourth top ten single from "Armageddon". It is also Sebastian's 11th top ten single in Australia and his ninth to peak in the top five.[1][2] Although only released in mid November it was the 12th highest selling Australian artist single in Australia in 2012.[24] It achieved triple platinum certificatio and charted at number 23 on the 2013 Australian Artist End of Year Chart.[3][25] "Get Along" also reached number nine and gold certification in New Zealand, Sebastian's sixth top single there.[26][27]

Accolades

"Get Along" was a finalist in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition in the Pop/Top 40 category, and was awarded an honourable mention.[4] The International Songwriting Competition is an annual song contest for both aspiring and established songwriters. The judging panel is made up of musicians, songwriters and industry experts, and songs are judged on creativity, originality, lyrics, melody, arrangement and overall likeability.[28] The song reached the final five nominees for the APRA Song of the Year Award.[5] It is the largest peer voted music award in Australia, voted for by the songwriter, composer and music publisher members of APRA.[29] "Get Along" also received a nomination for Song of the Year in the 2013 ARIA Awards.[6]

Music video

Sebastian wanted the video to "capture life and love" in countries around the world, to put faces on people and create "a visual journey that encapsulates the beauty and essence of people coming from different cultures and backgrounds". Sebastian said, "There's a line in the song that says 'it's easy if they're faceless to hate the other side'. And it's so true. When somebody is human to you, when they have a face, when they have a soul, when they have a heart, when you get to know that person, it's hard to have the same hate for them." Filmmaker Phillip Graybill and director Hayden Topperwien travelled to 13 different countries to film footage of people going about their daily lives. Countries visited included Madagascar, Kenya, India, and Indonesia. The video starts with a short interlude showing black and white images of war, and the assault of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers in 1991. The remainder of the video shows the footage filmed by Graybill and Topperwien, interspersed with Sebastian shown singing against a simple grey background.[11][30]

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts
Chart (2012–2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 9

Year-end charts
Chart (2012) Position
Australian Artist (ARIA)[24] 12
Chart (2013) Position
Australian Artist (ARIA)[25] 23

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] Gold 7,500*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Guy Sebastian – Get Along (Song). ARIA Chart archives. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012
  2. Guy Sebastian in the Australian Charts Archived 19 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. australian-charts.com. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  3. ARIA Accreditations – 2019 Singles. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  4. International Songwriting Competition Winners. International Songwriting Competition. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013.
  5. Adams, Cameron (23 May 2013). Archived 16 June 2013 at archive.today. Herald Sun. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013.
  6. 27th ARIA Award Nominations. Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013.
  7. Guy Sebastian's New Album 'Armageddon' – Track By Track! Archived 26 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Take 40. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  8. Digges, Mariam (3 September 2012). Interview: Guy Sebastian. Mind Food. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  9. Young, Kane (14 June 2012). A different kind of Guy. The Mercury. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  10. Guy Sebastian Talks About His Inspiration For 'Get Along'. YouTube. Retrieved 21 November 2012
  11. Guy Sebastian – Documentary of the Making of 'Get Along'. YouTube. Retrieved 21 November 2012
  12. Adams, Cameron (14 March 2012). Guy may give up TV for music. Adelaide Now. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012.
  13. All the new tracks at radio this week from SONY MUSIC. Voicefm. 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012
  14. RADIO'S MOST ADDED. auspOp. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012.
  15. Weekly Hot 100 Week of 24 November 2012. Australian Music Report. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012.
  16. iTunes preview Armageddon. iTunes. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012.
  17. Guy Sebastian performs Get Along. Yahoo!7tv. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012.
  18. Guy Sebastian sings his new single 'Get Along' tonight on The X Factor. YouTube. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  19. Horne, Jamie (10 October 2012). CD reviews. Border Mail. Archived from original on 13 October 2012.
  20. Adams, Cameron (11 October 2012). Archived 30 December 2012 at archive.today. Herald Sun. Archived from original on 13 October 2012.
  21. Guy Sebastian: Get Along. auspOp. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012.
  22. Lim, David Feed Limmy's Albums of 2012. Feed Limmy. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012.
  23. Tisdell, Jessica. A-Z of Pop Music – A. novastreamusic.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013.
  24. ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2012.Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 8 January 2013
  25. ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2013. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014
  26. Guy Sebastian in the NZ charts .Charts.org.NZ. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  27. "New Zealand single certifications – Guy Sebastian – Get Along". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  28. Welcome to ISC. International Songwriting Competition. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013.
  29. APRA Music Awards: Top 30 for Song of the Year. Apra-amcos.com.au. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
  30. Guy Sebastian – Get Along. YouTube. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012
  31. "Guy Sebastian – Get Along". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  32. "Guy Sebastian – Get Along". Top 40 Singles.
  33. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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