Hello Seattle

"Hello Seattle" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song is the third track from his second studio album Ocean Eyes released via Universal Republic. The song was released as a promotional CD in December 2009 before it was serviced for radio airplay on April 27, 2010.[2] The song peaked at number six on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold in 2014 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3][4]

"Hello Seattle"
Song by Owl City
from the album Ocean Eyes
ReleasedDecember 2009 (2009-12)
Genre
Length2:47
LabelUniversal Republic
Songwriter(s)Adam Young
Producer(s)Young

Background

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.[5]

Young described "Hello Seattle" as a love song to a place he had never visited.[6] He stated that never travelling to the city was a "pretty big inspiration" to him.[7] The song gained viral popularity on MySpace and earned Young a record contract with Universal Republic.[8]

Composition

Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 90 BPM and is in the key of B-flat major.[9] Young's range in the song spans from the notes F4 to G5.[9] The song was one of the first tracks that Young ever wrote. On a night when Young couldn't sleep, he had an idea for an electronic track that came to be "Hello Seattle".[1] He stated, "'Hello Seattle', which is on the album and is still most representative of the type of music I want to make. It's innocent, accessible pop, but with a melancholy feel and abstract lyrics."[1] The song's lyrics references Young's faith to God.[10]

Versions

"Hello Seattle" first appeared on his debut EP Of June with a runtime of two minutes and 57 seconds.[11] 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.[12]

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."[13] AllMusic's Andrew Leahey remarked, "such syrupy sweetness builds to a feverish pitch."[14] 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."[15]

Charts
Chart performance for "Hello Seattle"
Chart (2010–12) Peak
position
South Korea (GAON) (International Chart)[16] 200
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[3] 6

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[4] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release history for "Hello Seattle"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States December 2009 CD Republic [2]
April 27, 2010 Contemporary hit radio

References
  1. Lisa Verrico (February 14, 2010). "Owl City: the sensational sensitive man". The Sunday Times. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  2. "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "Owl City Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  4. "American single certifications – Owl City – Hello Seattle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. "Owl City : Ocean Eyes Track by Track". Female First. February 15, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  6. Joanna Horowitz (March 25, 2010). "Owl City will say 'Hello Seattle' on April 1". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  7. "Hello Seattle - Owl City Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  8. Andrew Leahey. "Owl City Biography by Andrew Leahey". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  9. "Owl City "Hello Seattle" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. Adam Dawson (August 24, 2009). "Owl City – Ocean Eyes". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  11. Jared Johnson. "Of June Review by Jared Johnson". AllMusic. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  12. "Ocean Eyes (Deluxe Edition) by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  13. Scott Fryberger (March 3, 2010). "Owl City – Ocean Eyes (Deluxe Edition)". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  14. Andrew Leahey. "Ocean Eyes Review by Andrew Leahey". AllMusic. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  15. Hollis Wong-Wear (November 19, 2009). "The Worst Song About Seattle of the Decade Goes to..." Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  16. "Gaon Digital Chart - 2012-03-02". GAON. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
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