Feel Again
"Feel Again" is a song recorded by American rock band OneRepublic for their third studio album Native (2013). It was released as the lead single from the album on August 3, 2012. It was written and produced by Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Drew Brown and Noel Zancanella.
"Feel Again"
August 3, 2012
2012
3:05
- Tedder
- Kutzle
- Zancanella
- Brown
"Feel Again" talks about coming back into your own and embracing life, as well as, transforming from "a lonely soul" to a man who is able to love again. It received positive reviews from music critics, who called it "wonderfully catchy" and that it would make a brilliant sing-along at larger festivals. Some critics compared the song to Florence + the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over". The song was mildly successful in North America, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100; however, it saw most of its success in Europe, particularly Germany where it peaked at number 9 on the Media Control Charts.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the single will be donated to Save the Children's Every Beat Matters campaign to support training frontline health workers around the world.
Release[edit]
"Feel Again" was unveiled on ABC's Good Morning America, on August 10, 2012, and on August 22 the group released an audio stream for everyone to listen the track.[2] The single was also delivered to radio on August 22, and the song was released to iTunes on August 27, 2012.[3][4][5] A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the single will be donated to Save the Children's Every Beat Matters campaign to support training frontline health workers around the world.[3] The song was also heavily featured in the trailers for the 2013 film The Spectacular Now.[6] It is also featured as the 14th track on NOW That's What I Call Music! 45.
Composition[edit]
"Feel Again" is an up-tempo song,[7] featuring an uplifting, hook-laden melody filled with hope and optimism.[2] It showcases a richer, fuller sound palette that accentuates the anthemic qualities of their songwriting.[2] The uplifting, emotional song contains similar catchy melodies to their past work, such as "Good Life", "Stop and Stare", "Apologize" and "All the Right Moves".[7]
The song's emotional pull is given a massive boost by its powerful lyrics about coming back into your own and embracing life.[8] "Heart still beating but it's not working. I reach out trying to love but I feel nothing," Tedder aches before bursting into the melodic chorus that is filled with bliss, "But with you I feel again."[2] The hand-clap song is ultimately a tale about grabbing life by the horns and feeling new again no matter what happened the day prior.[2] In the chorus, Tedder sings about transforming from "a lonely soul" to a man who is able to love again;[7] "I'm feeling better since you know me/I was a lonely soul but that's the old me."[8]
Music video[edit]
The music video was filmed in a redwood forest[11] near San Francisco, California from July 31, 2012 to August 2, 2012.[12] It premiered on Vevo on August 28, 2012.[13] The video begins with Ryan Tedder walking over leafy ground in front of a beautiful sunset in the San Francisco Bay area. He stoops to pick up a glowing yellow ball. He then sees what appears to be a string of yellow lights. There is a shot of Ryan following the lights, then the video cuts to alternating shots of the band with strings of lights in the background, and different people dancing to the music. He is shown with the yellow ball in his heart, glowing through his clothes, and suggesting he had lost his heart or it had been broken, and he had regained it. The video cuts with an aerial view of the forest, and the sun rising.[14]
Carl Williot of Idolator wrote a positive review, commenting, "The hypercolor lights complement the effervescence and effortlessness of Tedder's voice, and the total package is bright, it's colorful, it's earthy. Like a delicious music video salad."[15] Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush commented: "'Feel Again' won't wow you with spectacular graphics but it what it will do is allow you to concentrate on the song, which is slated to appear on the band's upcoming third studio album. Perhaps that was OneRepublic's intention by selecting this no frills treatment for the first visual taste of their next record. It was an effective strategy since it reeled us in hook, line and sinker."[16]