Released May 3, 1999 Recorded 1997-98 Length 3:39 | Format CD Genre Soft Rock Label MCA | |
"Someday We'll Know" is a song by the New Radicals. It was released in May 1999 as the second single off their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too and the follow-up to the worldwide hit "You Get What You Give". The group dissolved before the single's release, and as a result the song failed to match the success of the preceding single.
Contents
Composition
The song a midtempo ballad in which Alexander reflects on a past relationship and wonders why his girlfriend left him, eventually concluding that someday he'll know the answer. Rolling Stone called the song "reflective," while Consequence of Sound commented that the song is "relatable to the ever-been-broken-hearted with lines like 'I’m speeding by the place that I met you for the 97th time tonight' and 'If I could ask God just one question: Why aren’t you here with me tonight?”
Chart performance
The single failed to match the success of the previous single, due to in part the announcement by lead group member Gregg Alexander that the New Radicals "[would] no longer be a recording, promoting, or performing entity" and that he would focus on producing and writing material for other artists, going on to state "the fatigue of traveling and getting three hours' sleep in a different hotel every night to do boring 'hanging and schmoozing' with radio and retail people is definitely not for me." As a result, the song received minimal promotion and was far less successful than its predecessor, "You Get What You Give." "Someday We'll Know" achieved its highest peak in New Zealand, where it reached number 45. The song debuted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated 25 September 1999, falling to number 76 the following week. The song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, though it managed to enter the American Adult Pop Songs chart, peaking at number 28 on the chart dated 7 August 1999.
Music video
Directed by David Barnblatt, the video features the whole band playing the song in a damp warehouse with Gregg Alexander on guitar. It features scenes of people in different places: a laundromat, a bus, a diner, and a pool. In one scene, a lonely woman sits alone stirring her coffee, and the end of the video shows an empty seat at the back of a bus. The group disbanded while the music video was still being produced.
Track listing
- "Someday We'll Know" (Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Debra Holland) - 3:39
- "The Decency League" (Alexander) - 3:30
- "Technicolor Lover" (Alexander) - 3:42
- "Someday We'll Know (Instrumental)" (Alexander, Brisebois, Holland) - 3:39
Cover versions
"Someday We'll Know" has been widely covered. The song was covered by Mandy Moore and Jon Foreman on the A Walk to Remember soundtrack, by Hall & Oates on their 2003 album Do It for Love and live by Ronan Keating during his 2002 tour, Destination Everywhere. The Hall & Oates version included a guest appearance by Todd Rundgren on guitar and vocals. An acoustic cover of the song was done by MYMP on their 2011 album The Unreleased Acoustic Collection A cover of the song was also done by English-American folk rock band America on their 2011 album Back Pages. Sitti covered the song in a bossa nova style on her 2014 album Bossa Love.