Everywhere (Michelle Branch song)

"Everywhere" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch. It was written by Branch and its producer, John Shanks, for her second album and major-label debut, The Spirit Room (2001). The song was released in July 2001 by Maverick Records as Branch's debut single. "Everywhere" is an upbeat pop rock song with lyrics describing the early stages of love wherein the narrator in constantly reminded of their partner. The song's chorus was named the 77th greatest of the 21st century by Billboard in 2017.

"Everywhere"
Single by Michelle Branch
from the album The Spirit Room
ReleasedJuly 10, 2001 (2001-07-10)
Recorded2001
GenrePop rock
Length3:36
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Shanks
Michelle Branch singles chronology
"Everywhere"
(2001)
"All You Wanted"
(2001)

The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised its lyrical content and Branch's vocal performance. "Everywhere" attained moderate success, reaching the top 20 in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song's music video was directed by Liz Friedlander and won the Viewer's Choice award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background and writing

"Everywhere" was written by Michelle Branch and John Shanks and was produced by Shanks. The song was written in common time with a moderate tempo of 98 beats per minute and was composed in the key of D major.[1] Branch wrote the first draft of "Everywhere" when she was fifteen years old.[2] The song's hook was described by Patrick Crowley of Billboard as a "beast of a glossy pop-rock hook" and is attributed with the song's catchiness.[3]

The lyrical content of the song has been described as "ultra-romantic," but were left intentionally ambiguous by Branch. In 2001, Branch told MTV that "I like to keep my songs open-ended so people can listen to it and say, "Oh, I think it means this. I've been through that." Instead of having it be about" anything specific.[4]

Music video

The music video for "Everywhere" was directed by Liz Friedlander. The video shows Branch stalking her crush in the opposite apartment building while she plays her guitar in an empty room. The man also appears to be spying on her, and at the end of the video the two finally meet. Branch was involved in selected the actor portraying her love interest; she told MTV in a 2001 interview that when the producers showed her a photo of Jake Muxworthy, she told them, "This is it. He has to be in it."[4] Playing opposite Muxworthy proved to be difficult for Branch, who reportedly had a "little crush" on him.[4]

An alternate video features Branch singing the song inside a rundown building and shows Branch posing for The Spirit Room photoshoot. This video was exclusively available via enhanced CDs until it was later made available on iTunes in select countries.

Reception

"Everywhere" won "Viewer's Choice Award" in the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[5]

Critical reception

"Everywhere" received positive reviews from critics praising its lyrical content and Branch's vocal performance.[6] Allmusic's Liana Jonas described the song "a lively and heartfelt song with electric-guitar power chords, spirited vocal delivery, and catchy chorus.".[6] Sputnikmusic reviewed the song "...starts with a nice acoustic intro which is joined in by drum, then the whole band for the chorus. While the music generally falls under pop, this song has a rockier edge to it."[7] IGN Music calls the song "...definitely catchy".[8] Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix made favourable comparisons between "Everywhere" and Vanessa Carlton's debut single "A Thousand Miles", saying, "it's a good-natured reverie, with none of the troubled soul searching that characterizes the work of Tori and Fiona. The song rocks enough to live up to those expectations and pop enough to race up the charts. It starts off pretty glossy, with Michelle singing the word "you’re" down the scale in three syllables over a fancy trip-hop drum loop. Then the slashing electric guitars and gang-harmony vocals come in, and before long she’s belting out an unforgettable dream-pop chorus. It’s a flawless pop production and an auspicious chart debut."[9]

Chart performance

"Everywhere" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending November 10, 2001. The song stayed on the charts for 20 weeks. The song became Branch's first top-20 hit, as well as her third-highest-peaking single, after "The Game of Love" and "All You Wanted".[10]

"Everywhere" remains Branch's most successful single worldwide. It charted the highest in New Zealand, where it peaked at number two in December 2001, behind Alicia Keys' "Fallin'".[11] "Everywhere" also reached the top 20 in United Kingdom and Australia, where it was her only single to peak within the top 20.[12][13]

Legacy

"Everywhere" has been covered by numerous artists, including Yellowcard, Sara Lumholdt and Master Blaster. The song's chorus was ranked the 77th greatest of the 21st century by Billboard in 2017.[3]

Track listings

Charts

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States July 10, 2001 Contemporary hit radio Maverick [36]
Europe April 1, 2002 CD single [37]

References

  1. "Michelle Branch "Everywhere" Sheet Music in D major". Music Notes. Alfred Publishing Co. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  2. Lipshutz, Jason (April 27, 2017). "Michelle Branch's Friends Send Her Drunken Karaoke Videos of the 'Everywhere' Chorus". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  3. Billboard Staff (April 24, 2017). "The 100 Greatest Choruses of the 21st Century". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  4. "Michelle Branch: "She's Everywhere"". MTV. 2001. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  5. Michelle Branch Awards Archived September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine michellebranch.com April 17, 2010
  6. Jonas, Lianas. "The Spirit Room Review". Allmusic. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  7. "Michelle Branch The Spirit Room". musiciansforum.com. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  8. McGrath, James (September 4, 2003). "The Spirit Room Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  9. Richardson, Sean. "DIY divas: Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton" Archived March 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Boston Phoenix. May 16–May 23, 2002. Retrieved April 17–28, 2010.
  10. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. "Single Top 40 16/12/2001". charts.nz. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  12. "Michelle Branch: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  13. "Australian-charts.com – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  14. "Chase featuring "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch". YouTube. August 3, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  15. Everywhere (US CD single promo liner notes). Michelle Branch. Maverick Records. 2001. PRO-CD-100608.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. Everywhere (European CD and cassette single liner notes). Michelle Branch. Maverick Records. 2001. 5439 16718 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. Everywhere (Australia maxi-single liner notes). Michelle Branch. Maverick Records, Warner Music Australia. 2001. 9362424092.CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. Everywhere (European enhanced CD single liner notes). Michelle Branch. Maverick Records. 2001. W577CDX, 9362 42427 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "Ultratop.be – Michelle Branch – Everywhere" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  20. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 17. April 20, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Michelle Branch – Everywhere" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  23. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 9, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Michelle Branch – Everywhere" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  25. "Charts.nz – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". Top 40 Singles.
  26. "Italiancharts.com – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". Top Digital Download.
  27. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Michelle Branch – Everywhere". Singles Top 100.
  30. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  31. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  32. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  33. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  34. "2002 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  35. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2002". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  36. Radio & Records (PDF). July 6, 2001. p. 36. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  37. Hubner, Miriam (March 30, 2002). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 14. p. 13. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
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