"Orange Sky" is a folk song that was written by Alexi Murdoch and released in 2002.[1][2] It appeared on Murdoch's extended play titled Four Songs. A Kansas City distributor, Harvest Media Group, signed Murdoch based on the strength of the EP. Before there was a formal distributor, the EP sold 15,000 copies.[1]
Murdoch's first full-length album was titled Time Without Consequence, and the song was rerecorded and included on the record.[3] The version he recorded for the LP record was noticeably different than the EP version. In the LP version there are more drums and a piano.[4]
The song was featured on episodes of the television show, Dawson's Creek and The O.C..[1] It was also used in episodes of the television shows House and Prison Break.[5] The song was also in the movie Garden State.[1] It was featured in a Honda commercial. The song received more attention than the other songs on the EP and was played by several influential radio stations like WXPN in Philadelphia.[3] The song was also featured in a Hallmark Cards commercial that won an Emmy Award.[6]
Orange Sky Laundry, a service offering free clothes washing for the homeless in Australia, was named for the song.[7]
Reception
The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed the EP and said that "Orange Sky" is sung in a "near whisper."[8] Writing for the Hartford Courant, Erica B. Danton called it a "ghostly ballad."[9] A soundtrack for The O.C. television show was released, and it featured "Orange Sky." The album's reviewer said the song was lethargic and monotonous.[10]