I Lived
"I Lived" is a song recorded by American pop rock band OneRepublic. It was released as the fifth and final single from the album, Native (2014). It was originally planned to be released as the fourth single in January 2014, but was shelved in favor of "Love Runs Out".[1] It was the final song covered in the series finale of the hit FOX musical comedy-drama Glee in March 2015.[2][3][4]
This article is about the 2014 song. For the 2015 film, see i-Lived."I Lived"
Conception[edit]
OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder noted that he wrote the song for his four-year-old son. In an interview with People magazine, he said, "The whole idea, to quote the late great Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society, is very much 'carpe diem'." He said that "it's absolutely universal and applicable to everybody." Regarding the lyrics "With every broken bone, I swear I lived", Tedder said, "So for every day that you're on this earth, for every minute that you have, the whole idea is doing nothing less than exactly what you feel you're supposed to do and squeezing every last drop out of life every day, regardless of the difficulties or trials that you face."[5] As with other songs on the Native album, Tedder drew songwriting inspiration from U2, where he focused on writing songs from the heart and from personal experience.[6]
Promotion and release[edit]
On July 25, the group played "I Lived" on Today as the viewers' most requested song.[10] They also performed it on The X Factor on October 26.[11]
Remixes have been developed for the single. On September 18, Arty released a remix for the song, which he describes on his website as "taken elements from the original and worked them into a melody-drenched progressive house ballad, successfully repositioning the track for the dance floor."[12] On September 23, the remix EP was released, which included the Arty remix as well as a "gossamery electro-pop" remix from Carousel[13] and a remix by the band Heroic.[14][15]
On October 1, the group performed the song at the Mercedes-Benz media night for the Paris Motor Show to help launch the B-Class Electric Drive. The car is also featured in the music video.[16][17][18]
A remix was produced for the Coca-Cola [RED] campaign to fight AIDS.[5] It was done by Dave Audé and released on November 3,[19] with an iTunes release on November 24.[20]
Cover versions and usage in media[edit]
"I Lived" served as the theme song for the 2015 NHL Playoffs.[21] It also served as the tribute song for the retirement ceremony of Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace at The Palace of Auburn Hills.[22] ESPN has used it on multiple programs, including SportsCenter and First Take, while Jordan Smith, the winner of season 9 of The Voice, sang the song in a promotional music video of NBC for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[23]
The song has been used on the TV shows 90210, The Michael J. Fox Show and Red Band Society, as well as in the 2014 film The Giver.[24] "I Lived" was the final song covered in the series finale of the musical comedy-drama Glee,[25][3][26] and was the first song used by Noah Galloway and his partner Sharna Burgess on season 20 of Dancing with the Stars.
NBC used the song in commercials for The Office and Parks and Recreation,[27] while ABC featured it in multiple ads for its 2017 drama The Good Doctor and the final season of Modern Family in 2019. The song is also used as the background music for Huawei Mate 10 commercial, with Naomi Watts and Anna Kendrick.
It was sung by Peter Gallagher in the Season Two series finale titled "Zoey's Extraordinary Goodbye," of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.
Reception[edit]
Marcus Floyd of Renowned for Sound gave the single four out of five stars, citing its finger-picking introduction as setting an easy and soothing atmosphere, and calling the overall song a catch and enlightening addition to their singles.[28] Camilla Cassidy of The Edge also gave it four out of five stars, describing the song as an anthem for hope and empowerment, with meaningful lyrics and a wistful tone that inspires listeners, however, she found its delivery to be somewhat absent, and "neither somber nor particularly energetic".[29] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush described the track as having "a funky, lived-in energy, and is looser than many of its counterparts. It also has more fun than any other track on the record."[30]
Emily Tan of Idolator grouped the song with "Counting Stars" and "Something I Need" as songs that "will keep core fans and AC radio listeners happy".[31] Haley Black of Highlight Magazine while not reviewing the song specifically in her Native review, listed "I Lived" along with "Au Revoir" as recommended track on the album.[32] Matt Collar of AllMusic grouped the song among the album's "clearing house for mainstream pop sensibilities".[33]
Colin Stutz of Billboard called the music video a touching tribute to Warnecke.[9]