"Vanilla Twilight" is a song by American electronica act Owl City. The song was released on January 26, 2010 as the second single from his second studio album Ocean Eyes.[1] "Vanilla Twilight" attained chart placement prior to the release date, following the success of Owl City's previous single "Fireflies".

"Vanilla Twilight"
Single by Owl City
from the album Ocean Eyes
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2010
RecordedAugust 2009
GenreSynth-pop[citation needed]
Length
  • 3:51 (album version)
  • 4:04 (top 40 edit)
LabelUniversal Republic
Songwriter(s)Adam Young
Producer(s)Adam Young
Owl City singles chronology
"Fireflies"
(2009)
"Vanilla Twilight"
(2010)
"Umbrella Beach"
(2010)
Audio sample
Music video
"Vanilla Twilight" on YouTube

Composition edit

Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 166 BPM and is in the key of B major.[2] Young's range in the song spans from the notes F#4 to Gb5.[3] According to Young via Twitter, he stated, "'Vanilla Twilight' is about telling the person you love the most, 'I wish you were here with me.'"[4]

Music video edit

The music video for "Vanilla Twilight" premiered on March 22, 2010. The video uses the album version of the song and features a cameo appearance by Shaquille O'Neal.[5] The video was directed by Steve Hoover and was filmed on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and at the Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio.[6]

The video shows various people and a dog witness in awe, staring at a swirling mammatus cloud formation associated with a squall line.[7] It has a well-defined vortex which is lit by a veiled sun on an overcast day after a snowfall has blanketed the area, displaying a vanilla twilight. Midway through the video the storm and a lighthouse glimmer with aurora colors.[7] Towards the end of the video O'Neal lifts his arms towards the cloud and mouths "Take me with you."[8]

Chart performance edit

On the chart of November 7, 2009, the same week "Fireflies" hit No. 1, "Vanilla Twilight" debuted on No. 95 in the Billboard Hot 100.[9] It has since re-entered and peaked on the Hot 100 at No. 72.[10]

"Vanilla Twilight" first entered the Australian Singles Chart at No. 50 on the week ending January 11, 2010, which happened to coincide with "Fireflies" holding its reign as the No. 1 hit single.[11] The song later peaked at No. 44.[12]

Following the release of Ocean Eyes, "Vanilla Twilight" entered the UK Singles Chart at a current peak of No. 94, making it Owl City's second consecutive single to enter the UK Top 100.[13]

Track listing edit

European CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Vanilla Twilight" (radio version)4:04
2."Vanilla Twilight" (extended radio version)4:17
Digital download[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Vanilla Twilight" (radio edit)4:04
7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Fireflies" (UK radio edit)3:14
2."Vanilla Twilight" (US extended radio edit)4:20

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Release dates for "Vanilla Twilight"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States January 26, 2010 Contemporary hit radio Universal Republic [1]
Various Digital download [30]
Australia February 15, 2010 CD single [12]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Key and BPM of Vanilla Twilight by Owl City". Musicstax.com. January 1, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Owl City "Vanilla Twilight" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. December 7, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. ^ @owlcity (May 11, 2017). "Vanilla Twilight is about telling the person you love the most, 'I wish you were here with me.'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Chris Ryan (March 25, 2010). "WTF: Shaquille O'Neal's Cameo In Owl City's 'Vanilla Twilight' Video". MTV. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Becky Bain (March 24, 2010). "Owl City Wants You To Look Up At The Vanilla Twilight And Do Little Else". Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Becky Bain (March 24, 2010). "Owl City Wants You To Look Up At The Vanilla Twilight And Do Little Else". Idolator. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Trey Kerby (March 25, 2010). "Why is Shaquille O'Neal in the new Owl City video?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of November 7, 2009". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Owl City Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Australian Single Top 50: 17/01/2010". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "Owl City – Vanilla Twilight". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  14. ^ "Vanilla Twilight (Radio Edit) - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "Owl City – Vanilla Twilight" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  16. ^ "Owl City – Vanilla Twilight" (in French). Ultratip.
  17. ^ "Owl City Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201041 into search.
  19. ^ "Owl City – Vanilla Twilight". Tracklisten.
  20. ^ "EHR Top 40". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  22. ^ "Owl City – Vanilla Twilight". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Owl City Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  25. ^ "Owl City Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Owl City Chart History (Rock Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  27. ^ "Jaarlijsten 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  28. ^ "Rock Digital Songs Sales – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  29. ^ "American single certifications – Owl City – Vanilla Twilight". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  30. ^ "Vanilla Twilight (Radio Edit) - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved March 2, 2024.

External links edit