Something Better (Audien song)

"Something Better"
Single by Audien featuring Lady Antebellum
from the EP Daydreams
ReleasedJuly 10, 2015 (2015-07-10)
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Audien
Audien singles chronology
"Insomnia"
(2015) 		"Something Better"
(2015) 		"Rooms"
(2015)
Lady Antebellum singles chronology
"Long Stretch of Love"
(2015) 		"Something Better"
(2015) 		"You Look Good"
(2017)
Music video
Official Music Video on YouTube

"Something Better" is a song by American DJ and electronic music producer Audien from his debut EP, Daydreams, featuring vocals by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. The song was written by Audien, Peter Hanna and Taylor Bird, and produced by Audien.

The song was released to digital retailers through Astralwerks on July 10, 2015 as the EP's second single. On September 1, 2015 it was serviced to American contemporary hit radio via Astralwerks and Capitol Records. The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart dated September 26, 2015.[1]

Background

On June 10, 2015, Lady Antebellum performed with DJ and producer Zedd at the year's CMT Music Awards with a mashup of their then-current single "Long Stretch of Love" and Zedd's "Beautiful Now".[2] They revealed to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet for the event that the performance was "a little bit of a preview" for a crossover song they were releasing with Audien later that summer ("Something Better").[2]

Audien approached Lady Antebellum to record the vocals for the song due to its call-and-response structure and potential for harmonies, characteristics common to the trio's music.[3] He also noted that the group were "some of the best voices ... in overall music" and described the song to Entertainment Weekly as "simply my favorite thing I've ever done."[3] Lady Antebellum member Charles Kelley explained that the group "knew [they] wanted to be part of [the song]" from the first time they heard it as they were "immediately drawn to its great melody and powerful lyric."[3][4]

The band was open to pushing the boundaries of country music with the song, noting that they had questioned how well their 2010 pop rock-leaning single, "Our Kind of Love", would be received by country radio when it was first released.[4] "We'll always stay true to the country genre," Kelley assured fans, "but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun."[4]

Critical reception

  • Laura McClellan of Taste of Country praised the vocal performances of Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley on the track and described "Something Better" as a "driving, dance-y pop tune you won’t be able to get out of your head."[5]
  • Christina Vinson of Taste of Country's sister site The Boot complimented Lady Antebellum for "[pushing] boundaries," noting that the song proves the trio is "not just a top-notch country group," but "a top-notch group, period."[6]
  • Jon Freeman of Rolling Stone said that "Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley [of Lady Antebellum] repurpose their signature boy-girl vocals here". He describes the song as "a pop-savvy, piano-driven melody with build-and-release tension that explodes into emotive instrumental passages".[7]

Music video

An accompanying video premiered November 14, 2015 and features a young man who encounters a woman implied to be an alien who is on the run from the authorities.[8] He takes the woman back to his farm, where she reveals special abilities, before the police arrive and the woman is beamed back up into space. Xa -12- 43672

Laura McClellan praised the video for combining "equal parts sci-fi and Americana," representing the song's blending of electronic and music genres.[8]

Track listings

Digital download – single[9]
  1. "Something Better" – 3:33
Digital download – remixes
  • "Something Better" (Shemce remix) – 3:56[10]
  • "Something Better" (Alyson Calagan extended mix) – 7:24[11]
  • "Something Better" (Ferreck Dawn remix) – 3:29[12]
  • "Something Better" (Kayper remix) – 4:59[13]
  • "Something Better" (Möwe remix) – 3:50[14]
  • "Something Better" (Two Friends remix) – 4:25[15]

Chart performance

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, release format, release version, and reference
Country Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
North America July 10, 2015 Digital download Original Astralwerks [9]
United States September 1, 2015 Contemporary hit radio
[26]
Worldwide October 16, 2015 Digital download Shemce remix Astralwerks [10]
Alyson Calagna remix [11]
March 18, 2016 Ferreck Dawn remix [12]
Kayper remix [13]
Möwe remix [14]
June 17, 2016 Two Friends remix [15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dance Songs: Top Dance Music Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Seemayer, Zach (June 10, 2015). "Lady Antebellum and Zedd Rock CMT Awards With Epic Cross-Genre Performance". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Television Distribution. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Vain, Madison (July 1, 2015). "Audien's Lady Antebellum collaboration 'Something Better' is everything you need to feel good today". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Duvall, Erin (June 16, 2015). "Lady Antebellum to Release New Song With EDM Artist Audien". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  5. ^ McClellan, Laura (July 2, 2015). "Lady Antebellum Release New EDM Collaboration With Audien [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  6. ^ Vinson, Christina (July 2, 2015). "Hear 'Something Better,' Lady Antebellum's Collaboration With EDM Artist Audien". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  7. ^ Freeman, Jon (April 21, 2018). "5 Country-EDM Songs Inspired by Avicii". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  8. ^ a b McClellan, Laura (November 14, 2015). "Lady Antebellum, Audien Team for 'Something Better' Video". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info" (Shemce remix). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info" (Alyson Calagan remix). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info" (Ferreck Dawn remix). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info" (Kayper remix). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Something Better - Audien | Release Info" (Möwe remix). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Something Better (feat. Lady Antebellum) [Two Friends Remix] - Single by Audien". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple Inc. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Audien Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Audien Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Audien Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Audien Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Audien Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Dance Club Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Dance/Mix Show Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  25. ^ "American single certifications – Audien, Lady A – Something Better". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2016.