"Unbelievable" is a song by American

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

project Owl City. The song was released on June 26, 2015 as the third and final single from his fifth studio album, ''

Mobile Orchestra ''Mobile Orchestra'' is the fifth studio album by American electronica project Owl City, which was released on July 10, 2015. The album debuted at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' 200. This is the project's last album under Republic Records befo ...

''. The track features 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

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ba ...

Background and composition

"Unbelievable" was written by Adam Young,

Isaac Hanson Hanson is an American pop band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, formed by brothers Isaac Hanson (guitar, vocals, bass, piano), Taylor Hanson (keyboards, vocals, percussion), and Zac Hanson (drums, vocals, piano). Supporting members include Dimitrius Co ...

, Matthew Thiessen and

Emily Wright Emily Wright (born July 1, 1980) is an American songwriter, producer and engineer based in Los Angeles. Early life Wright grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut, graduating from Glastonbury High School and the Greater Hartford Academy of the ...

while production was handled by Young. Young stated that working with Hanson was a "total dream collaboration." He also called the group the "nicest" and "easiest guys to work with." The track runs at 118 BPM and is in the key of

D-sharp major In music theory, a theoretical key is a key whose key signature would have at least one double-flat () or double-sharp (). Double-flats and double-sharps are often used as accidentals, but placing them in the key signature (in music that use ...

. The song is a nostalgic track with influences of a 90's pop sound and features pop culture references such as

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

and ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'' among many more. Owl City and Hanson performed the song on '' The Today Show'' on July 14, 2015.

Critical reception

Kelsie Gibson of '' Bustle'' stated, "From Owl City's pure pop sound to Hanson's amazing vocals, this song has me hoping this is just the beginning of more '90s revivals."

Music video

An animated music video for the song was released on June 29, 2015. The video was directed by Ryan Maloney and features a walking VHS tape strolling down a paved sidewalk while whistling to the song. The video also showcases the musicians in animated form, performing the track.

Personnel

Owl City * Adam Young – vocals, composer Additional musicians *

– featured artist Production *Adam Young – producer *

– composer * Matthew Thiessen – composer *

– composer *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering engineer * Robert Orton – mixing engineer

Charts

Release history

References

{{Owl City 2015 songs 2015 singles Owl City songs Hanson (band) songs Songs about nostalgia