"Say (All I Need)" is a song by American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
band
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...
. It is the third single released from their debut album ''
Dreaming Out Loud'' (2007) and follows the global success of their previous top ten singles, "
Apologize" and "
Stop and Stare". Lead singer
Ryan Tedder has commented that "Say (All I Need)" is his "favorite track on the album."
All five members of the band, Tedder,
Zach Filkins,
Drew Brown,
Eddie Fisher and
Brent Kutzle share writing and composing credits on the song. The single was released in the UK on June 2, 2008 and features their
Live Lounge cover of
Duffy's single "
Mercy". "Say (All I Need)" 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 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''. On July 3, 2008, OneRepublic made a guest appearance on ''
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. season 4)'' 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" (
Radio 1 Live Lounge 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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and directed by
Anthony Mandler. 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, 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 the 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 ''
Billboards
Hot Digital Songs, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
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