The band achieved its first commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned act. In late 2002, after OneRepublic played shows throughout the Los Angeles area, several record labels approached the band with interest, but the band signed with Velvet Hammer, an imprint of Columbia Records. They made their first album with producer Greg Wells during the summer and fall of 2005 at his studio, Rocket Carousel, in Culver City, California. The album was scheduled for release on June 6, 2006, but the group was dropped by Columbia two months before the album was released. The lead single of that album, "Apologize", was released on April 30, 2006, on Myspace, eventually reaching number one on the Myspace charts.
In 2007, OneRepublic released their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud. Their lead single, "Apologize", was remixed by Timbaland, becoming a huge international success, reaching number one in sixteen countries and subsequently earning them a Grammy Award nomination. The second single, "Stop and Stare", mirrored its predecessor's success. The album was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The band's second album, Waking Up (2009), produced the singles "All the Right Moves", "Secrets", "Marchin On", and "Good Life", with the last reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100.
OneRepublic's third album, Native (2013), became the band's first top ten album on the Billboard 200, and highest-charting album to date, charting at number four. The lead single, "If I Lose Myself", charted within the top ten in several countries, while the album's third single, "Counting Stars", became the band's most successful single in recent years, obtaining top-five placements in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. This marks their highest-charting single in the United Kingdom to date. It also peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, matching the group's highest peak of "Apologize" in 2007.
On October 7, 2016, OneRepublic released Oh My My, their fourth studio album, featuring several collaborators, including Cassius, Peter Gabriel, and Santigold. Preceded by the singles "Wherever I Go", released on May 13, 2016, and "Kids", released on August 12, 2016, it was recognized as a change in their sound from previous albums by critics and by the band. In 2017, the band released the singles "No Vacancy", "Truth to Power", "Stranger Things" with Kygo and "Rich Love" with Seeb. Their fifth studio album, Human, was released in 2021. The band has sold approximately over 16 million records worldwide.
On November 1, 2021, OneRepublic released the song "Sunshine". The song is used as the theme song to the 2021 film Clifford the Big Red Dog.
In February 2022, OneRepublic released the song "West Coast". The song is the lead single from OneRepublic’s upcoming sixth studio album. The song is an ode to the American state of California and evokes classic 1960s California sounds, stemming from groups such as The Beach Boys and The Mamas and the Papas, along with inspiration from Gorillaz. It has been both a band favorite and a fan favorite for a long time, and it ultimately became a tone-setter for their sixth studio effort. They first started working on “West Coast” during the production process of their 2016 album, Oh My My, but ended up shelving it for later. An earlier version of the song was used for U2’s 2017 hit, “Summer of Love,” which actually turned the original demo into an anti-war track.
After years of anticipation and re-tooling, the final version of “West Coast” was officially made public on February 25, 2022.
On April 1, 2022, OneRepublic released "You Were Loved" as a single with DJ and producer Gryffin. On May 13, 2022, the band released "I Ain't Worried", the second single from the soundtrack for the film Top Gun: Maverick. It will also be featured on their upcoming sixth studio album which is rumored to be released by the end of the summer. On January 31, 2023, Ryan Tedder confirmed in The Great Creators with Guy Raz that he will upload song teasers on social media, and let the public choose the next single.
OneRepublic's varied style of music has been described by Ryan Tedder: "We're no respecter of genre. If it's a good song or a good artist whether rock, pop, indie or hip hop, they've probably influenced us on some level... nothing's new under the sun, we're a sum of a bunch of parts." Specific artists whom OneRepublic has cited as influences include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Beatles, U2, M83, and Prince.
OneRepublic has won several music awards and landed many nominations, including for American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, World Music Awards, and Grammy Awards. Separately, lead singer Ryan Tedder has won three Grammy Awards due to his songwriting credits for Adele and Taylor Swift.
Sleep
OneRepublic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All alone on my own
Walk by the sale again
Just to see what people see
Count your stars, grow cold
And I'm so from home
So turn the lights on
Turn the lights on for me
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on for me, yeah
Don't go to sleep
Lost in your thoughts again
Consciously you think of me, yeah
Focus your perfect world
With a pen you write me in
I can't be reaching so far from here
I need you near
So turn the lights on
Turn the lights on
Turn the lights on for me
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on for me, yeah
Don't go to sleep
I'll wait for you
I'll stay for you
So turn the lights on
Turn the lights on
Turn the lights on for me
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on
Keep the lights on for me, yeah
Don't go to sleep
I'll wait for you
I'll stay for you
The lyrics of OneRepublic's song "Sleep" are expressive and emotional, describing the feelings of separation and longing between two lovers. The singer talks to himself, feeling alone and cold, probably in a strange and unfamiliar place. He walks by the "sale" to see what people see, indicating a sense of disconnection from the world around him. He counts his stars, grows cold, and yearns for home.
However, despite the distance, he knows that his lover is thinking of him, lost in thoughts of their perfect world. He wishes to be near her, but he cannot reach her from where he is. The chorus then implores her to keep the lights on, to wait for him and not go to sleep until he is with her.
The song is a lament to the loneliness and deep longing that comes with separation from loved ones. It portrays the pain of physical distance and the comforting power of love. The lyrics also talk of hope and the promise of being reunited with the one you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk to myself again
I am having a conversation with myself, without any external input.
All alone on my own
I am by myself and nobody else is around me.
Walk by the sale again
I am walking by a place of business or commerce repeatedly.
Just to see what people see
I want to observe what others observe in this location.
Count your stars, grow cold
As I contemplate my situation and future, I feel increasingly anxious and uncertain.
And I'm so from home
I feel really distant and disconnected from my true self and my familiar surroundings.
So turn the lights on
I am requesting illumination to brighten up my surroundings.
Keep the lights on
I am asking for the lights to continue shining.
Don't go to sleep
I don't want anything to fall into darkness, both literally and metaphorically.
Lost in your thoughts again
I am getting lost in my own thoughts and daydreaming.
Consciously you think of me, yeah
You are actively and intentionally thinking about me.
Focus your perfect world
You are visualizing your ideal world and lifestyle with clarity and precision.
With a pen you write me in
You are including me in your envisioned perfect universe, symbolically through writing.
I can't be reaching so far from here
I feel like I am unable to achieve the things that I aspire towards, given my current circumstances and limitations.
I need you near
I need you to be close to me, whether in a physical or emotional sense.
I'll wait for you
I am willing to wait until you arrive or become available for me.
I'll stay for you
I am willing to remain in this uncomfortable situation or location because you are important to me.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JERROD BETTIS, ANDREW JOHN BROWN, ZACHARY FILKINS, TIMOTHY JOHN MYERS, RYAN TEDDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Justin Delisle
This is my favorite OneRepublic song. I love songs that start off soft and then change to hard through the song, they're SO awesome :D
David Humphrey
Same
Seph X
songs with slow build ups or tension are honestly really great
Mia Wernette
why isn’t this actually in the album 😭 it’s their best freaking song
Manuel Kazan
Their best song in my opinion...so Empowering and soothing
Hannah Edwards
You know they should just make an album with all their demos on it. Their demos are amazing and I wish they were on an album!
Ingrid C. B.
I love how we're in a world of crappy chords and terrible music, yet OneRepublic will always be here, making great music.
chockyfancy
i love this song! it's so...enchanting and the lyrics are sooo beautiful and...wonderful.
VRCkid11
Amazing song More people need to know what this band has in their talent
Ari Lennox
my healing song in summer school