"World" is a song written and recorded by American singer

Five for Fighting 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 No ...

. It was released in November 2006 as the second single from the album '' Two Lights''. It reached number 14 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Adult Pop Songs chart.

Content

"World" is an upbeat, piano-driven melody that, like his other singles, paints vivid pictures of human life driven with deep emotion. The song's lyrics are notably more cryptic than in previous singles, but are driven by the chorus hooks, "What kind of world do you want?" and "Be careful what you wish for, history starts now."

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor, of '' Billboard'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling the song "admittedly more abstract" but the average listener will pick out certain lines and find a relatable message. He goes on to say that "alongside, the piano-driven, orchestrated melody is his most captivating yet lush and instantly memorable."'' Billboard'', November 25, 2006 - Vol. 118, No. 47, Page 51.

Music video

The music video for "World" features aspects of the bright side of life including children, marriage and fireworks. There are also references that go with the lyrics including a brief image of a mushroom cloud in a cup of coffee, with a newspaper's headline featuring

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

's nuclear program. It was directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson.

Licensed appearances

A separate music video for the song was made by the U.S. television network

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

to promote their drama '' Jericho''. The video consisted of scenes from the first half of the season edited together. The song has also been used on

The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

in a promotional montage for the network.

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

also used the song during the first episode of the documentary series '' Carrier''. This song has appeared in a commercial for Sears, featuring rapper LL Cool J, actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens of ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...

'', and Ty Pennington of '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''. ''World'' has also been used by

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...

, and several other group supporters, as a theme to promote "awareness" for

autism spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

(ASD). The song has been featured in the organization's video's as well as several fan made video's promoting the cause.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

2006 singles 2006 songs Five for Fighting songs Songs written by John Ondrasik {{2000s-rock-song-stub