Released July 10, 2001 Genre Indie pop
trip hop | Format CD single
10"
12" Length 4:25 | |
B-side "Hideaway"
"Only a Fool Would Say That" Recorded 2000; Stratosphere Sound
(New York City, New York)
Sony Music Studios
(New York City, New York) | ||
"Edge of the Ocean" is a song recorded by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released as the third single from their third studio album, Long Distance (2000). The single was made available as a CD single, 10", and 12" single in the United States on July 10, 2001, before being reissued internationally on May 27, 2002. "Edge of the Ocean" was released alongside Ivy's other single, "Disappointed", on the same day. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, while production was handled by the latter two.
Contents
- Background
- Composition and release
- Critical reception
- Music video and promotion
- Credits and personnel
- Process
- References
The track received general acclaim from music critics who highlighted it as a "standout" track. Stylistically different from Ivy's previous material, "Edge of the Ocean" is an indie pop and trip hop song with "romantic" lyrics. The song was featured on the soundtracks for several films, including Angel Eyes and Shallow Hal. The single was subsequently considered their signature song, including by Ivy themselves. A music video was filmed for "Edge of the Ocean" in 2001, featuring lead singer Durand walking around the beach with her bandmates.
Background
"Edge of the Ocean" was written by Ivy band members Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase. Production of the track was handled by Schlesinger and Chase. In a 2011 interview with Magnet, Chase stated that while writing "Edge of the Ocean", they tried "to go 100 percent" with creating a lyrical balance that "[came] from a specific place and yet remain[ed] general, even vague, enough that they can apply to anyone". In a previous interview with Spinzone, Chase and Durand said that they hoped that "Edge of the Ocean" would prove commercial enough to "mean the difference between making our next album or not".
During recording sessions for Long Distance, Schlesinger and Chase played around with the idea of incorporating new genres into their music. In an interview with Billboard, Ivy stated "the first songs [we] recorded were jangly and simple and straight-ahead". They eventually began work on "the groovier, slightly more melancholy stuff" that "works well with Dominique's voice". Ivy agreed that along with the exploration came "more preferable" songs that were "less atmospheric" than those on their previous studio album, Apartment Life (1997), but contained more "infectious melodies". In Ivy's extended biography on their official website, they called the single "one of [their] signature songs".
Composition and release
Musically, "Edge of the Ocean" is an indie pop and trip hop song. Tom Topkoff, writing for Hybrid, called it a "captivating and escapist tune". A reviewer from Crashdown described the single as "romantic". Chuck Campbell of The Daily News stated that "Durand's childlike vocals are as inviting as the waves of an incoming tide". "Edge of the Ocean" was released as Long Distance's third single on July 10, 2001, and was serviced to adult alternative radio on the same day; a CD sampler featuring the track and several other songs on Nettwerk was handed out during Coldplay's world concert series, Parachutes Tour (2000–01). The US release included two previously unissued tracks, "Hideaway" and "Only a Fool Would Say That". The single was not released elsewhere until 2002, when it was released as a CD single in the United Kingdom.
Critical reception
After its release, "Edge of the Ocean" received general acclaim from contemporary music critics. Jonathan Cohen from Billboard praised the track and commented that "Durand's sensual vocals are beguiling as ever". A reviewer from Resonance magazine also praised the track, calling the single "a cool summer song". Noel Dix of Exclaim! applauded it, thanking the band for "mak[ing] use of some exceptional loops that come across as genuine rather than a pop band trying to cross over to the electric scene". In another positive review, a critic from Star-News called the composition "haunting".
Music video and promotion
The official music video for "Edge of the Ocean" was filmed in 2001; however, the clip played during the video is considerably shorter than the album version. The video begins with Durand casually walking around near the ocean; several shots of nearby boats, cliffs and landscape are interwoven as Durand mouths the song's lyrics. Chase and Schlesinger also appear in the video.
The single was featured in several films and television series after its initial release. It was featured in the movies Angel Eyes, Music and Lyrics and Shallow Hal, as well as in the television series Grey's Anatomy and Veronica Mars. The track was also remixed for the soundtrack album of Roswell. In addition, the single was featured in a television commercial for Holland America. The track was later joked about, with a reviewer noting that "chances are you've heard it and didn't even know it".
Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from Long Distance liner notes and Andy Chase's discography.
Process
"Edge of the Ocean" was released on July 10, 2001 in the United States as a 10" single, an EP, and added to Adult alternative radio, while in the United Kingdom a 12" promo single was liberated. On May 27, 2002, a 12" single, 12" promo single with a mix made by Filterheadz Mix and a CD single were issued through Nettwerk Music Group.