One Republic released “Counting Stars”

Counting Stars One Republic

Writer(s): Ryan Tedder (see lyrics here) Released: June 14, 2013 First Charted: June 29, 2013 Peak: 2 US, 14 BA, 11 RR, 12 AC, 17 A40, 4 AA, 12 UK, 11 CN, 2 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.64 UK, 12.93 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2880.0 video, 2000.43 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: One Republic emerged in 2007 with their #2 US hit “Apologize.” It put Ryan Tedder, the song’s singer and writer, on the music world’s radar and led to him working with Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson (“Already Gone”), Elle Goulding (“Burn”), Leona Lewis (“Bleeding Love”), and others. 2013 found him and his band back in familiar chart territory when “Counting Stars” matched the chart success of “Apologize” and stayed on the charts for 68 weeks, fifth most in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. WK The song was the third single from the band’s third studio album, Native. It hit #1 in multiple countries, including Canada and the UK, and went top ten in 20 countries. WK In Canada, it took a record-setting 34 weeks to reach #1. WK Tedder came up with the genesis of the song while working with Beyoncé on her follow-up to 2011’s 4. While waiting for her in her studio one morning, he discovered a little-known folk song. He reached out to the writer to collaborate, but when he was rebuffed he did his own interpretation which was heavier on piano and acoustic guitar and took on a more soulful, gospel sound. SF The band explained the song is about “Laying in bed awake at night…thinking ‘How are we gonna make ends meet? How are we gonna pay the bills?’…So instead of counting sheep, we’re counting stars.” WK Tedder told Billboard magazine he felt a band should create meaningful, uplifting songs. He talked about U2 as a band “who sings about things other than just boy-girl troubles” SF and said he “felt a responsibility to actually write and sing about things that have a level of human gravity to them.” SF He said he’d rather have a song that’s “embedded in the cultural framework…than a #1 song that explodes for five seconds, becomes the dance hit of the summer, then goes away.” SF While it may not have been a dance hit, it has been called a “folk pop song with a disco beat.” WK The Denver Post’s Ricardo Baca said it was “an extremely effective and infectious song.” WK Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for One Republic SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 7/23/2023.

One Republic released Timbaland version of “Apologize”

Apologize One Republic with Timbaland

Writer(s): Ryan Tedder (see lyrics here) Released: April 30, 2006 First Charted: April 21, 2007 Peak: 2 US, 17 RR, 4 AC, 16 A40, 60 RB, 3 UK, 113 CN, 18 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.2 UK, 20.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.8 radio, 858.05 video, 680.93 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Ryan Tedder, a songwriter and record producer, formed One Republic in Colorado with high school friend Zach Filkins. Once the pair moved to Los Angeles, they fleshed out the band and garnered attention via the online community, especially MySpace. SF The song was initially written for the band’s debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, but didn’t take off until it was remixed by hip-hop producer Timbaland for his Shock Value album SF and released again in April 2007 – a year after its initial release. Tedder told ilikemusic.com that the Timbaland connection was not as unusual as it might seem. They’d known each other about six years and after One Republic exploded on MySpace, labels started calling, but Timbaland offered the most interesting deal. SF While Timbaland made changes to the instrumental track, the vocals were still Ryan Tedder. However, because Timbaland had just made a name for himself the track was billed as “Timbaland featuring One Republic.” The Timbaland version went all the way to #2 in the U.S. in late 2007. It spent 4 non-consecutive weeks there, as well as another 11 weeks at #3. It totalled 25 weeks in the top 10, the most weeks since Santana’s “Smooth” logged 30 weeks there. BB It also set the record in North America as the most played song in one week at Mainstream Top 40, a record broken by Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love,” a song also written by Tedder. WK The song topped the charts in 16 countries, WK most notably spending 14 weeks atop the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, where it was dethroned by – none other than – “Bleeding Love.” SF One Republic would have more hits and Tedder was established as a go-to songwriter, working with Adele, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Camila Cabello, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornell, Hilary Duff, The Fray, Ellie Goulding, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Paul McCartney, Shawn Mendes, the Pussycat Dolls, Rascal Flatts, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift, Train, Carrie Underwood, Westlife, Stevie Wonder, and more. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for One Republic DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Timbaland BB Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100” SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 8/6/2023.

The Top 50 Songs of 2006

Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Songs of 2006

These are the top 50 songs for the year based on their overall performance in Dave’s Music Database, which is determined by combining chart data, sales figures, streaming, video views, and aggregates from year-end lists and charts. Check out “Top Songs and Albums of the Year” lists here. DMDB Top 1%: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” Justin Timberlake “Sexyback” One Republic with Timbaland “Apologize” Shakira & Wyclef Jean “Hips Don’t Lie” Beyoncé “Irreplaceable” Amy Winehouse “Rehab” Fergie “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars” Nelly Furtado & Timbaland “Promiscuous” DMDB Top 2%: Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California” Nelly Furtado “Say It Right” Hinder “Lips of an Angel” Justin Timberlake with T.I. “My Love” DMDB Top 5%: Chamillionaire with Krayzie Bone “Ridin’” Rihanna “S.O.S. (Rescue Me)” The Raconteurs “Steady As She Goes” The Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” John Mayer “Waiting on the World to Change” My Chemical Romance “Welcome to the Black Parade” Red Hot Chili Peppers “Snow (Hey Oh)” Justin Timberlake “What Goes Around…Comes Around” The Killers “When You Were Young” T.I. “What You Know” My Chemical Romance “Teenagers” Gwen Stefani with Akon “The Sweet Escape” Breaking Benjamin “The Diary of Jane” Christina Aguilera “Ain’t No Other Man” Akon with Eminem “Smack That” Fergie with Ludacris “Glamorous” The Swell Season (Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová) “Falling Slowly” Daughtry “It’s Not Over” Ludacris with Pharrell Williams “Money Maker” Pussycat Dolls with Snoop Dogg “Buttons” Fall Out Boy “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” Jack Johnson “Upside Down” Lily Allen “Smile” Pink “U + Ur Hand” Akon with Snoop Dogg “I Wanna Love You” Taylor Swift “Teardrops on My Guitar” Cassie “Me & U” Daughtry “Home” Corinne Bailey Rae “Put Your Records On” Yung Joc with Nitti “It’s Goin’ Down” Three Days Grace “Never Too Late” Fergie “London Bridge” Pink “Who Knew” Gym Class Heroes with Patrick Stump “Cupid’s Chokehold/Breakfast in America” Rihanna “Unfaithful” Rascal Flatts “What Hurts the Most” The Killers “Read My Mind” Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top Songs and Albums by Year lists Dave’s Music Database: Songs of the Decade lists First posted 1/4/2024.