Someday We'll Know
Encyclopedia
"Someday We'll Know" is a song by the New Radicals
. It was released in May 1999 as the second single off their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
and the follow-up to the smash "You Get What You Give
". The single did not fare as well as the previous single, "You Get What You Give
", in part due to the startling announcement of lead member of the band Gregg Alexander
while the song was in rotation. Alexander stated that the New Radicals "will no longer be a recording, promoting, or performing entity" and that he would focus on producing and writing material for other artists. This announcement came just as the music video was being produced for this song and the statement that "the fatigue of traveling and getting three hours' sleep in a different hotel every night to do boring 'hanging and schmoozing' with radio and retail people is definitely not for me" effectively stopped all promotion of the song.
about lost love and regret, in which the singer asks a series of rhetorical question
s and compares them to the end of his relationship, suggesting that issues of love
and breaking up pose questions that will never be answered. For the line, "I'm speeding by the place that I met you for the 97th time tonight," which has led some to erroneously interpret the song as the account of an obsessive stalker
, Alexander used the number 97 because of the year the band formed.
The B-side was "The Decency League", a cynical and bitter song about suppression and censorship of sex
by Christian
"decency leagues". Alexander
sings, "The decency league, Dedicated to stopping all sexual behaviour/I'm merely trying to deprive all those of the reasonable use of their sexual organs". The track acts as a stark contrast to the A-side.
on guitar. It features scenes of people in different places: a laundromat, a bus, a diner, and a pool. In one scene, a lonely woman sits alone stirring her coffee, and the end of the video shows an empty seat at the back of a bus.
and Jon Foreman
on the A Walk to Remember
soundtrack
, by Hall & Oates
on their 2003 album Do It for Love
and live by Ronan Keating
during his 2002 tour, Destination Everywhere. The Hall & Oates version included a guest appearance by Todd Rundgren
on guitar and vocals.
An acoustic cover of the song was done by MYMP
on their 2011 album The Unreleased Acoustic Collection
A cover of the song was also done by English-American folk rock band America
on their 2011 album Back Pages.
New Radicals
New Radicals were an American pop rock band active in the late 1990s, centered on frontman Gregg Alexander, who wrote and produced all of their songs and was the sole constant member...
. It was released in May 1999 as the second single off their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is the only album by the New Radicals, released in late 1998 by MCA Records. Two singles were released off it in 1998 and 1999, "You Get What You Give" and "Someday We'll Know"....
and the follow-up to the smash "You Get What You Give
You Get What You Give
"You Get What You Give" is a song by the New Radicals. It was an international hit, the first and most successful single from their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. It reached No. 30 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay in January 1999, No. 36 on the overall Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard...
". The single did not fare as well as the previous single, "You Get What You Give
You Get What You Give
"You Get What You Give" is a song by the New Radicals. It was an international hit, the first and most successful single from their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. It reached No. 30 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay in January 1999, No. 36 on the overall Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard...
", in part due to the startling announcement of lead member of the band Gregg Alexander
Gregg Alexander
Gregg Alexander is an American singer/songwriter and producer, best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who scored the international hit "You Get What You Give" in late 1998. Earlier in life he recorded two solo albums, Michigan Rain and Intoxifornication...
while the song was in rotation. Alexander stated that the New Radicals "will no longer be a recording, promoting, or performing entity" and that he would focus on producing and writing material for other artists. This announcement came just as the music video was being produced for this song and the statement that "the fatigue of traveling and getting three hours' sleep in a different hotel every night to do boring 'hanging and schmoozing' with radio and retail people is definitely not for me" effectively stopped all promotion of the song.
Content
It is a midtempo balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
about lost love and regret, in which the singer asks a series of rhetorical question
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the answer to the question must be. When a speaker states, "How much longer must our people...
s and compares them to the end of his relationship, suggesting that issues of love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
and breaking up pose questions that will never be answered. For the line, "I'm speeding by the place that I met you for the 97th time tonight," which has led some to erroneously interpret the song as the account of an obsessive stalker
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
, Alexander used the number 97 because of the year the band formed.
The B-side was "The Decency League", a cynical and bitter song about suppression and censorship of sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
by Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
"decency leagues". Alexander
Gregg Alexander
Gregg Alexander is an American singer/songwriter and producer, best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who scored the international hit "You Get What You Give" in late 1998. Earlier in life he recorded two solo albums, Michigan Rain and Intoxifornication...
sings, "The decency league, Dedicated to stopping all sexual behaviour/I'm merely trying to deprive all those of the reasonable use of their sexual organs". The track acts as a stark contrast to the A-side.
Track listing
- "Someday We'll Know" (Gregg AlexanderGregg AlexanderGregg Alexander is an American singer/songwriter and producer, best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who scored the international hit "You Get What You Give" in late 1998. Earlier in life he recorded two solo albums, Michigan Rain and Intoxifornication...
, Danielle BriseboisDanielle BriseboisDanielle Anne Brisebois is an American actress, producer, songwriter and singer. In the 1990s she recorded two solo albums, Arrive All Over You and Portable Life, and was a member of the New Radicals...
, Debra Holland) - 3:39 - "The Decency League" (Alexander) - 3:30
- "Technicolor Lover" (Alexander) - 3:42
- "Someday We'll Know (Instrumental)" (Alexander, Brisebois, Holland) - 3:39
Music video
Directed by David Barnblatt, the video features the whole band playing the song in a damp warehouse with Gregg AlexanderGregg Alexander
Gregg Alexander is an American singer/songwriter and producer, best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who scored the international hit "You Get What You Give" in late 1998. Earlier in life he recorded two solo albums, Michigan Rain and Intoxifornication...
on guitar. It features scenes of people in different places: a laundromat, a bus, a diner, and a pool. In one scene, a lonely woman sits alone stirring her coffee, and the end of the video shows an empty seat at the back of a bus.
Chart performance
| Chart (1999-2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 75 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 45 |
| UK Singles Chart | 48 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Pop Songs | 28 |
Cover versions
The song was also covered by Mandy MooreMandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
and Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
on the A Walk to Remember
A Walk to Remember (film)
A Walk To Remember is a 2002 American romance film based on the 1999 romance novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Shane West and Mandy Moore, was directed by Adam Shankman, and produced by Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, by Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
on their 2003 album Do It for Love
Do It For Love
Do It for Love is the sixteenth studio album by pop duo Hall & Oates, released in 2003. The title track peaked at #1 on Adult Contemporary charts making it the 8th #1 hit of their career, and "Forever For You", "Man on a Mission", and "Getaway Car" all charted as well."Getaway Car" was also...
and live by Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
during his 2002 tour, Destination Everywhere. The Hall & Oates version included a guest appearance by Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
on guitar and vocals.
An acoustic cover of the song was done by MYMP
MYMP
M.Y.M.P. is an acoustic band act from the Philippines, which consists of five members. Their career started when Raymond Ryan, a station manager of iFm watched one of their gigs, and met up with a producer to produce their 2003 debut album, Soulful Acoustic, which has since been certified...
on their 2011 album The Unreleased Acoustic Collection
A cover of the song was also done by English-American folk rock band America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
on their 2011 album Back Pages.
External links
- New Radicals lyrics.
- "Someday We'll Know" chords
- NewRadicals.Us. Unofficial forum covering New Radicals, Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois.
- "The Decency League" chords