Everywhere (Michelle Branch song)

Living with her parents in Sedona, Arizona, Michelle Branch wrote "Everywhere" when she was 15 years old, originally composing it as an acoustic love song.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7775655/michelle-branch-chorus-week-interview-everywhere|title=Michelle Branch's Friends Send Her Drunken Karaoke Videos of the 'Everywhere' Chorus|last=Lipshutz|first=Jason|magazine=Billboard|date=April 27, 2017|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=July 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704004118/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7775655/michelle-branch-chorus-week-interview-everywhere|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.the-dowsers.com/playlist/echoes-impact-michelle-branchs-everywhere/|title=Echoes: The Impact of Michelle Branch's 'Everywhere'|last=Garr|first=Stephanie|website=The Dowsers|date=July 10, 2018|access-date=January 24, 2022|archive-date=January 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123122512/http://www.the-dowsers.com/playlist/echoes-impact-michelle-branchs-everywhere/|url-status=live}} After she turned 17, Danny Strick, the executive A&R manager of Maverick Records, saw her performing as an opening act for pop rock band Hanson. Noticing that the crowd responded well to her music, he decided to sign her to the label in July 2000. She then played the song for John Shanks, who agreed to produce the track, and they recorded it from January to February 2001 at three studios in Hollywood, California: Sunset Sound, Henson Recording Studios, and Ananda Studios.{{cite magazine|title=Branch Sprouts 'Everywhere'|last=Wonsiewicz|first=Steve|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1411|page=42|date=July 20, 2001}} Additional musicians who contributed to the song include keyboardist Patrick Warren and drummers Kenny Aronoff and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Once Branch finished recording "Everywhere", Maverick promoted the track on US hot adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio, where the song was officially serviced on July 10, 2001, eight days after Branch's 18th birthday.{{cite magazine|title=Introducing Maverick's Rising Star... Michelle Branch|magazine=Gavin Report|issue=2346|page=24|date=July 20, 2001}} The Spirit Room was released on August 14, 2001, on which the song appears as the opening track.{{cite magazine|title=Reviews & Previews: Spotlight|last=Taylor|first=Chuck|author-link=Chuck Taylor (music journalist)|editor-last=Taylor|editor-first=Chuck|magazine=Billboard|volume=113|issue=30|page=24|date=July 28, 2001}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-spirit-room-mw0000011137|title=The Spirit Room Review|publisher=AllMusic|last=Jonas|first=Lianas|access-date=April 17, 2010|archive-date=October 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018030545/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-spirit-room-mw0000011137|url-status=live}} In Australia, "Everywhere" was released as a CD single on September 24, 2001, through Maverick and Warner Music Australia. This CD contains acoustic versions of Branch's future singles "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to You". In Japan, Warner Music Japan released the song as a double A-side with the original version of "All You Wanted" on January 23, 2002. Three months later, on April 1, 2002, Maverick issued the single across Europe and in the United Kingdom. In the UK, it was released on CD and cassette. The CD contains the acoustic versions of "All You Wanted" and "Everywhere" plus an enhanced element featuring the song's video, and the cassette contains the acoustic version of "Goodbye to You" only. The European CD single features the same tracks as the UK cassette.

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| description = A 21-second sample of "Everywhere", illustrating its pop-rock sound. Michelle Branch intentionally left the romantic lyrics ambiguous, as she did not write the song from her own experiences and wanted her listeners to form their own interpretations.

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The original version of "Everywhere" was written by Branch alone, while Shanks, who produced the track, provided additional writing for the final recording. A vocally fervent love song, the track is written in common time with a moderate tempo of 98 beats per minute and was composed in the key of D{{flat}} major.{{cite web|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a44009/what-happened-to-michelle-branch/|title=What Happened to Michelle Branch?|last=Aminosharei|first=Nojan|website=Elle|date=April 5, 2007|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125172946/https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a44009/what-happened-to-michelle-branch/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0040470|title='Everywhere' by Michelle Branch – Digital Sheet Music|website=Musicnotes.com|date=September 25, 2001|publisher=Alfred Publishing Co.|id=MN0040470|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628012203/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0040470|url-status=live}} According to Branch, she wrote the chorus a half step lower than the album version with falsetto vocals, but Shanks convinced her to raise the tone and sing as vigorously as she could. Stephanie Garr of online magazine The Dowsers described the song's essence as a combination of "moody post-grunge rock and breezy Y2K pop" and likened Branch's vocals to an optimistic Alanis Morissette, who was also signed to Maverick.{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2001/06/19/alanis-morissette-resolves-her-dispute-madonnas-label/|title=Alanis Morissette Resolves Her Dispute with Madonna's Label|last=Reese|first=Lori|website=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=June 13, 2023|archive-date=June 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601184723/https://ew.com/article/2001/06/19/alanis-morissette-resolves-her-dispute-madonnas-label/|url-status=dead}}

