"Say (All I Need)" is a song by American

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

. It is the third single released from their debut album '' Dreaming Out Loud'' and follows the global success of their previous top ten singles, " Apologize" and "

Stop and Stare "Stop and Stare" is the second single by American band OneRepublic from their debut studio album, ''Dreaming Out Loud'' (2007). "Stop and Stare" was released to American radio on November 27, 2007, and British radio on December 16, 2007, reachin ...

". OneRepublic vocalist

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

has commented that "Say (All I Need") is his "favorite track on the album." All five members of the band Ryan Tedder,

Zach Filkins Zachary Douglas Filkins (born September 15, 1978) is an American musician, actor and songwriter. He is a guitarist for the pop rock band OneRepublic. Biography Early life A significant part of Filkins's childhood was spent intensely studying c ...

, Drew Brown, Eddie Fisher and

Brent Kutzle Brent Michael Kutzle (born August 3, 1985) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer originating from Fountain Valley, California. He is the bassist and cellist for the pop rock band OneRepubli ...

share writing and composing credits on the song. The single was released in the UK on June 2, 2008 and features their

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

cover of Duffy's single "Mercy". The single was released on June 24, 2008 in the United States. The song was recorded at Rocket Carousel Studios in Culver City by producer

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus Wai ...

and engineer Drew Pearson. The chorus of the song was featured during the most recent season of '' The Hills''. Also it featured in the pilot episode of the TV series, ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

''. On July 3, 2008, OneRepublic made a guest appearance on ''

So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. season 4) ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Think You Can Dance'' is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season four premiered on May 22, 2008, with Nigel L ...

'' for a live performance of "Say (All I Need)". In France, the song was recorded as a duet with the French R&B singer Sheryfa Luna and was renamed as ''Say (À l'infini)''.

Meaning

The song is about a relationship that appears to be in danger or is dying. Drummer Eddie Fisher said "There is a saying that broken hearts write the best love songs."

Track listing

*German and UK CD single #"Say (All I Need)" (album version) — 3:51 #"

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

" (

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

session) ( Duffy cover) — 3:43 *German CD single #"Say (All I Need)" (album version) — 3:51 #"Mercy" (Radio 1] Live Lounge session) (Duffy cover) — 3:43 #"Say (All I Need)" (live) — 4:04 #"Say (All I Need)" (video) *Digital download (French duet version) #"Say (À l'infini)" (French duet version) featuring Sheryfa Luna — 3:54 #"Say (All I Need)" — 3:50

Music video

The official music video for "Say (All I Need)" was filmed in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and directed by

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...

. Filmed partially in black and white the video begins with the sound of church bells waking up Ryan Tedder. He dons a jacket and grabs a small black journal and leaves the house. As he leaves the house he passes by

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. H ...

, who makes a cameo appearance. The music begins and we see Tedder walking and sometimes running throughout the city near such famous Paris landmarks as the Sacre Coeur, seemingly in search of something, while other members of the band are seen in different locations throughout the city. Drew Brown is seen riding a Vespa scooter and Zach Filkins, Eddie Fisher, and Brent Kutzle have individual close-ups on a bridge and walking down some graffiti covered alleys. The band is also seen performing the song in an ex-meat abattoir in Paris, now artists apartments. As the music swells and begins to climax Tedder races through the city, enters a building and climbs a winding staircase to the top. Reaching the top, he steps out onto a rooftop with a breathtaking view of the city at sunset. He then takes the small black journal from his pocket and writes, "just say," ending the music video. Tedder has given this explanation for the meaning of the song, "This song is about being happy with what you have in life, and not obsessing over what you don't have. Whether it's a person or relationship, love, or success, or even fame." "We wanted to make a piece of art and do something beautiful and inspiring," said Tedder.

Chart performance

Months before the single's official release, "Say (All I Need)" had already started appearing on the charts relying on downloads alone. Its first appearance was in November, (shortly after ''Dreaming Out Loud'' was released) on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

, debuting at number seventy-five. Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - OneRepublic/ref> It dropped out a few weeks after. The song reappeared on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs after its official release in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and peaked at number fifty-one. The song made its way up the UK charts and a few other European charts, after its official release. The song was released to radio in the US in the third week of June 2008.

Release history

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control OneRepublic songs 2007 singles Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler Songs written by Ryan Tedder Interscope Records singles Song recordings produced by Greg Wells Songs written by Brent Kutzle Songs written by Eddie Fisher (drummer) Songs written by Zach Filkins 2007 songs Mosley Music Group singles