Dare You to Move

"Dare You to Move" is a single by the alternative rock band Switchfoot from the band's fourth studio album, The Beautiful Letdown. The song was originally called "I Dare You to Move", and was on the album Learning to Breathe, but the band decided to remix it and put it on The Beautiful Letdown. The song received considerable radio airplay, and its accompanying music videos saw play on MTV, VH1, FUSE TV, and other mainstream channels. "Dare You to Move" was released to radio on March 2, 2004.[1] It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Switchfoot's second top 20 single, surpassing the success of their breakthrough single, "Meant to Live", although the latter was more successful internationally.

"Dare You to Move"
Single by Switchfoot
from the album Learning to Breathe, A Walk to Remember soundtrack and The Beautiful Letdown
ReleasedMarch 2, 2004
Recorded
  • 2000 (original)
  • 2002 (single version)
Genre
Length
  • 4:07 (2000 album version)
  • 4:09 (2003 album version)
  • 4:05 (alternative rock radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Jon Foreman
Producer(s)
Switchfoot singles chronology
"Ammunition"
(2003)		 "Dare You to Move"
(2004)		 "This Is Your Life"
(2004)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

The song, which appears as the first track on Learning to Breathe and the fifth track on The Beautiful Letdown, was a long-lasting hit and was eventually certified gold in April 2005.[2] The song received positive reviews from critics, and was ranked number 73 on Rhapsody's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.[3] "Dare You to Move" was co-produced by Charlie Peacock—who discovered Switchfoot and signed the band to its first record deal—and John Fields.[4]

Song history

This song, written by Switchfoot singer and songwriter Jon Foreman, was originally produced solely by Charlie Peacock and recorded as the opening track for Switchfoot's 2000 album Learning to Breathe, and also appeared on the A Walk to Remember soundtrack, which featured several other Switchfoot songs. The song can be heard in season one, episode eight and in season two, episode five of One Tree Hill as well as the documentary Warren Miller's Higher Ground.

Bassist Tim Foreman remarked that upon finishing the song, all the band members knew that they had really created something powerful. Jon Foreman (primary songwriter) said that "sometimes it still can move him to tears, and that he's glad it got a second chance, (on The Beautiful Letdown)."[5] The reason the band gave the song a rewrite was "that song hadn't lived its shelf life yet".[6] In addition, "after having played it a couple years live, I feel like we've got a better grip of how we want it to be on a record," he said.[6]

Foreman has called it "a defining song"[6] for the band: "It's me talking to myself and I think a lot of times I feel stagnant and stuck in the same place, and 'Dare You to Move' is kind of a song for myself to get me up and get me moving and tackling a new part of life."[7]

Musical structure

The song is played in the key of E major, beginning with a jangling strummed guitar riff and a driving rocky chorus. The song has a basic structure consisting of an intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Multiple versions of the song were released, varying slightly in dynamics and instrumental structure.

Music videos

There are two official music videos for this song. One depicts a man running against a large crowd of people. The other features a surfer who is being resuscitated on the beach while different parts of his life are shown. The second version of the video peaked at No. 2 on VH1's Top 20 Countdown.

Track listings
UK CD single[8]
  1. "Dare You to Move"
  2. "Monday Comes Around"
  3. "Meant to Live" (live)
UK two-CD single[9]
  • CD 1
    1. "Dare You to Move"
    2. "The Beautiful Letdown" (live)
  • CD 2
    1. "Dare You to Move" (album version)
    2. "On Fire" (live)
    3. "Gone" (live)
    4. "Dare You to Move" — CD-ROM video

Chart positions
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[10] 35
US Billboard Hot 100 17
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 9
US Billboard Adult Top 40 6
US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 6
US Billboard Pop 100 6

Awards

In 2005, the song won two Dove Awards: Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year and Short Form Music Video of the Year, at the 36th GMA Dove Awards. It was also nominated for Song of the Year.[11]

Song versions

The song has five recorded versions that have appeared on soundtracks, CDs, and singles:

  • The Learning to Breathe version, which was released in 2000. It is characterized by quieter, less driven instrumentation.[12] It also appears on the A Walk to Remember soundtrack single.
  • The Beautiful Letdown album version, which was released in 2003. It featured a brand new mix of the song (heavier electric guitars) and stronger vocals from Jon Foreman, ultimately resulting in a more complete and emphatic ending. Also, the title was changed to "Dare You to Move", dropping the "I" from the original title.[13]
  • A finalized radio-edit remix done in 2004, which slightly tweaked the Beautiful Letdown album version to allow for heavier drum and electric guitar accompaniment throughout the entire song. This is the version which has been featured on most alternative rock music stations while the original The Beautiful Letdown album version was featured on top 40 and Hot AC music stations. It is also the same version that is heard in the first version music video for this song. In 2007, it was made available for purchase on the iTunes-exclusive deluxe edition of The Beautiful Letdown.
  • There is also a live version of the song on the exclusive iTunes EP – Live EP, which was recorded in San Diego.
  • The Japanese version of the album Nothing Is Sound has an alternate version, which is longer than the original, and features different instrumentation and arrangements from the previous versions.

References
  1. "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  2. "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Switchfoot singles". Riaa.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  3. Editorial, Rhapsody (2009-12-09). "Top 100 Tracks of the Decade - Rhapsody: The Mix". Blog.rhapsody.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  4. The Beautiful Letdown credits. AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-02-13, from Allmusic.com
  5. "Summer Festivals = Pictures + Interviews". Switchfeed.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  6. Interview: Switchfoot - Published March 2, 2003 (retrieved January 20, 2009)
  7. "Warning: Switchfoot's Daring Single May Cause Job Loss". MTV News.
  8. "amazon.com". Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  9. "eil.com". eil.com. 2005-06-15. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  10. Steffen Hung. "Switchfoot - Dare You To Move". swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  11. 2005 Dove Awards - 36th Annual Dove Awards on About.com; Jones, Kim
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhjM8dcQsnc
  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Gvdgs_R1c
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