The lyrical content of the song, described by Billboard as "ultra-romantic", was left intentionally ambiguous by Branch, who did not write the song from personal experience.{{cite web|url=https://www.rhino.com/article/single-stories-michelle-branch-everywhere|title=Single Stories: Michelle Branch, 'Everywhere'|publisher=Rhino|date=July 18, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2022|archive-date=January 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117213706/https://www.rhino.com/article/single-stories-michelle-branch-everywhere|url-status=live}} In 2001, Branch told MTV that she prefers her songs having ambiguous themes so that anyone can relate to it without recalling specific events.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/branch_michelle/news_feature_100601/index.jhtml|date=2001|title=Michelle Branch: "She's Everywhere"|publisher=MTV|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928231455/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/branch_michelle/news_feature_100601/index.jhtml|archive-date=September 28, 2008|access-date=May 23, 2010}} The song's hook was described by Patrick Crowley of Billboard as a "beast of a glossy pop-rock hook" and responsible for the song's catchiness.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7768061/100-greatest-choruses-21st-century|title=The 100 Greatest Choruses of the 21st Century|magazine=Billboard|date=April 24, 2017|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819171517/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7768061/100-greatest-choruses-21st-century|url-status=live}} Branch later commented that the she had written better refrains since then but remains proud of her work. In retrospective comments, Branch said that the material of her first two albums, including "Everywhere", is "hopelessly romantic" compared with her later work and composed of "a lot of [...] teenage rhyme".{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/3000093/michelle-branch-reacts-everywhere-music-video-trl/|title=Michelle Branch Finally Realizes She Was a 'Stalker' in the 'Everywhere' Music Video|last=Lakshmin|first=Deepa|publisher=MTV|date=April 7, 2017|access-date=January 17, 2022|archive-date=January 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182607/https://www.mtv.com/news/3000093/michelle-branch-reacts-everywhere-music-video-trl/|url-status=dead}}

File:RiP2013 Paramore Hayley Williams 0003.jpg noted that "Everywhere" served as an influence for future female pop stars, including Hayley Williams of Paramore (pictured in 2013).|alt=A woman with orange hair sings into a wireless orange microphone. She is wearing a black jacket, opened to show a black-and-white shirt. An earpiece can be seen in her left ear.]]

Billboard editor Chuck Taylor likened the song to a "shot of tequila" when compared with other pop music of the time, praising its mood, lyrics, and production. Chris Edge of Raleigh-Durham radio station WDCG said that the track conveys Branch's passion through its "incredible hook" and lyrics and praised its relatability. In Hasselt, Belgium, FM Limburg head of music Sandra Boussu labeled the track "cool and hip", comparing Branch to Morissette and Dutch singer Sita.{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2002/MM-2002-03-30.pdf|title=Airborne|last=Hubner|first=Miriam|magazine=Music & Media|volume=20|issue=14|page=13|date=March 30, 2002|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825133408/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2002/MM-2002-03-30.pdf|url-status=live}} AllMusic's Liana Jonas described the song "a lively and heartfelt song with electric-guitar power chords, spirited vocal delivery, and catchy chorus". Sputnikmusic reviewed the song, calling it the album's standout track.{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/30760/Michelle-Branch-The-Spirit-Room/|title=Michelle Branch The Spirit Room|author=tinathefatlard|publisher=Sputnikmusic|date=June 1, 2009|access-date=January 26, 2022|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111161116/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/30760/Michelle-Branch-The-Spirit-Room/|url-status=live}} IGN Music called the song "definitely catchy".{{cite web|url=http://music.ign.com/articles/434/434814p1.html|title=The Spirit Room Review|last=McGrath|first=James|publisher=IGN Music|date=September 4, 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622005054/http://music.ign.com/articles/434/434814p1.html|archive-date=June 22, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2010}} Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix described the song's intro as "glossy", going on to label the chorus as "unforgettable dream-pop" and comparing the track to Vanessa Carlton's debut single, "A Thousand Miles".{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/documents/02266748.htm|title=DIY divas: Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton|last=Richardson|first=Sean|website=Boston Phoenix|date=May 16, 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315062403/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/documents/02266748.htm|archive-date=March 15, 2012|access-date=January 26, 2022}} British chart commentator James Masterton wrote that the song charted in the UK on its own merits and noted Branch's "tremendous" voice as well as the "uplifting" lyrics.{{cite web|url=https://chart-watch.uk/archives/2002/week-ending-april-13th-2002|title=Week Ending April 13th 2002|last=Masterton|first=James|author-link=James Masterton|publisher=Chart Watch UK|date=April 7, 2002|access-date=January 17, 2022|archive-date=January 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182607/https://chart-watch.uk/archives/2002/week-ending-april-13th-2002|url-status=live}}

