Say (song)
| "Say" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Single by John Mayer | ||||||||||
| from the album Continuum | ||||||||||
| Released | November 20, 2007 | |||||||||
| Format | Digital download | |||||||||
| Recorded | The Village, LA | |||||||||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||||||||
| Length | 3:49 | |||||||||
| Label | Aware, Columbia | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | John Mayer | |||||||||
| John Mayer singles chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
"Say" is a song by John Mayer written for the Rob Reiner film The Bucket List in 2007. It was released as a single on November 20 and is the first commercial single in Mayer's career that was not originally released on one of his albums but added to the special edition re-release of his album, Continuum. In the U.S., it has become the artist's highest charting single to date, reaching number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 in May, 2008.[1] The song earned Mayer another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, his fourth win on the category.
Overview
The music video for "Say" was directed by music video director Vem. The song is also referred to as "Say (What You Need to Say)" as this is the main line from the chorus of the song.[2][3][4] The song was also the first "assignment" song that Mayer had ever written. He felt a little soul-less in the initial composition, writing just a terribly simple song. He notes that when writing the song "I don't know how much harder it gets than to see a beautiful, bittersweet movie and then have to write a song that matches the tone."[5] Mayer posted the song on his official blog on November 16.[2]
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor of Billboard called "Say" a "lilting, bittersweet ballad" and said that it "is bound to be another staple for the [AC] format."[6] In 2009, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[7]
Commercial and chart performance
In the U.S., "Say" peaked at number twelve in May, 2008[1] on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[8] and number eight on the Hot Digital Songs chart,[9] surpassing his debut single, "No Such Thing", as his highest-peaking Hot 100 single. It was certified platinum by the RIAA,[10] and has sold over 2 million copies in the US.[11] It also peaked at number seventeen on the Pop 100 chart[12] and number six on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart.[13]
"Say" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number fifty-six, and climbed to its peak of number forty-seven the following week.[14] On the Canadian Hot 100, it peaked at number twenty-seven.
Chart positions
| Chart (2007–08) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 47 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 12[8] |
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[12] | 25 |
| US Billboard Adult Top 40[13] | 6 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[13] | 3 |
In popular culture
- This song was used in a series of commercials for Hallmark Cards throughout 2009.
- It was played during the opening credits of the 2010 film The Karate Kid.
- It was featured in the credits of the 2008 film The Bucket List.
- It was played in commercials for the 2011 movie 50/50
- It was covered by the cast of Glee (TV Series) in the episode "Shooting Star"
References
- 1 2 Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- 1 2 Mayer, John (2007-11-15). "Say" JohnMayer.com Retrieved November 19, 2007.
- ↑ Scott, Laure (2007-10-03). "BOOKED: John Mayer - Vem, director". Video Static. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
- ↑ "Continuum (special edition) to be released on November 20; includes 6 live tracks and new single, "Say".". www.johnmayer.com. 2007-11-14. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
- ↑ Mayer, John *(2007-09-02). Untitled JohnMayer.com Retrieved November 15, 2007.
- ↑ Taylor, Chuck (2008-01-05), "Say". Billboard. 120 (1):48
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090207085806/http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/51st_Show/list.aspx. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2008. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - 1 2 The Billboard Hot 100: Say. Billboard. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Hot Digital Songs: Say. Billboard. July 12, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Mayer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ Paul Grein (July 27, 2010). "Week Ending July 25, 2010: It's Every Rapper For Himself". Yahoo Music (Chart Watch). Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- 1 2 Pop 100: Say. Billboard. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- 1 2 3 Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. Billboard. May 24, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Top 50 Singles Chart - Australian Record Industry Association
- ↑ Canadian Hot 100: Say. Billboard. May 24, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.