Umbrella Beach
"Umbrella Beach" is a song by American electronica act Owl City. The song was released as the third single from his second album Ocean Eyes. It is the second UK single from the album (as it was decided not to release "Vanilla Twilight" in Europe) and had a May 16, 2010, release date in the US, and was released May 17, 2010, in the UK.[1]
"Umbrella Beach" | ||||
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Single by Owl City | ||||
from the album Ocean Eyes | ||||
Released | May 16, 2010 | |||
Genre | Electropop | |||
Length | 3:50 (Album Version) 3:23 (Radio Edit) | |||
Label | Universal Republic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Adam Young | |||
Producer(s) | Adam Young | |||
Owl City singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Umbrella Beach" on YouTube |
The album cover is a picture of the beach at Santa Monica, California, taken from the Santa Monica Pier. "Umbrella Beach" entered the UK Dance Chart on the chart week of May 8, 2010, at number 25, later peaking at number 12.
Meaning
Lyrically, Young stated that the song is about ... "a hermit living in a box car on the edge of the shoreline that corroded so badly, it wound up at the bottom of the bay. Rather than finding a new home, the hermit chooses to learn to scuba dive and now spends his days deep under the waves in his boxcar".[2]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
BBC | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Digital Spy | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review stating, "By essentially re-working the best bits of 'Fireflies' and cranking up the BPM a few notches, Young has fashioned another stellar indie-folk-electro smash that should encourage even the most stubborn toe-tapper to have a jump around."[3] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Radio gave a mixed review giving the song a 3 out of 5 star rating.
Music video
The music video for "Umbrella Beach" premiered on April 16, 2010, on YouTube. The video tells about a boy who is trying to build a plane to cross the sea and go to another island. At the end of the video, a group of his friends help him push the plane down a hill for takeoff. It is not shown whether or not the plane successfully flies. Adam Young did not appear in the music video apart from photos on a table. The video was filmed in Hope Cove, England.[4]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Umbrella Beach" | 3:50 |
2. | "Umbrella Beach" (Kenny Hayes Remix) | 6:10 |
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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UK Dance (OCC)[6] | 12 |
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[7] | 110 |
References
- Fraser McAlpine (May 20, 2010). "Owl City - 'Umbrella Beach'". BBC Radio. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- "Umbrella Beach by Owl City Songfacts". Songfacts, LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- Robert Copsey. "Owl City: 'Umbrella Beach'". Digital Spy. digitalspy.co.uk.
- Jimmy Brown (April 16, 2010). "Owl City's Umbrella Beach by Alexander Brown". PromoNews.TV. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- "Umbrella Beach - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: The O – Ozric Tentacles". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved August 13, 2012.