Brighter Than the Sun
Encyclopedia
"Brighter Than the Sun" is a song recorded by American recording artist Colbie Caillat
. It was written by Caillat and Ryan Tedder
, and produced by Tedder. The song was released as the second single from her third studio album All of You. The song was released to digital download
on May 23, 2011 through Universal Republic
. Musically, the song is an upbeat pop song, and the lyrics speak about her relationship with her boyfriend. The song received a positive reaction from music critics, who enjoyed the bright and summery style of it.
frontman Ryan Tedder
, is the second single from Caillat’s upcoming third LP All of You. “I usually like to start my albums by easing my way in,” Caillat said while talking about her decision to put her new single at the top of the All of You track list. “But ‘Brighter Than the Sun’ has a punch. It’s so up-tempo and happy. My manager actually requested that it be No. 1, and he was right. This song is awesome because it just gets people started right away and interested in what’s next. A different instrument leads into each part of the song. It never stays the same, which keeps listeners wanting to hear what’s next.” Caillat says she wrote all the tracks on All of You about her relationship with Justin Young, who plays guitar in her band. “He was in my band for two years before we noticed that we like each other,” she notes. “I wrote most of this album about us, our ups and downs.” The lyrics reflect the tumble into love: "Boy, we go together like peanuts and Paydays/ Marley and Reggae/ And everybody needs to get a chance to say/ Oh, this is how it starts/ Lightning strikes the heart/ It goes off like a gun/ Brighter than the sun.'"
that Colbie Caillat has served up an upbeat, infectious new single, just in time for summer. Kyle Anderson wrote for Entertainment Weekly
positively that "Caillat plays with rhythmic touches (the high-spirited handclaps on Brighter Than the Sun)." Lavina Suthenthiran from MTV News
said that ‘Brighter Than the Sun’ is a fresh tune marrying warm vocals and acoustics but is a bit pacier than Bubbly and is bound to get you all in that summer mood." Bill Lamb from About.com
enjoyed the track, saying that "Bright handclaps accent the romantic joy of this Ryan Tedder collaboration." Chris Willman from Chicago Tribune
thought that even with a variety of producers, the album style does not change, saying that the song "has the kind of quickly strummed acoustic guitars and handclaps that suggest somebody's been ingesting some "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." Sputnikmusic
said that the song "warrants attention, offering up Colbie’s only real successful landing on her targeted “new” sound. The expanded presence of drums, tambourines, and handclaps all create the desired “tropical” effect that she obviously yearned to either maintain or further enliven with her newest LP." Michelle Thompson from The Tune
was very positive, saying that the song "stands out as effervescent, with upbeat guitar and claps for percussion."
. It had numerous re-entries since its debut, but as of the week of November 12th, 2011, "Brighter Than the Sun" peaked at #62.
was released on June 13, 2011. The video was filmed the video in the appropriately sunny Playa Del Rey beachside community of Los Angeles
. The production is inspired on the nature scenes, such as flower
s, fruit
s and a bed full of green gram. The video premiered on June 30, 2011. In the video, Colbie appears surrounded by her circle of friends. Next, a green fern gets a 10-second close-up, followed by a tight shot of Colbie's hands planting sheets of grass. Colbie proceeds to twirl in front of her orange tree and reveals her swing, until a dance party is produced.
Jenna Hally Rubenstein from MTV Buzzworthy
said sarcastically that the video is "the hottest, most environmentally conscious party of the summer so far."
to perform the track on October 1, 2011.
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...
. It was written by Caillat and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, and produced by Tedder. The song was released as the second single from her third studio album All of You. The song was released to digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on May 23, 2011 through Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
. Musically, the song is an upbeat pop song, and the lyrics speak about her relationship with her boyfriend. The song received a positive reaction from music critics, who enjoyed the bright and summery style of it.
