"Vanilla Twilight" is a song by American electronica act
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, who created the project while experimenting with music in his pa ...
. The song was released as the second single from his second studio album ''
Ocean Eyes''. "Vanilla Twilight" attained chart placement prior to the release date, following the success of Owl City's previous single "
Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family (biology), family of Elateroidea, elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are bioluminescence, light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, ...
".
Music video
The music video for "Vanilla Twilight" premiered on March 22, 2010. The video uses the album version of the song and features a cameo appearance by
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
. The video was directed by Steve Hoover and was filmed on location in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania, and at the
Marblehead Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the American side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an ...
in Ohio.
The video shows various people and a dog witness in awe, staring at a swirling
mammatus
Mammatus (also called mamma or mammatocumulus, meaning "mammary cloud") is a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud, typically a cumulonimbus raincloud, although they may be attached to other classes of parent cloud ...
cloud formation associated with a
squall line
A squall line, or more accurately a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS), is a line of thunderstorms, often forming along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front (which often are accompa ...
. It has a well-defined
vortex
In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
which is lit by a veiled sun on an overcast day after a snowfall has blanketed the area, displaying a ''vanilla twilight''. Midway through the video the storm and a lighthouse glimmer with
aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
colors. Towards the end of the video O'Neal lifts his arms towards the cloud and mouths "Take me with you".
Chart performance
On the chart of November 7, 2009, the same week "
Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family (biology), family of Elateroidea, elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are bioluminescence, light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, ...
" hit No. 1, "Vanilla Twilight" debuted on No. 95 in the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since re-entered and peaked on the Hot 100 at No. 72.
"Vanilla Twilight" first entered the
Australian Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
at No. 50 on the week ending January 11, 2010, which happened to coincide with "Fireflies" holding its reign as the No. 1 hit single.
Following the release of ''
Ocean Eyes'', "Vanilla Twilight" entered the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at a current peak of No. 94, making it Owl City's second consecutive single to enter the UK Top 100.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
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2009 songs
2010 singles
Owl City songs
Universal Republic Records singles
Songs written by Adam Young