On Top of the World (Imagine Dragons song)
| "On Top of the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Imagine Dragons | ||||
| from the album Night Visions | ||||
| Released | March 18, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–12 | |||
| Studio | Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles | |||
| Length | 3:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Imagine Dragons singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "On Top of the World" on YouTube | ||||
"On Top of the World" is a song by the American rock band Imagine Dragons first appearing on their major-label debut extended play Continued Silence (2012). The song also appears on their first full-length album Night Visions (2012). "On Top of the World" was released digitally as a single on March 18, 2013.
Composition
"On Top of the World" primarily features Magne guitar and piano instrumentation, with vocals performed by lead singer Dan Reynolds. Originally published in the key of C major, the song itself expresses a celebration of accomplishment for the band after striving for years to become successful. The song incorporates the chord progression of C-F-C-Dm in the verses, and F-C-G-Dm in the chorus and bridge, with the pre-chorus using Am and G to create a different break in the song. The song "On Top of the World" is found to be a positive, upbeat track, unlike other songs found on Night Visions, including "Bleeding Out" and "Hear Me".
The song is built on a sample of minimalist composer Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" from 1972.
In media
Imagine Dragons performed the song live on the Australian version of The X Factor in 2013.
"On Top of the World" was licensed for inclusion on the soundtrack of EA Sports game, FIFA 13 And NHL 14. The band, longtime fans of the FIFA video game series, reacted positively to its inclusion in the game and stated that it would be "a lot of fun hearing the track play while we are doing bicycle kicks and screaming at the screen." It also served as the opening theme of the short-lived CBS comedy series Partners. "On Top of the World" was performed by the PS22 Chorus during Barack Obama's second United States presidential inauguration. It also featured in Konami video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 as well as being used in a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 advert.
The song was featured prominently in the film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone several times.
The song was featured in the British kids film All Stars.
The song is featured in the Liv and Maddie episode "Twin-a-Rooney", performed by Dove Cameron in the title role of Liv Rooney. Dove Cameron's version appears on the compilation album Disney Channel Play It Loud.
Hunter Hayes covered the song live on his US tour.
The song was used by ESPN for their coverage of the NBA for the 2013–14 NBA season.
The song was used during Cartoon Network's 2013 Hall of Game Awards.
The song was used in trailers for the films The Croods (2013) and Island of Lemurs: Madagascar (2014).
WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania uses the song to promote their morning news, Action News Mornings.
The song is used in the Coca-Cola promotional video "Moments of Happiness", shown exclusively at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia.
On November 9, 2014, Australian Furry YouTuber and singer, thatdancingdog, released a cover of the song featuring other guests from the Furry Down Under! convention in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
The song was featured in the soundtracks of Alpha and Omega 4: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave and The Angry Birds Movie.
From 2013 to 2015, Vodafone Portugal and Vodafone Greece used the song in their ads for the Red phone plan.
In November 2017, Ford used this song in their Black Friday year-end event sales commercial.
Music video
As a part of the Palladia documentary Imagine Dragons: The Making of Night Visions, which originally aired on 7 November 2012, the band filmed a video of themselves performing "On Top of the World" and subsequently uploaded it to YouTube.
On 13 November 2013 the band released an official music video for the song. The video satirizes a popular conspiracy theory that the 1969 Moon landings were faked, the footage having been directed by Stanley Kubrick, and that Kubrick then made references to the fakery in various of his subsequent films. In the video, a rock band similar to the Beatles (played by the members of Imagine Dragons) pretend to be astronauts for the faked Moon landing. The taping goes awry as fans of the band stream into the sound stage and turn the event into a rock concert, much to the chagrin of Kubrick and President Richard Nixon, who is also on hand; though no one else watching, either in the studio or at home, seems concerned about the revelation of fakery, instead enjoying the music. The video also briefly references another popular conspiracy theory from around the same time, that Beatles member Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike.
The video was filmed in Provo, Utah, Imagine Dragons' original hometown, and includes cameos from various celebrities associated with Provo or Brigham Young University, including Jon Heder, Whit Hertford, the cast of Studio C, Robbie Connolly, and The New Electric Sound. Aja Volkman, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds' wife, appears as Reynolds' character's wife. The video was co-directed by Matt Eastin and Corey Fox.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On Top of the World" | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On Top of the World" | 2:58 |
Commercial performance
The song peaked at 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 10 on the Hot Rock Songs charts. It has also charted in the top ten in Australia (No. 10), Austria (No. 6), Netherlands (No. 10), New Zealand (No. 10), Poland (No. 7), and Portugal (No. 1). Despite having not yet been released to mainstream radio, it has received airplay on contemporary hit stations, such as 97.1 ZHT in Salt Lake City.
The song reached a million copies sold in the U.S. in April 2014. It is the fourth million seller from the Night Visions album.
Personnel
Adapted from Night Visions liner notes.
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | 2× Platinum | 60,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI) | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 15,000* |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Gold | 5,000* |
| Sweden (GLF) | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
| Streaming | ||
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | Platinum | 2,600,000† |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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Accolades
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Rock Song | Nominated |
| VEVO Hot This Year Awards | Best Alternative/Rock Video | Nominated |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 18 March 2013 | Digital download | |
| Australia | Streamed audio | ||
| United Kingdom | |||
| United States | |||
| Spain | 27 May 2013 | Contemporary hit radio | Interscope Records |
| Australia | 22 August 2013 | ||
| United States | 21 October 2013 | Triple A radio |
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| United Kingdom | 18 November 2013 | Contemporary hit radio | |
| Australia | Digital download (RAC remix) | ||
| Germany | |||
| United Kingdom | |||
| Italy | 30 May 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Interscope Records |
#MakeTheFuture Version
In November 2017, petroleum company Shell created a music video of "On Top of the World" as part of their "Make The Future" campaign to promote environment-friendly energy. The featured artists were Jennifer Hudson, Pixie Lott, Luan Santana, Yemi Alade, and Monali Thakur. Another #MakeTheFuture music video also featured American Authors' 2014 hit single Best Day of My Life.