Composition
The song, which she co-wrote with hit-maker/OneRepublicOneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
frontman Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, is the second single from Caillat’s upcoming third LP All of You. “I usually like to start my albums by easing my way in,” Caillat said while talking about her decision to put her new single at the top of the All of You track list. “But ‘Brighter Than the Sun’ has a punch. It’s so up-tempo and happy. My manager actually requested that it be No. 1, and he was right. This song is awesome because it just gets people started right away and interested in what’s next. A different instrument leads into each part of the song. It never stays the same, which keeps listeners wanting to hear what’s next.” Caillat says she wrote all the tracks on All of You about her relationship with Justin Young, who plays guitar in her band. “He was in my band for two years before we noticed that we like each other,” she notes. “I wrote most of this album about us, our ups and downs.” The lyrics reflect the tumble into love: "Boy, we go together like peanuts and Paydays/ Marley and Reggae/ And everybody needs to get a chance to say/ Oh, this is how it starts/ Lightning strikes the heart/ It goes off like a gun/ Brighter than the sun.'"
Critical reception
Amy Sciaretto from Artist Direct was positive, considering it "bright, airy, whisper-light, sweet and beachy!". She also loves "how she makes people feel warm and reminds of the ocean when listen to her tunes". Robbie Daw wrote for IdolatorIdolator
Idolator is the third album by the Japanese, melodic death metal band, Blood Stain Child. Idolator combines melodic death metal similar to the more recent In Flames albums with electronic and trance influences, particularly on "Nuclear Trance". "Embrace Me", has a piano section both at the...
that Colbie Caillat has served up an upbeat, infectious new single, just in time for summer. Kyle Anderson wrote for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
positively that "Caillat plays with rhythmic touches (the high-spirited handclaps on Brighter Than the Sun)." Lavina Suthenthiran from MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
said that ‘Brighter Than the Sun’ is a fresh tune marrying warm vocals and acoustics but is a bit pacier than Bubbly and is bound to get you all in that summer mood." Bill Lamb from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
enjoyed the track, saying that "Bright handclaps accent the romantic joy of this Ryan Tedder collaboration." Chris Willman from Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
thought that even with a variety of producers, the album style does not change, saying that the song "has the kind of quickly strummed acoustic guitars and handclaps that suggest somebody's been ingesting some "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
said that the song "warrants attention, offering up Colbie’s only real successful landing on her targeted “new” sound. The expanded presence of drums, tambourines, and handclaps all create the desired “tropical” effect that she obviously yearned to either maintain or further enliven with her newest LP." Michelle Thompson from The Tune
The Tune
The Tune is an animated film by American filmmaker Bill Plympton.-Plot summary:Del, a hard-working songwriter, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend Didi...
was very positive, saying that the song "stands out as effervescent, with upbeat guitar and claps for percussion."
Chart performance
The song debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It had numerous re-entries since its debut, but as of the week of November 12th, 2011, "Brighter Than the Sun" peaked at #62.
Music video
A teaser of the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was released on June 13, 2011. The video was filmed the video in the appropriately sunny Playa Del Rey beachside community of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The production is inspired on the nature scenes, such as flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and a bed full of green gram. The video premiered on June 30, 2011. In the video, Colbie appears surrounded by her circle of friends. Next, a green fern gets a 10-second close-up, followed by a tight shot of Colbie's hands planting sheets of grass. Colbie proceeds to twirl in front of her orange tree and reveals her swing, until a dance party is produced.
Jenna Hally Rubenstein from MTV Buzzworthy
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
said sarcastically that the video is "the hottest, most environmentally conscious party of the summer so far."
Live perfomances
Caillat has performed the song on the Today Show on July 12, 2011, Jay Leno Show on July 14, 2011 and on the Live with Regis & Kelly show on September 27, 2011. Caillat went to Lopez TonightLopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight was an American late-night television talk show hosted by comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican American to host a late-night talk show on an English-language network in the United States. The...
to perform the track on October 1, 2011.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
31 |
| German Airplay Chart | 18 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
77 |
| South Korean Singles Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... |
67 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 55 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
62 |