"Made for You" by OneRepublic, Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Opening OneRepublic's second record, Waking Up, is the experimental track "Made for You." Release two years after their debut record Dreaming Out Loud, OneRepublic was busy releasing singles even between records. During this two year period, lead singer and chief songwriter for the band, Ryan Tedder, started writing for some of the biggest pop stars, including Beyoncé's "Halo" and Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," which controversially sounded like OneRepublic's "Secrets" later released on Waking Up. The second album from OneRepublic would answer whether the band was just a passing fad, a liner note in chart history, or mega stars.
PUT PEN TO PAPER, EVERYTHING WAS SINKING. "Made for You" opens the record. It's a lyrically sparse track full of mood and ambiance. OneRepublic quickly steps up their sound, a band of some classically-trained musicians and a penchant for hip-hop beats. Whereas, Dreaming Out Loud was co-produced by hip hop producer Timbaland, is mostly produced by the band and a few pop producers. "Made for You" certainly isn't single-worthy and is not designed for the radio. Instead, it serves as an extended introduction to the band's first single and the second track on the record, "All the Right Moves." The song feels like it came out on the verge of writer's block cracking, and when it cracks, the song serves as the album's opener. Like Sufjan Stevens' "Death with Dignity," the opening track invites the muses to lead the record wherever it must go. The end of the song simply features variations on the theme of the band's first hit from the record, chanting "All the right moves in all the right places" and a recording of a children's choir singing the song.
CAN YOU FEEL? The surprise hit from the record was "Good Life," which didn't even match their number 2 hit of "Apologize." "All the Right Moves" peaked at number 18 and "Good Life" at number 8. But thanks to the record they released four years later, Native, the band achieved another Hot 100 hit with "Counting Stars." On the podcast Inside the Studio Tedder talked about his writing process with other musicians, and the headspace and the conversations he sparks to get a good songwriting session started. With so many songs to Tedder's credit, it's no wonder that OneRepublic takes long hiatuses. The difference between Waking Up and Native is maturity and security. During Waking Up the band perhaps felt the need to be hitmakers, to hit hard and hit fast. They were a new band and had a lot of potential. And Waking Up this year has been one of my go-to records. But with Native, the band decided to take their time. Youth versus experience. Which is better? This coming on a day that I'm writing very hastily to make my deadline, and the quality will have to be made up for on an editing session. Which is better? Waking Up or Native?
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