Say (song)
Encyclopedia
"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.
The song earned Mayer another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
, his fourth win on the category.
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
.
chart and number eight on the Hot Digital Songs
chart. It has surpassed his debut single, "No Such Thing
", as his highest-peaking Hot 100 single. It has sold over 1.2 million downloads and was certified platinum by the RIAA
. It also peaked at number seventeen on the Pop 100
chart and number six on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
chart.
"Say" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
at number fifty-six, and climbed to its peak of number forty-seven the following week. On the Canadian Hot 100
, it peaked at number twenty-seven.
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
written for the Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
film The Bucket List
The Bucket List
The Bucket List is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Rob Reiner, written by Justin Zackham, and starring Academy Award-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman...
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
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...
in May, 2008.
The song earned Mayer another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
, 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. 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." Mayer posted the song on his official blog on November 16.Critical reception
Chuck Taylor of Billboard called "Say" a "lilting, bittersweet ballad" and said that it "is bound to be another staple for the [In 2009, the song won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
. It was also nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
.
Commercial and chart performance
In the U.S., "Say" peaked at number twelve in May, 2008 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...
chart and number eight on the Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart. It has surpassed his debut single, "No Such Thing
No Such Thing
No Such Thing is a 2001 United States-Icelandic film directed by Hal Hartley. It tells the story of Beatrice , a tabloid journalist whose fiancé is killed by a monster in Iceland...
", as his highest-peaking Hot 100 single. It has sold over 1.2 million downloads and was certified platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. It also peaked at number seventeen on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart and number six on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
chart.
"Say" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number fifty-six, and climbed to its peak of number forty-seven the following week. On the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, it peaked at number twenty-seven.
Chart positions
| Chart (2007/2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
47 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
27 |
| U.S. 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... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
In popular culture
- This song was used in a series of commercials for Hallmark CardsHallmark CardsHallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
throughout 2009. - It was also used in a 2009 PSA.
- It was also played during the opening credits of the 2010 film The Karate KidThe Karate Kid (2010 film)The Karate Kid is a 2010 American martial arts film and remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan...
. - It was featured in the credits of the 2008 film "The Bucket List".
- It was played in commericals for the movie 50/5050/50 (film)50/50, also known as Fifty Fifty is a 1982 Norwegian drama film directed by Oddvar Bull Tuhus, starring Steinar Raaen and Rune Dybedahl. A group of kids who have just graduated from school find working life tiresome. They decide to get their old band back together, and go on a tour.-External...