Released June 4, 2001 Genre Post-grunge Label RCA | Recorded 2001 Length 3:29 Writer(s) Alex Band, Aaron Kamin | |
"Wherever You Will Go" is the debut single by American band The Calling. The song was released in June 2001 as the first single from their debut album Camino Palmero. It remains their most renowned and their most successful hit, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks, the second longest running number one in the chart's history. It was named the number 1 song of the decade of 2000's on the Adult Pop Charts by Billboard magazine.
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Background and writing
Songwriter Aaron Kamin told Launch about the background behind the song. "My cousin passed away, and he and his wife had been married for 50 some-odd years, and I was just putting myself in her shoes. Like, losing somebody after, like, 50 years," Kamin said. He went on to refer to the September 11 attacks that occurred only a few months after the song's release and said that the song has "become more relevant in our lives as the world has changed recently. It's been rekindled even more so for us, I think, right about now."
Music video
Two videos were shot for this song. The first was set in Mexico. The other version, which is more popular, was directed by Gregory Dark, and has the band performing in the concrete channel of the Los Angeles River, while a teenage soap opera plays in the foreground. A teenage girl gets her boyfriend's name tattooed on her shoulder, but when she finds him cheating with another girl, she flies into a rage, destroying most of his belongings. At the end of the video, she is seen with a new boyfriend (male model and then-fledgling actor Drew Fuller) with a flower tattoo covering the name, as her jealous ex watches her from his car. Alex Band can also be seen in some scenes singing in the foreground of some of the storyline, such as when the girl is seen destroying the belongings.
Charlene Soraia version
The song was covered by Charlene Soraia for use in a Twinings advert in the UK. It was released in the UK as a digital download on 30 September 2011. On 5 October 2011 the song was number 22 on The Official Chart Update, it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 20, and peaked at number 3 two weeks later. It is the lead single from her debut studio album Moonchild.
Music video
A music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on 3 October 2011 at a total length of three minutes and thirty-eight seconds. The video shows Soraia in the studio performing the song.
Daniel Evans version
Daniel Evans, a finalist on series 5 of The X Factor (UK) released a slightly more mellow version for his debut album, No Easy Way in 2010.