So I read this post about Maroon 5 couple days ago and I couldn’t get it out of my head. (I recommend actually reading it because I don’t think I could actually explain it). It made me think about OneRepublic.
By rights OneRepublic is one of my favorite bands. I’ve loved them since I head the cello line in “Secrets” in that Nic Cage adaptation of Sorcerers Apprentice. BUT they have never been my favorite band. I pre ordered every one of their albums, and my “Top 25 Most Played” Playlist on iTunes has 3 OneRepublic songs on it (There is only one song by my favorite band on there). I’ve loved OneRepublic for 10 years, and never in that time would they be my answer to the question “What is your favorite band”.
And I’m willing to bet a LOT of people my age are in the same boat. They are constantly on pop radio. I bet any of you could name 5 OR songs you like (If you can’t here is a refresher: “Secrets”, “Something I Need”, “Counting Stars”, “All The Right Moves”, “I Lived”, “Good Life”). They constantly have songs on the radio. They have had 19 songs on the billboard hot 100. That is 2 full albums worth of songs on the pop charts. And 2 songs featured in Disney movies. They don’t have a single grammy though (Lead singer Ryan Tedder has 6 for production/writing on other artists albums). In fact they only have 1 nomination (Barak Obama has 2 grammys).
Clearly a lot of people must like this band. Yet when I say that I really like their music the most common response I get is “Oh yeah me too, I haven’t really thought about them in a while”. I have never met anybody who dislikes OneRepublic, but I have never met somebody who calls them their favorite band either.
When I love a band, I become obsessed (I can name every member current and former of the emo trinity, and the plain white ts, hell I can name every member of Rush [a band that I do not like]). Yet I can’t name anybody in OneRepublic beyond Ryan Tedder. I can’t even tell you how many people are in the band. And I bet a lot of you are realizing that you also don’t know either of those things.
How could a band be so popular, so intwined with American or Millennial/Gen Z culture yet be so unknown. They sell out concert venues yet nobody can tell me how many members they have. They have 5 Fewer hits than Taylor Swift and 31 fewer grammy nominations. Ryan Tedder is the writer behind like half of the pop charts, yet his own band is one that people need to be reminded of from time to time.
HOW? I genuinely don’t understand. What did OneRepublic do to get the rewards of being loved without going through the mortifying ordeal of being known?
SERIOUSLY, even google doesn’t know how many people are in OneRepublic!
