Anna Sun

Song history

Written by lead vocalist Nicholas Petricca and New York-based singer/songwriter Nick Lerangis towards the end of their college career, the song is named after their professor (see here and here) from Kenyon College and is meant to symbolize youth. "It's about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid," Petricca said. "Don't be afraid to play."

The band's self-released album I Want! I Want! was recorded by Chris Schmidt and Ben Cochran at Soap Floats Recording Studio in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Composition

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Anna Sun" is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 72 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B♭ major and the melody spans a tonal range of G₄ to B♭₅.

Reception and accolades

"Anna Sun" received positive reviews from critics. In their review of the Walk the Moon album, Dani Beck and Derrick Robertson called the song "sunny, easy, carefree electronic pop" and noted that it was one of the few highlights in a mostly negative album review. Dulce Rosales of recultured.com noted that while "the lyrics are somewhat repetitive, the simplicity helps hook listeners and causes them to sing along even after a single listen." Brian Benton of MVRemix.com was critical on the length of the song, saying that "it’s five and a half minutes long, when it could be just as effective in three."

"Anna Sun" was named the song of the summer in a 2011 Esquire article "30 Summer Songs Every Man Should Listen To". Additionally, the single was also named song of the summer by MTV and Seventeen, as well as one of the best songs of the year by Amazon.

Chart performance

"Anna Sun" first appeared on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart at number seven on March 10, 2012. On March 24, 2012, the song debuted at number thirty-nine on the Alternative Songs chart. It reached its peak at number ten on July 21, 2012 after spending 18 weeks on the chart. Despite this, the song never charted on the Rock Airplay chart.

Similarly, "Anna Sun" entered the Hot Rock Songs chart at number forty-six on April 14, 2012. On August 4, 2012, the song peaked at number twenty, giving Walk the Moon their first top twenty hit on the chart. "Anna Sun" managed to obtain some success on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, peaking at number eighteen on September 15, 2012. The song experienced its highest peak on the Adult Alternative Songs chart, reaching number three on October 27, 2012.

Outside the United States, the song became a minor hit on the UK Singles Chart, debuting at number eighty-two on its first week. It also appeared on Belgium's Ultratip Flanders chart, where it reached number eight. On Billboard's Mexico Ingles Airplay chart, the song peaked at number forty-six.

Production

The music video for "Anna Sun" was directed and produced by Patrick Meier of Contrast Productions. It was recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio and was filmed from August 31-September 1, 2010.

The video includes original choreography from Kim Popa, the executive director of the local Cincinnati based dance troupe Pones Inc. After meeting with the band, she decided that the vibe should be "the intangible feeling of being a kid...then maintaining that whimsy into adulthood." Popa said that she was inspired by ceremonial African dances as well as Michael Jackson moves from her childhood when designing the dance moves. At one point during the video, dancers can be seen wearing bodysuits and leotards, reminiscent of 80s aerobics.

According to bassist Kevin Ray, the first half of the video was shot 22 times. However, only the third take was used.

Synopsis

The video begins with a 2 and a half minute long take, shot inside the Mockbee building in the brewery district of Cincinnati. The camera follows lead singer Petricca as he walks through the labyrinth of rooms, encountering numerous partiers. At one point during the shot, Petricca plays the keytar. Eventually, Petricca finds a room full of dancers before engaging in a group dance. After the dance, Petricca opens a door, which leads him to a different outdoor location.

The second part of the video consists of jump cuts between Petricca singing while directly looking at the camera and more party goers, covered in face paint, preparing for battle. including a young boy, presumably a younger version of Petricca. The partiers prepare for battle, before they eventually continue partying. At the end of the video, the young boy runs back to the door that was used to transport Petricca to the new location. The boy paints the word Anna along with a drawing of a sun on the door.

Petricca noted that, the tradition of wearing face paint during their live performances evolved from the video.

Reception

MTV Hive called the video a "hilariously choreographed, neon-colored and awesomely shot in one take" production.

Usage in media

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Walk the Moon.