Retrospectively, in 2017, Billboard ranked the song's chorus as the 77th-best of the 21st century, referring to the second half as a "testament" to the entire refrain. Garr noted that "Everywhere" marked the end of the "'90s angst" era and served as an influence for future female pop stars such as Kelly Clarkson, KT Tunstall, Sara Bareilles, and Hayley Williams of Paramore. In September 2022, Emily Yahr of The Washington Post commented on the song's nostalgia factor, writing that it "transport[s] a significant portion of the population back to the simpler times of watching MTV after school, dramatic AIM away messages and piling friends into a car fresh off getting a driver's license and cranking up the radio".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/09/26/michelle-branch-interview-arrest/|title=Michelle Branch and Millennials, the Unbreakable Bond|last=Yahr|first=Emily|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 26, 2022|url-access=registration|access-date=January 11, 2023|archive-date=November 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112021956/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/09/26/michelle-branch-interview-arrest/|url-status=live}}

On the US Billboard Hot 100, "Everywhere" debuted at number 62 on September 1, 2001, becoming that week's highest-charting new song.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2001-09-01/|title=Billboard Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|date=September 1, 2001|access-date=January 11, 2023|archive-date=July 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713170150/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2001-09-01/|url-status=live}} Ten weeks later, on November 10, the song peaked at number 12, giving Branch her first of four top-20 singles in the US. The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the Hot 100, last charting at number 63 on January 7, 2002.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2002-01-07/|title=Billboard Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|date=January 7, 2002|access-date=January 11, 2023|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111161116/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2002-01-07/|url-status=live}} On other Billboard charts, the song achieved its highest position on the Mainstream Top 40, where it peaked at number five and spent 26 weeks on the ranking. The song also reached the top 10 on the Adult Top 40 and Top 40 Tracks listings, reaching numbers nine and six, respectively. The track appeared on the Adult Top 40 year-end chart for 2001, ranking in at number 26. In Canada, the song became a top-10 hit on contemporary hit radio, peaking at number nine on the Nielsen BDS chart.

In Australia, "Everywhere" debuted at number 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart in November 2001, rising into the top 50 on January 13, 2002.{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/Issue612.pdf|title=The ARIA Report: ARIA Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 19th November 2001|publisher=ARIA|page=4|date=November 19, 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222431/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020221-0000/www.aria.com.au/Issue612.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2008|access-date=January 11, 2023}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In late March, the song rose into the top 20 and peaked at number 19, becoming Branch's highest-charting single in Australia and staying inside the top 50 for 15 weeks. At the end of 2002, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) ranked the song at number 87 on their year-end chart. In New Zealand, the single first appeared at number 45 on the RIANZ Singles Chart in November 2001. Over the next six weeks, the track rose up the top 50, eventually peaking at number two on December 16. Spending 16 weeks within the top 50, it remains Branch's highest-charting single in New Zealand. Recorded Music NZ awarded the song a gold certification in 2022 for sales and streams exceeding 15,000 units.

"Everywhere" also charted in several European countries, achieving a peak of number 84 on the Eurochart Hot 100 in April 2002. In the United Kingdom, the single debuted and peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart the same month, totaling six weeks in the top 100. It is Branch's second-highest-peaking single in the UK, after "The Game of Love", her collaboration with rock band Santana. On the Netherlands' Dutch Top 40 chart, "Everywhere" became a top-five hit, reaching number five in March 2002, while on the country's Single Top 100 chart, it reached number 28. According to the Dutch Top 40, "Everywhere" was the Netherlands' 84th-best-performing hit of 2002. In Italy, the track reached number 28 on the FIMI Singles Chart. Elsewhere in Europe, the single peaked at number 46 in Switzerland and charted below the top 50 in France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

File:Michelle Branch Everywhere video screenshot.png of her love interest on the wall. Branch later admitted that her character had been a "peeping Tom" in the video.|alt=A dark haired woman in profile hangs an instant photograph of a man on a white wall. Approximately 20 other photographs of the man shot from different angles and settings also populate the wall.]]

