Chasing the Sun (The Wanted song)
"Chasing the Sun" is a song by English-Irish boy band The Wanted. It was released as their third single in the United States on 17 April 2012, from their debut EP, The Wanted: The EP (2012). It is also the lead single from their third studio album, Word of Mouth (2013).
"Chasing the Sun" | ||||
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Single by The Wanted | ||||
from the album Word of Mouth, Ice Age: Continental Drift and The Wanted: The EP | ||||
B-side | "Fix You" (live) | |||
Released | 17 April 2012 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:19 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Alex Smith | |||
The Wanted singles chronology | ||||
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The Wanted US singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
The song was co-written by Alex Smith and English rapper Example, and is one of the two theme songs for the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift. "Chasing the Sun" was released in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2012 and debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, it also reached number 18 on the Canadian Hot 100 as well as number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 whilst also reaching the top 20 in several other countries.
Background
In a December 2011 interview with Digital Spy, band member Jay McGuiness was asked about a track written for the group by singer and rapper Example. "Yeah, we've been talking with him for ages," McGuiness said. "He sent a few before that didn't quite make it, but we've got one from him now that we absolutely love. Tom has it on his iPod and it's now become his most played song on there! We're hopefully going to record the track this week. It's actually similar in some ways to 'Glad You Came'. It won't be out before Christmas because people don't want to be raving when it's p*ssing with snow."[2] On 26 March 2012, The Wanted premiered said track, entitled "Chasing the Sun".[3]
Talking to MTV News, McGuiness said: "I think this song, it can mean many things. To some people, it is partying all night and chasing the sun the next morning. That's what [the first] video's about, the girls, the teeth are there, the vampires. So we're all there partying away. And that's one aspect of the song. Another aspect of the song is chasing your dreams, the unattainable acorn in the distance."[4]
Music video
There are two music videos for "Chasing the Sun". The first and official video was directed by Director X. It begins with The Wanted standing on the roof of the Rosslyn Hotel in Los Angeles in the middle of the night. It then begins to intersect with scenes of them in a club with some mysterious women, all of whom have strange sun-shaped tattoos on their hands, arms, thighs or belly. Each of the band meets one of these women and, upon being touched by them, all suddenly have exactly the same tattoo. The band decide to leave the club with their women and start walking down the secluded streets. They soon enter a different club. At the bridge, the boys are back on the roof of the Rosslyn Hotel,[5] but this time at sunrise. The scene then changes back to the second club, where the boys start to get close to their women, but it turns out that the women are actually vampires, and all five boys get their necks bitten. The video ends with The Wanted walking out of the club into the bright sunlight.[6][7] The video has over 119 million views on YouTube.
The second video was specifically made for the 2012 film Ice Age: Continental Drift. It features The Wanted performing on blocks of ice in the Arctic Ocean while characters such as Manny, Sid, and Diego dance alongside them. It also contains footage from the film.[8][9]
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews from music critics. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song four out of five stars writing, "The result may be their darkest club track yet, but it's easily the brightest they've shined since that worldwide smash."[10] John Earls of the Daily Star wrote: "Jay takes the lead on a brand new track that’s their biggest outright dance choon yet. The lads sound right at home on a track David Guetta would kill for".[11]
Track listing
- "Chasing the Sun" – 3:14
- "Chasing the Sun" (Tantrum Desire Dubstep Remix) – 5:22
- "Fix You" (Live) – 3:29
- "Glad You Came" (Live) – 3:22
- German CD single[14]
- "Chasing the Sun" (2012 Remaster) – 3:14
- "Fix You" (Live) – 3:29
- Hardwell Remix
- "Chasing the Sun" (Hardwell Extended Mix) - 5:50
Credits and personnel
- Recording[15]
- Recorded at Metrophonic Studios, London, England
- Mixed at Mixsuite, Los Angeles, United States
- Personnel[15]
- Alex Smith – songwriter, producer, recording, keyboards, programming
- Elliot Gleave – songwriter
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixer
- Matty Green – assistant mixer
- Tom Coyne – mastering
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Certifications
Year-end charts
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Radio and release history
Country | Date | Format | Label |
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United States | 17 April 2012[54] | Digital download |
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Denmark[13] | 27 April 2012 |
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Finland[55] | |||
France[56] | |||
Netherlands[57] | |||
New Zealand[58] | |||
Spain[59] | |||
Sweden[60] | |||
Switzerland[61] | |||
United States | 15 May 2012[62] | Mainstream radio airplay |
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United Kingdom | 20 May 2012[63] | Digital download |
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21 May 2012[12] | CD single | ||
Germany | 27 July 2012[14] |
References
- "About to Pop: The Wanted, Thomas Fiss + More Singles". PopCrush.
