When Can I See You Again?

"When Can I See You Again?" is a song by American electronica project Owl City from the 2012 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Wreck-It Ralph. It was written and produced by Adam Young, with additional writing from Matt Thiessen and Brian Lee. The song was made available for streaming on October 6, 2012 via AOL Music.[2]

"When Can I See You Again?"
Song by Owl City
from the album Wreck-It Ralph: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
ReleasedOctober 6, 2012 (2012-10-06)
Genre
Length3:40
LabelWalt Disney/Universal Republic Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Adam Young
Music video
"When Can I See You Again? (From Wreck it Ralph)" on YouTube

Background

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Following the success of his 2012 hit, "Good Time", with Carly Rae Jepsen, Disney reached out to Adam Young to contribute a song to Wreck-It Ralph. Tom MacDougall stated that he chose Owl City because his music, "felt very much in sync with videogames."[3]

Composition and lyrics

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"When Can I See You Again?" is an uptempo dance-pop and synth-pop single.[4][5] It features Young's "light vocals over a bed of pounding drums and twinkly synths".[4] Young told AOL Music, "As a huge fan of Disney animation films growing up, it was a real honor to write 'When Can I See You Again' for Wreck-It Ralph. I felt like it was really challenging to try to live up to the Disney legacy. I had a blast."[6] Since October 1, 2014, a Cantonese-language arrangement has been used as one of the two theme songs for Hong Kong Disneyland's Paint the Night Parade, alongside "Baroque Hoedown".[7] An expanded version of the parade premiered at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on May 22, 2015, and features new lyrics and vocals recorded by Young.[7][8]

Music video

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The music video for the song includes Young singing in front of an arcade game.

The music video for "When Can I See You Again?" was released on October 26, 2012, and directed by Matt Stawski.[9] It features "fun video game themes" and clips from Wreck-It Ralph.[10] Young told AOL Music, "The funniest thing has been actually standing in front of the arcade game with controls, putting the quarter in. It's great to be back and feel like I'm 12 years old again in the arcade."[11]

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for "When Can I See You Again?"
Year Organization Award Result Ref(s)
2012 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Original Song Nominated [12]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Phares, Heather (October 30, 2012). "Wreck-It Ralph [Original Score] - Henry Jackman : Singles, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Listen to Owl City's "When Can I See You Again"". Alternative Press. October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Marshall Heyman (March 21, 2013). "Making the Cartoons Sing". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Sam Lansky (October 12, 2012). "Owl City's "When Can I See You Again": Hear The Dance-Pop Track | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  5. ^ Brian Mansfield (November 14, 2012). "Playlist: Big Boi, Kelly Clarkson and more". USA Today. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  6. ^ Maggie Malach (October 5, 2012). "Owl City, 'When Can I See You Again' Audio Premiere: Adam Young Pens Song for Disney Soundtrack - AOL Music Blog". AOL Music. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Slater, Shawn (April 13, 2015). "Behind the Scenes of 'Paint the Night' Parade, Coming for the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration". Disney Parks Blog. Disney.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Young, Adam (March 25, 2015). "Disney hired me to work on their new Electrical Parade. Stoked". Instagram. @owlcityofficial. Archived from the original (Video) on December 25, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  9. ^ Doug Stern (November 2, 2012). "Music Video News: Director Matt Stawski on Owl City "When Can I See You Again"". Video Static. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  10. ^ "Watch It Now: Owl City – 'When Can I See You Again?' from 'Wreck-It Ralph' - Disney Music Blog". Blogs.disney.com. October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Maggie Malach (October 25, 2012). "Owl City: 'When Can I See You Again' Singer Gives Sneak Peek at 'Wreck-It Ralph'-Inspired Video - AOL Music Blog". AOL Music. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Peter Knegt (December 12, 2012). "Les Miserables Leads Phoenix Film Critics Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "Owl City – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  14. ^ "Owl City – Chart History: Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 – Issue Date: 2012-11-24". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  16. ^ "Owl City - Chart history". Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  17. ^ "Owl City Chart History (Kid Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Kid Digital Songs – 2013". Billboard. 2013. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014.
  19. ^ "Kid Digital Songs – 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "Kid Digital Songs – 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  21. ^ "American single certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 18, 2020.