Rather Be
"Rather Be" is a song by English electronic music group Clean Bandit, featuring vocals by Jess Glynne. It was released on 5 December 2013 as the fourth single from the group's debut studio album, New Eyes (2014).[10][11] It also appears on the deluxe version of Glynne's debut album, I Cry When I Laugh (2015). It was co-written by band members Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto, along with Jimmy Napes and Nicole Marshall, and produced by Patterson and Chatto. Warner Music Group released a number of official remixes for download,[12] with DJs such as All About She and Cash Cash.
This article is about the Clean Bandit song. For the Verve song, see Rather Be (The Verve song). For other uses, see Rather Be (disambiguation)."Rather Be"
5 December 2013
3:47
- Jack Patterson
- James Napier
- Nicole Marshall
- Grace Chatto
- Grace Chatto
- Jack Patterson
The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and was the third fastest-selling single of 2014, and the highest-selling January single since "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo in 1996.[13] The song spent four weeks at number one, selling over one million copies since release and becoming only the seventh single to go 3× Platinum. "Rather Be" also reached number one in eleven additional countries including Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. It was the best selling single of 2014 in the Netherlands, was the tenth highest-selling single of the 2010s decade in the UK, and is certified Platinum or higher in eleven countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It was placed at number four on Billboard's 10 Best Songs of 2014 list.[14]
"Rather Be" has also become an international hit in part due to the song's video becoming a viral hit on YouTube. Filmed in Tokyo and featuring Haruka Abe, it has over 748 million views. It won the Best Dance Recording category at the 2015 Grammy Awards in the United States.[15]
Background and composition[edit]
"Rather Be" was written by Clean Bandit keyboardist Jack Patterson, Nicole Marshall and James Napier (frequent collaborator of Disclosure),[16][17] and was produced by Clean Bandit cellist Grace Chatto and Patterson.[16]
"Rather Be" is set in the key of A minor (recorded in G-sharp minor), in common time and at a light tempo of 120 beats per minute. [18] The track's instrumentation includes a violin, chiptune-style synth blips, a slow bass, piano and vocals. According to Pandora.com, the song features a "vocal counterpoint", a subtle "buildup/breakdown", use of "modal harmonies", the use of "chordal patterning" and "staccato synths".[19]
Commercial performance[edit]
The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, selling 163,000 copies in the first week.[13] It was the third fastest-selling single of 2014 (behind Band Aid 30's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and Ben Haenow's "Something I Need"), and the highest-selling January single since "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo in 1996.[13] It stayed there for four weeks, the longest UK number one for three years.[23] It is the second best-selling song of 2014 in the UK, selling over 1.13 million copies by the end of the year.[24] On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number ten, marking Clean Bandit's and Glynne's first US top 10. The song was a remarkable success worldwide, topping the charts in 13 different countries.
Upon its release "Rather Be" held the record for the most streams in a single week on Spotify in the United Kingdom. The track received 1.09 million plays over seven days in February 2014, surpassing the record previously held by Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", although this record has now been surpassed.[25]
In August 2015, the British Phonographic Industry certified the song 3× Platinum (the sixth song of the century to achieve this).[26] It stayed in the top 75 for 73 weeks, setting the record for the longest unbroken run (since equalled by "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran). As of September 2017, the song has sold in the UK 1,283,000 copies in pure sales, it also gained 93 million in streams, making a total of 2,219,000 in combined units.[27]
Live performances[edit]
On 16 January 2014, the group performed "Rather Be" in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, together with a cover version of Lorde's "Royals".[31] They performed it as part of their sets at the Summertime Ball, Glastonbury and T in the Park. They also performed at the 2015 Brit Awards nomination launch party along with their new single "Real Love".