"The Riddle" is a song by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on May 15, 2006 as the lead single from his third album '' Two Lights''. The song peaked at number 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart during an 18-week chart stay, making it Five for Fighting's third and, to date, last top-40 hit in the United States. On the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart, the single reached number four.

Background and content

John Ondrasik Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not ...

has stated that it was the hardest to write of any of his songs, taking 18 months to write. By the end, he had over 100 drafts before he came up with the final version. Although it began as a song on the meaning of life, it later evolved into a song about the love between a father and his son, inspired by his relationship with his own five-year-old.

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of ''

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 ...

'' magazine gave the song a mixed review, calling it "refreshingly more uptempo and optimistic than previous 'Superman' and '100 Years,' albeit still probing for the meaning of life." He went on to say that "the sap factor is pretty high here, limiting the song's appeal to moms and wistful philosophers, and there's little remaining doubt that Five for Fighting is pretty much a one-trick pony."

Music video

In July 2006, a music video was released to accompany the single, directed by Vem (also credited for directing the videos for O.A.R.'s "Love and Memories" and The Click Five's "

Just the Girl "Just the Girl" is a song by American rock band the Click Five. It was released on June 13, 2005, as the first single from their debut studio album, ''Greetings from Imrie House'' (2005). The band formed in Boston and were managed by talent scout ...

"). The video features Five for Fighting's frontman John Ondrasik allowing his imagination to run wild, when he finds a crayon in the sand while waiting for a tow truck to collect his overheated '65 Mustang. Hastily he scribbles a piano to perform the ballad, and then draws and colors out all sorts of various distractions, including buzzards, rainclouds and jet fighters.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, The 2006 singles 2006 songs American soft rock songs Columbia Records singles Five for Fighting songs Songs about childhood Songs about parenthood Songs written by John Ondrasik