"Let Her Go" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Passenger | ||||
from the album All the Little Lights | ||||
Released | 24 July 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Studio | Linear Recording, Sydney | |||
Genre | Folk rock, soft rock | |||
Length |
| |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Michael Rosenberg | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Passenger singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Let Her Go" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
18-second sample from Passenger's "Let Her Go" |
"Let Her Go" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Passenger. It was recorded at Sydney's Linear Recording and co-produced by Passenger (as Mike Rosenberg) and Chris Vallejo. The recording features Australian musicians Stu Larsen, Georgia Mooney, Stu Hunter, Cameron Undy, and Glenn Wilson. "Let Her Go" was released on 24 July 2012 as the second single from Passenger's fourth album, All the Little Lights.
The song became a sleeper hit, achieving international success and topping the charts in many countries around the world. As of July 2014, it has sold over one million digital copies in the UK, and over four million in the US.[1][2] In 2014, the song was nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and won Passenger the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work.[3][4]
Background
[edit]The lyrics of the song are poetic and melancholic, describing the regrets associated with ending a relationship. The chorus describes situations in which one does not appreciate what he or she has until it is gone, and relates this to love. The verses give detailed scenes involving a heartbroken man dealing with his breakup.
Commercial performance
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Passenger.jpg/220px-Passenger.jpg)
"Let Her Go" was released in July 2012 as the second single from Passenger's third album All the Little Lights. The song became a hit first in the Netherlands after Dave, a Dutch fan, e-mailed Passenger expressing his wish to introduce the song to some Dutch radio stations, claiming it could be a hit there.[5] This resulted in the song trending on Dutch stations and finding enormous commercial success with the Dutch public. The song became a hit first in the Netherlands, reaching number two in the Dutch Top 40 in November 2012 and spending a total of four non-consecutive weeks at that position. The next month that year, it topped at number one.[6]
Since 2013, and after initial success in the Netherlands, "Let Her Go" has reached number one in Australia,[7] Austria,[8] Belgium,[9] Czech Republic,[10] Denmark,[11] Finland,[12] Germany,[13] Greece,[14] Ireland,[15] Israel,[16] Italy,[17] Luxembourg,[18] Mexico,[19] New Zealand,[20] Norway,[21] Slovakia,[22] Sweden[23] and Switzerland,[24] number two in the UK Singles Chart,[25] number five in the US on the Billboard Hot 100[26] and number one on Billboard Hot Rock Songs,[27] making it Passenger's first international success. The song has sold over 1 million digital copies in the UK,[1] and over 4 million in the US as of July 2014.[2] In October 2019, "Let Her Go" surpassed one billion streams on the music service Spotify, making it one of the most played songs on the service.[28]
Music video
[edit]The music video was uploaded on the day after the single, directed and produced by the Australian video artist Dave Jensen and Tavic.[29] It shows the stage being prepared for a Passenger concert, with footage of Passenger performance with his backing band and shots of the audience present reacting.
As of March 2024, the video has received over 3.6 billion views on the video-sharing website YouTube, making it the 27th most viewed video ever on the site.[30]
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Let Her Go" | 4:13 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Let Her Go" (Album Version) | 4:12 |
2. | "Let Her Go" (Acoustic) | 4:27 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Let Her Go" | 4:13 |
2. | "Let Her Go" (Acoustic) | 4:27 |
3. | "Let Her Go" (Live Version) | 4:05 |
Cover versions
[edit]British singer Birdy recorded a cover version called "Let Him Go" in 2013 on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[31]
An unreleased acoustic version of the song was donated to support college radio in the USA on the 2013 College Radio Day Vol. 2 album. The song was limited to being on only the CD version of the album (only 1,500 copies have been pressed).[32]
In August 2014, Glen Templeton made a country cover of the song.[33]
American trance singer JES released her cover version of the song titled "Let Him Go" in 2019.[34]
The song is sampled heavily in Central Cee's 2022 single "Let Go".[35]
In popular culture
[edit]"Let Her Go" was used in a Budweiser commercial shown during Super Bowl XLVIII entitled "Puppy Love", which showed the friendship between a Labrador Retriever puppy and one of the Budweiser Clydesdales.[36] It was used also in the season 7 finale of the Canadian television show Heartland as the send-off song and in "500 Years of Solitude", the 100th episode of The Vampire Diaries.[citation needed]
Bluegrass band the Travelin' McCourys recorded the song at a Nashville studio, the Butcher Shoppe releasing the version on 13 January 2017.[37]
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit] |
Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[109] | 7× Platinum | 490,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[110] | Platinum | 30,000* |
Belgium (BEA)[111] | 2× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[112] | Diamond | 800,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[113] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[114] | Gold | 5,057[114] |
France (SNEP)[115] | Gold | 75,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[116] | Diamond | 1,000,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[117] | 6× Platinum | 300,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[118] | Platinum | 20,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[119] | 2× Platinum | 30,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[120] | 2× Platinum | 20,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[121] | 4× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF)[122] | 5× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[123] | 3× Platinum | 90,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[124] | 6× Platinum | 3,600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[125] | 6× Platinum | 4,000,000[2] |
Streaming | ||
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[126] | 6× Platinum | 10,800,000† |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
See also
[edit]Release history
[edit]Country | Release date | Format |
---|---|---|
United States | 24 July 2012 | Digital download |
Europe | 5 November 2012 | |
United Kingdom | 25 February 2013 | CD |
United States | 24 September 2013 | Contemporary hit radio |
Canada | 13 May 2013 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kreisler, Lauren (5 December 2013). "Passenger's Let Her Go adds to the UK's biggest haul of million-selling singles in 15 years!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ a b c Grein, Paul (30 July 2014). "Chart Watch: Jason Aldean Is Back". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ Pakinkis, Mike (22 May 2014). "Ivor Novello Awards 2014: All the winners". Music Week. London: Intent Media. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
- ^ "Brits 2014: Nominations in full". BBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2014
