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Verge (song)

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"Verge"
Single by Owl City featuring Aloe Blacc
from the album Mobile Orchestra
ReleasedMay 14, 2015
Recorded2014–2015
Genre
Length3:33
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Adam Young
Owl City singles chronology
"Tokyo"
(2014) 		"Verge"
(2015) 		"My Everything"
(2015)
Aloe Blacc singles chronology
"Something to Believe In"
(2015) 		"Verge"
(2015) 		"Candyman"
(2016)

"Verge" is a song by American electronica project Owl City from his fifth studio album Mobile Orchestra. It features guest vocals from American singer Aloe Blacc and was released on May 14, 2015, as the lead single from the album.

Background

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After the song was previewed on ESPN's Draft Academy on May 5, it was announced that "Verge", featuring Aloe Blacc would be released on May 14, as the album's first single.[1] A lyric video of "Verge" was later published on Owl City's VEVO channel on YouTube on May 13, 2015.[2]

In an interview with Yahoo Music!, Young explained the meaning of the song; "When I wrote 'Verge' I wanted to capture that moment everyone experiences, that one event in life that signifies the end of an era followed by a new beginning." He also called the collaboration with Blacc an "honor" and his contribution on the track, "invaluable."[3]

Composition

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"Verge" was written by Aloe Blacc, Adam Young, Matt Thiessen and Emily Wright, while Young handled production.[4] Young stated he had written the song before sending it to Blacc and that he helped make the song "a lot better."[5] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, by Alfred Music Publishing, the track runs at 128 BPM and is in the key of D major.[6] The vocal range in the song spans from the notes B3 to A5.[6]

On Owl City's official website, "Verge" is stated as "...his bright, buoyant production and shimmering vocals with a booming soulful refrain from Aloe Blacc. It blurs the lines between electro, alternative, pop, and R&B all at once, while remaining perfect for the dance floor."[7] It is one of the songs he is most proud of, describing the track as "different" but keeping the same elements that made him "unique."[8]

Release and promotion

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Owl City released Verge: The Remixes on September 11, 2015. The three-track EP featured remixes of "Verge" by Tom Swoon, Low Steppa, and Transcode.[9] American production duo Halogen also released their own remix to the song on September 9.[10]

Reception

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Amy Sciarretto of Artistdirect praised the track's beats, harmonies and falsetto, and added "Owl City knows how to craft pop songs that embed themselves in our brains for days."[11]

Chart performance

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"Verge" has done particularly well in Japan, debuting at number 67 on the Japan Hot 100.[12] It reached number 44 on the Japan Hot 100 chart and number three on the Billboard Twitter Real-Time Chart.[13] The song also peaked at number 93 on the South Korea International Chart.[14]

Music video

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On May 28, the music video premiered on Yahoo Music! and was made available on VEVO and YouTube the next day.[3] According to Young, the original idea of the video was supposed to have a wedding themed concept before Blacc suggested the video have a graduation themed concept instead.[15]

Track listing

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Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Verge"3:33
The Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Verge" (Low Steppa's 97 Remix)5:13
2."Verge" (Tom Swoon Remix)4:16
3."Verge" (Transcode Remix)4:16

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ @ESPNMusic (May 5, 2015). "Get a sneak peak[sic] first listen to the new song by @OwlCity ft. @AloeBlacc tonight on #DraftAcademy 7PM EST @ESPN! "Verge" is available 5-14" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Herb Longs (May 17, 2015). "Owl City Verge Featuring Aloe Blacc Lyric Video". The Christian Beat. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Wendy Geller (May 28, 2015). "See It First: Owl City Debuts Verge Featuring Aloe Blacc". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  4. ^ Mobile Orchestra (Liner notes). Owl City. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Interview: Owl City". Time Out. May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Owl City feat. Aloe Blacc "Verge" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  7. ^ "Owl City - Bio". www.owlcitymusic.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Tiffany Jillian Go (May 8, 2015). "Adam Young of Owl City on the song Taylor Swift wrote about him". Rappler. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  9. ^ "Verge (The Remixes) [feat. Aloe Blacc] - EP by Owl City". Apple Music. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Steph Evans (September 9, 2015). "Halogen remixes Owl City and Aloe Blacc's "The Verge" [Download]". Earmilk. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  11. ^ Amy Sciarretto (May 27, 2015). "New Owl City Coming July 10; Hear "Verge"". Artistdirect. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100: Week of July 20, 2015". Billboard Japan. July 20, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  13. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100: Week of July 27, 2015". Billboard Japan. July 27, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Gaon Digital Chart: 2015.07.12~2015.07.18". GAON. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Owl City - Verge (Behind The Scenes) ft. Aloe Blacc". YouTube. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  16. ^ Owl City — Verge. TopHit. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 24. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  18. ^ "Owl City – Chart History: Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart." TopHit. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  20. ^ "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2015-08-24." TopHit. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "Billboard Japan Radio Songs - 2015" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  22. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2015". TopHit. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
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