- Corner, Lewis (12 December 2011). "The Wanted interview: 'We were worried our album would flop'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- Corner, Lewis (26 March 2012). "The Wanted to release Example-penned new single 'Chasing the Sun'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- Vena, Jocelyn (25 June 2012). "The Wanted Cool Down 'Chasing the Sun' For 'Ice Age' Video". MTV News. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- Newsdesk, London (24 April 2012). "The Wanted's 'Chasing The Sun' music video will get UK premiere tomorrow". PressParty. London, United Kingdom: Pressparty.com. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- Thewantedmusic (23 April 2012). The Wanted - Chasing The Sun (Behind The Scenes) (Online video). Los Angeles, United States: YouTube, LLC.
- Thewantedmusic (9 May 2012). #WantedWednesday - Chasing The Sun Behind The Scenes (pt. II) (Online vlog). Los Angeles, United States: YouTube, LLC.
- Thewantedmusic (6 June 2012). #WantedWednesday - Chasing The Ice (Age 4) (Online vlog). Los Angeles, United States: YouTube, LLC.
- UKTWSupport (22 June 2012). Behind The Scenes of Chasing The Sun (Ice Age Version) (Online video). Los Angeles, United States: YouTube, LLC.
- Copsey, Robert (8 May 2012). "The Wanted: 'Chasing The Sun' review". Digital Spy.
- "The Wanted: Chasing The Sun - single review". Daily Star. 21 May 2012.
- "Wanted: Chasing The Sun (2012): CDS". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Music - Chasing the Sun - EP by The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "Chasing the Sun". 27 July 2012 – via Amazon.
- The Wanted (liner notes). The Wanted. Mercury Records, Global Talent Records. 2012. B0016797-02.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Australian-charts.com – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Austriancharts.at – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- "Ultratop.be – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
- "Ultratop.be – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun" (in French). Ultratip.
- BPP, ed. (November 2012). "Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (36): 84–89.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- "Lescharts.com – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun" (in French). Les classement single.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun". GfK Entertainment Charts.
- "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
- "Chart Track: Week 21, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
- "Luxembourg Digital Songs - September 29, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- "Mexico Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – The Wanted – Chasing the Sun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- "Charts.nz – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun". Top 40 Singles.
- "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Spanishcharts.com – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun" Canciones Top 50.
- "Swisscharts.com – The Wanted – Chasing The Sun". Swiss Singles Chart.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- "ARIA Singles Chart - 17/09/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- "Canadian single certifications – Wanted – Chasing the Sun". Music Canada.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Wanted; 'Chasing the Sun')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- "The Official New Zealand Singles Chart - NZ Top 40 Singles Chart - 3 September 2012". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- "British single certifications – Wanted – Chasing the Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Chasing the Sun in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "American single certifications – Wanted – Chasing the Sun". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
- "Jahreshitparade Singles 2012". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- "Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2012" (in German). VIVA. Viacom International Media Networks. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- "TOP digital utworów - 2012" (in Polish). ZPAV. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Top 100 Singles of 2012". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- "Dance/Club Songs - 2012 Year End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- "Dance/Mix Show Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "iTunes Store". iTunes Store (Apple Inc.). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Music - Chasing the Sun - EP by The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Musique - Chasing the Sun - Single par The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Muziek - 'Chasing the Sun - EP' van The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Music - Chasing the Sun - EP by The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Música - Chasing the Sun - EP de The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Musik - Chasing the Sun - EP av The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "iTunes - Musik – "Chasing the Sun - EP" von The Wanted". itunes.apple.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "Top 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". Allaccess.com. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- Corner, Lewis (25 April 2012). "The Wanted get steamy in new 'Chasing The Sun' music video - watch". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 2 May 2012.