- ^ Passenger live at Pinkpop 2013 - FULL SHOW - Passenger says during the Pinkpop concert in Holland after singing "Let Her Go": "You know, I wrote that song two-and-a-half years ago and put it on an album and we released the album, and for nine months, nothing happened. No one gave a shit. It's funny, we were kind of working on the next record, I'm thinking "okay cool, no problem". And this guy called Dave from Holland gave us an e-mail and he said: Look, I've heard this song "Let Her Go" and I want to take it to radio here because I think here in the Netherlands it could really work and could do something. So we're like "okay mate, cool, do your thing, knock yourself out". Within two weeks, I think it got to number one and that's kind of what started this whole crazy fucking thing. Firstly, I'd like to thank Dave because without Dave I don't think I'd be here at all. And secondly, I want to thank you guys just for supporting me and my music before anybody else did really. So a massive, massive thank you. "Let Her Go" is your song, thank you very very much". [from 27:50 to 28:50 on the tape]
- ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 50, 2012" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 25. týden 2013 in the date selector. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". Tracklisten. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger: Let Her Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Airplay Charts Deutschland – Woche 12/2013". German Charts. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Greece Digital Songs - April 27, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Chart Track: Week 09, 2013". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Media Forest Week 3, 2014". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". Top Digital Download.
- ^ a b "Luxembourg Digital Songs - April 27, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Mexico Ingles Airplay - November 30, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201327 into search. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Passenger – Let Her Go". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Passenger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Passenger Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ - The mournful ballad has become only the seventh song by a British artist to hit one billion Spotify streams. It's also now one of only 42 songs overall that have notched that many streams
- ^ "Online Creative Portfolios and Creative Jobs - The Loop".
- ^ "Top 1000 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time". YouTube. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Birdy - Let Her Go (Passenger) in the Live Lounge". BBC. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "Home - College Radio Day Records". Wearecollegeradio.com. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ "Country Version of Passenger 'Let Her Go' - Broadway's Electric Barnyard - Country 92-5".
- ^ SoundCloud (30 January 2019). "Stream Let Him Go by JES". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ Auralcrave (16 December 2022). "Central Cee, Let Go: the song lyrics & their meaning". Auralcrave. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ Nudd, Tim (29 January 2014). "Budweiser Set to Charm the World With Its 'Puppy Love' Super Bowl Ad". Adweek. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ Brittney McKenna. "Hear the Travelin' McCourys' Fiery Cover of Passenger's 'Let Her Go'." Rolling Stone. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 19. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "Billboard Global Excl. US Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ "Passenger – Let Her Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ "Portugal Digital Songs - June 1, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2018. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
- ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2018. Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201428 into search. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2013-06-04". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ "Passenger – Let Her Go" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Passenger Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Record Report - Pop Rock General". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. 30 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2012". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2012" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "2013 Year End Singles Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2013". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Best of 2013: Canadian Hot 100". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2013" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Jahrescharts 2013: Helene Fischer & Avicii vorn". musikmarkz.de. 3 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ^ "Week Chart : 35 28-08-16 03-09-16". Archived from the original on 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Single Top 20". italiancharts.com. 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2013". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2013" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles year end chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "Top 50 Canciones Anual 2013". Promuiscae.es. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2013 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ Lane, Daniel (1 January 2014). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Best of 2013 – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Canadian Hot 100 - Year End 2014". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2014" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "SloTop50 | Slovenian official year-end singles charts" (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Songs Annual 2014" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 - Year End 2014". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Pop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Classifiche "Top of the Music" 2015 FIMI-GfK: La musica italiana in vetta negli album e nei singoli digitali" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2016" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "2019 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart". ARIA. January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Platz 2️⃣6️⃣ der erfolgreichsten Singles und Alben des Jahrzehnts +++ "Let Her Go" sang Passenger im Jahr 2013 - und zwar nicht nur in den Charts, sondern auch im Film "Fack Ju Göhte" +++ Santianos Album "Von Liebe, Tod und Freiheit" war ingesamt starke 129 Mal platziert". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 12 December 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Greatest of All Time Adult Pop Songs : Page 1". US Adult Pop Songs. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "The UK's biggest selling singles of all time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Austrian single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2016". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Passenger" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ^ "French single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go" (PDF) (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Passenger; 'Let Her Go')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 30 July 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Let Her Go" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "Dutch single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 October 2021. Enter Let Her Go in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2013 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 50, 2013 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 August 2022. Scroll to position 40 to view certification.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Let Her Go')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ "British single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Passenger – Let Her Go (Streaming)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 December 2020.