The music video for "Everywhere" was directed by Liz Friedlander and was filmed after the song began broadcasting on radio.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/20/michelle.branch/index.html|title=Michelle Branch: 'Everywhere' She Wants to Be|last=Leopold|first=Todd|publisher=CNN|date=February 20, 2002|access-date=January 11, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705032948/http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/20/michelle.branch/index.html|url-status=live}} The video shows Branch spying on a man in the opposite apartment building while she takes several photographs of him and plays her guitar in an empty room. He also glimpses back at her, and at the end of the video, the two finally meet.{{cite AV media|people=Friedlander, Liz (director); Branch, Michelle (actor); Muxworthy, Jake (actor)|title=Everywhere|type=Music video|year=2001|publisher=Warner Music Group, Maverick Records}} Branch was involved in the selection of the actor portraying her love interest; she told MTV in a 2001 interview that when the producers showed her a photo of Jake Muxworthy, she told them, "This is it. He has to be in it." Playing opposite Muxworthy proved to be difficult for Branch, who reportedly had a "little crush" on him, and she admitted in 2017 that she was a "peeping Tom" in the video.

The video aired on Fox Family, Nickelodeon, and VH1 before its intended release date, and it was also popular on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), where Branch performed the song live on August 24, 2001.{{cite magazine|title=Over the Counter|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|magazine=Billboard|volume=113|issue=35|page=65|date=September 1, 2001}} At the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won the Viewer's Choice Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/onair/vma/2002/nominees/nominees.jhtml?c=viewers&i=14|title=2002 Nominees: Viewer's Choice|publisher=MTV|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021015052743/http://www.mtv.com/onair/vma/2002/nominees/nominees.jhtml?c=viewers&i=14|archive-date=October 15, 2002|access-date=January 11, 2023}}

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Australian maxi-CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Everywhere|others=Michelle Branch|year=2001|type=Australia maxi-CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records, Warner Music Australia|id=9362424092}}

1. "Everywhere" – 3:36
2. "All You Wanted" (unplugged version) – 3:36
3. "Goodbye to You" (unplugged version) – 4:09

UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Everywhere|others=Michelle Branch|year=2002|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=W577CDX, 9362 42427 2}}

1. "Everywhere" – 3:36
2. "All You Wanted" (unplugged version) – 3:36
3. "Goodbye to You" (unplugged version) – 4:09
4. "Everywhere" (promotional video)

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UK cassette single and European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Everywhere|others=Michelle Branch|year=2002|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Maverick Records|id=W577C, 5439 16718 4}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Everywhere|others=Michelle Branch|year=2002|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=5439 16718 2}}

1. "Everywhere" – 3:36
2. "Goodbye to You" (unplugged version) – 4:09

Japanese CD single – "All You Wanted" / "Everywhere"{{cite AV media notes|title=All You Wanted / Everywhere|others=Michelle Branch|year=2001|type=Japanese CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=WPCR-11187}}

1. "All You Wanted" – 3:38
2. "Everywhere" – 3:36
3. "Goodbye to You" (unplugged version) – 4:09

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Credits are lifted from The Spirit Room album booklet.{{cite AV media notes|title=The Spirit Room|title-link=The Spirit Room|others=Michelle Branch|year=2001|type=US CD album booklet|publisher=Maverick Records|id=9 47985-2}}

Studios

• Recorded at Sunset Sound, Henson Recording Studios, and Ananda Studios (Hollywood, California)
• Mixed at Image Recorders (Hollywood, California)
• Mastered at Marcussen Mastering (Los Angeles)

Personnel

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• Michelle Branch – writing, guitars, keyboards
• John Shanks – writing, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, production
• Patrick Warren – keyboards
• Kenny Aronoff – drums
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
• Lars Fox – programming, engineering, Pro Tools editing
• Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
• Marc DeSisto – engineering
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Everywhere"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Michelle Branch|title=Everywhere|award=Gold|relyear=2001|certyear=2022|source=radioscope|access-date=December 19, 2024|refname="rmnz"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Michelle Branch}}

{{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}}

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Category:2001 debut singles

Category:2001 songs

Category:Maverick Records singles

Category:Michelle Branch songs

Category:Music videos directed by Liz Friedlander

Category:Song recordings produced by John Shanks

Category:Songs written by John Shanks

Category:Songs written by Michelle Branch

Category:Warner Music Group singles