Something I Need

OneRepublic’s song Something I Need takes an unexpected turn in its video: a man tries to declare his love, but a dog keeps interrupting him in slow motion, as if fate were mocking him. That absurd and funny image, which contrasts with the catchy pop melody, ended up becoming the song’s visual signature. The track wasn’t just about the sound: its clip became a phenomenon thanks to that mix of humor and tenderness that, against all odds, reinforced the message of the lyrics about what we need to be happy.

Recorded in 2012 at Black Rock studio in Santorini, Greece, the song was released on August 25, 2013, as the third single from Native. Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco, the producers behind it, gave it a folk-pop vibe with acoustic touches that had already become a trademark of the album. In Australia, it reached number six and earned five platinum certifications, while in New Zealand it climbed to number four and achieved double platinum. But its most striking moment came a year later, when The X Factor UK winner Ben Haenow chose it as his coronation song in December 2014. With that cover, which replaced words like “die” with others more suitable for TV, the track soared to become the UK’s number one Christmas hit, selling over 214,000 copies in its first week. It was the last winner’s single from The X Factor to reach that position, closing an era in which those annual versions defined the holiday season.