Anything (Hedley song)

"Anything"
A rainbow-filtered image of naked Barbie dolls being cooked on a grill.
Canadian single cover
Single by Hedley
from the album Wild Life
ReleasedAugust 19, 2013 (2013-08-19)
Recorded2013
GenrePop
Length3:11
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Brian Howes
  • Jacob Hoggard
Hedley singles chronology
"Kiss You Inside Out"
(2012) 		"Anything"
(2013) 		"Crazy for You"
(2014)
Alternative cover
US EP and international single cover

"Anything" is a song recorded by Canadian pop rock band Hedley for their fifth studio album, Wild Life (2013). The song was written and produced by Jacob Hoggard and Brian Howes, with additional writing by Jason Van Poederooyen. It was released to Canadian radio on August 19, 2013, through Universal Music Canada as the album's lead single.[1] "Anything" was serviced to alternative radio in the US through Capitol Records in November 2013 as the band's fifth American single.[2][3]

Upon release, "Anything" was met with mixed reviews from music critics, but performed well commercially. The song peaked at number 5 on the Canadian Hot 100 and reached the top 10 on three national airplay charts. It also charted at 18 in New Zealand. In September 2016, "Anything" was certified 4× Platinum by Music Canada, making it the band's fastest and best-selling single to date.[4] The group performed the song at the 2013 Grey Cup half-time show.[5]

Composition

It's about no limitations. I think a lot of people, in their lives, face a lot of different objects and I think the song speaks to our own individual ability to be able to overcome adversity in our lives.

Jacob Hoggard, on the message of "Anything"

"Anything" is an upbeat pop song with a duration of three minutes and eleven seconds. It is composed in the key of G and set to a BPM of 76.[6] Its lyrics convey a message of defiance and believing that one can do anything they set their mind to, regardless what people may tell them or expect of them. With its anthemic nature, "Anything" expands upon themes found in previous Hedley singles including "Invincible" and "One Life".[7] Lead singer and co-writer Jacob Hoggard explained that the song is, to him, about finding the strength to rise above life's hardships.[8]

Critical reception

Emma Garland at Alter The Press! gave the song a mixed review, feeling that although "Anything" is "insanely catchy", the "uh-uh, fuck that" hook is "awkward" and "quickly gets irritating".[9] Philip Lickley at UK music blog All-Noise described the song as "a stadium-friendly chanting song... with a strong message" that "screams out for radio play", and rated it a 7 out of 10.[10] The single was nominated for two awards at the 2014 Juno Awards: Video of the Year and Producer of the Year.[11]

Music video

The music video for "Anything" was directed by JP Poliquin and was shot at The Great Hall in Toronto, Ontario.[8] It premiered on the band's VEVO channel on September 10, 2013.[12] Speaking about the video, Hoggard stated, "In the spirt of the concept of the song, we were like, 'Hang on, f--k, this, let's just do whatever the f--k we want. I think that would almost be the truest form of expressing the sentimentality of that song in video form.'"[13]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for "Anything"
Year Organization Award Result Ref(s)
2014 MuchMusic Video Awards Video of the Year Won [14]
Director of the Year Nominated [15]
Pop Video of the Year Won [14]
Your Fave Video of the Year Won
2014 Juno Awards Video of the Year Nominated [16]
Producer of the Year Nominated [17]

Track listings

Digital download – single[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Anything"
3:10
US Digital EP[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Anything"
  • Hoggard
  • Howes
  • Van Poederooyen
3:10
2."Headphones"
3:33
3."I'll Be with You"
  • Lucas Banker
  • Hoggard
  • Patrick Nissley
  • Matt Squire
3:10
4."Mexico"
3:46
5."Heaven in Our Headlights"
  • Hoggard
  • Howes
  • Sipe
3:09
Total length:16:50

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] 4× Platinum 320,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] Gold 7,500*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Anything"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada August 19, 2013 Radio airplay Universal Music Canada [1]
September 17, 2013 Digital download [18]
Worldwide November 12, 2013 Capitol Records [30]
United States November 18, 2013 Alternative radio [3]
December 3, 2013 Digital extended play [19]
United Kingdom June 2, 2014 CD single Universal Music Canada [31]

References

  1. ^ a b "New Album 'Wild Life' Available November 11". Hedley. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  2. ^ ""Anything" Can Happen: Hedley Goes Stateside Once More". POP! Goes the Charts. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Future Release on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  4. ^ "Coast to Coast Tour Stops in Abbotsford". Issuu. Black Press Media Group. March 21, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Karen Bliss (December 2, 2013). "Hedley:They Can Do Anything". The Music Express. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "Anything - ERG Music Canada". ERG Music Canada. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. ^ Opoku, Amandah. "UM Review: Hedley -"Wild Life" - UMusicians". UMusicians. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. ^ a b Melody. "Go behind the scenes on Hedley's Anything music video". MuchMusic. Bell Media. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ Garland, Emma. "ATP! Album Review: Hedley - Wild Life". Alter the Press!. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  10. ^ Lickley, Philip. "Hedley - Anything | All-Noise". All-Noise. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Arcade Fire, Serena Ryder nab Juno nominations". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 4, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Nikita Oliver. "Music Video: Hedley – 'Anything'". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Jane Stevenson (February 21, 2014). "Hedley's Jacob Hoggard enjoying the 'Wild Life'". Toronto Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "MMVA 2014: The full list of winners". CP24. June 15, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  15. ^ "MuchMusic Video Awards 2014 nods led by Drake, Hedley: See the full list of nominees here". National Post. May 21, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "Past Nominees and Winners - The Juno Awards". Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Past Nominees and Winners - The Juno Awards". Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Anything - Hedley | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network. September 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Anything - Hedley | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network. December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  20. ^ "Hedley Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  21. ^ "Hedley History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "Hedley History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  23. ^ "Hedley Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  24. ^ "Hedley – Anything". Top 40 Singles.
  25. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: 2013 Year-End Charts (page 6)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  26. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 - Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  27. ^ "Billboard Top 40 AC Airplay Tunes in Canada, 2014". Music Canada via Nielsen N.V. December 23, 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  28. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Hedley – Anything". Music Canada.
  29. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Hedley – Anything". Radioscope. Retrieved December 22, 2024. Type Anything in the "Search:" field.
  30. ^ "Anything - Hedley | Release Info" (Album Version). AllMusic. All Media Network. November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  31. ^ Daniel Falconer (May 14, 2014). "One to Watch - Hedley". Female First. Retrieved November 11, 2024.