Wherever I Go (OneRepublic song)

The single's promotional campaign began in April 2016, when OneRepublic published several easter egg postcards involving the first single from their upcoming fourth album, Oh My My. On May 2, 2016, all the teasers were completed, and with that fans discovered the name of the song that would serve as the first single from OneRepublic's new album. Two days later, on Instagram, the band posted the single's working artwork, confirming "Wherever I Go" as the band's entry into their new era. The song was released to streaming services on May 13, with a premiere via iHeartRadio on May 12. == Composition and lyrics ==

"Wherever I Go" was written and produced by Tedder, Kutzle and Zancanell, and runs for 2 minutes and 49 seconds, the shortest single OneRepublic had released at that point. The song features piano lines and a funk-driven rhythm, marking a new style for the band. Explaining why it was important the lead single be different from the rest of the new album, Ryan Tedder said to Wonderland, "I think it’s gonna be shocking, kind of the first response anyone has is their eyes are kind of spread open like ‘Oh my god’. It's not indicative of the entire album but it's kind of like if you go have dinner, you don't order steak for an appetizer and steak for dinner. You split it up, and you have different things. So the first single... it's definitely an appetizer, I think it's the best appetizer we could come up with." Tedder sings here of not being able to find a love to match one that he once had. This previous relationship will always remain a "ghost in the room," whenever he gets together with a new girl. Tedder explained the song is about "obsession, and almost an unnatural, unhealthy level of obsession." Speaking on BBC Radio 1, Tedder discussed how hard OneRepublic worked to make the song sound fresh and current, but still organic. "It's hard as an actual band to evolve and still keep the humanity in the instruments," he said. "So it's tricky. You wanna hear the bass player, you wanna hear the drummer, but you want it to sound modern at the same time. So it took...ages to crack that code." In a Twitter Q&A with fans about the band's new album, Tedder said that "Wherever I Go" was the hardest song to write and took the longest to finish for Oh My My. == Critical reception ==

Upon release, "Wherever I Go" received universal acclaim from music critics. NMEs Nick Levine called it "their slinkiest, funkiest single ever. With this song, Tedder sits like a genuine contender for the title of 'Most In Demand Man In Music'". Idolator writer Robbie Daw's first impressions were "The first word that comes into mind while listening is “dramatic.” And then, right when the song builds up to its booming climax, it ends". David Watt of All-Noise praised the band's eclecticness in totally changing its characteristic sound and bringing something unique to the song, saying "although OneRepublic has recorded a lot of music, they have never recorded anything like this before. Ryan has also done a great job with vocals, making “Wherever I Go” nearly perfect", also highlighting the different vocals and production than usual, "the production is EVERYTHING – it’s fresh, and it’s exciting. And THAT combined with Ryan’s perfect, on-the-money vocals offers a killer equation". Rob Copsey from Official Charts said the song is a "stadium pop-rock stomper", writing "the track has many of the hallmarks of a OneRepublic hit". == Commercial performance ==

On the chart dating June 4, 2016, “Wherever I Go” debuted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The next week, the song dropped down to number 81 before gaining on the charts, before reaching its peak of number 55 in its eighth week on the chart (July 30, 2016). The song would eventually spend a total of 12 weeks on the charts throughout the summer of 2016. == Music video ==

The music video premiered on May 17, 2016, directed by Joseph Kahn and produced by Jil Hardin. Within the video, actor Kenneth Choi plays a businessman who faces an uneventful, colorless world of black, white and gray on a daily basis. However, upon meeting a woman, played by actress Yvonne Lu, whom he presumably falls in love with, he subsequently puts down his briefcase, symbolising the idea of him leaving his regular, insipid characteristics behind him. He begins to elaborately dance, an action usually not associated with business. His coworkers look at him aghast before also joining in. Still, he cannot woo over the woman he is interested in. It takes discovering a secret passageway containing the band performing to transform his life into color. When he steps back into the office after watching the band sing, everything becomes vivid and colorful, with the office transformed to a 1970s motif. In the end, it is shown that it was all just a daydream, with him still in the lift, staring at the woman he wants. The music video currently has 111 million views. Incidentally, the video features Three-time National YoYo Champion Alex Hattori. == Live performances ==

The day before the premiere of "Wherever I Go", OneRepublic performed the song on the tenth season of The Voice. The band performed the song live for the first time after its release on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 19, 2016, in Rockefeller Center, New York City. Five days later, the band returned to the stage to perform the song on season 10 of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Six days later, the band returned to the stage to perform the song again as part of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2016. == Track listing ==

• Digital download • "Wherever I Go" – 2:49 • Digital download — remix • "Wherever I Go" (Danny Dove club edit) – 4:57 • CD single • "Wherever I Go" – 2:49 • "Wherever I Go" (Instrumental) – 2:49 == Credits and personnel ==

Credits adapted from CD single liner notes. Personnel • Ryan Tedder – songwriter, producer • Brent Kutzle – songwriter, producer • Noel Zancanella – songwriter, producer • Rich Rich – engineer • Steve Wilmot – engineer • Matthew Tryba – assistant engineer • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixer • Matty Green – assistant engineer for mix • Geoff Swan – assistant engineer for mix • Chris Gehringer – mastering Recording • Recorded at Revolution Studio, Toronto, Ontario; and Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, Russia • Additional recording at Neptune Valley and Waterloo Studios, Los Angeles, California • Mixed at Mixsuite, United Kingdom • Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==