Truth to Power (song)
{{short description|2017 promotional single by OneRepublic}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Truth to Power
| cover = OneRepublic Truth to Power cover art.jpg
| type = promo
| artist = OneRepublic
| album = An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Music from the Motion Picture)
| released = June 30, 2017
| genre = Gospel{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2018-01-04 |title=Ryan Tedder, Sufjan Stevens, Chris Cornell Among Rockers Making a Play for Oscar |url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/ryan-tedder-sufjan-stevens-chris-cornell-oscars-original-song-1202652982/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
| length = 3:25
| label = * Mosley
| writer = * Ryan Tedder
| producer = * Tedder
- Burnett
| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Lyric video|{{YouTube|h4DFXUndvbw"Truth to Power"}}}}
}}
"Truth to Power" is a song by American band OneRepublic as the promotional single and title song for the documentary An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power about Al Gore's continuing mission to fight climate change.{{Cite web |last=Trakin |first=Roy |date=2017-06-29 |title=OneRepublic Release 'Truth to Power' from 'An Inconvenient Sequel': Watch the Lyric Video (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2017/music/news/one-republic-inconvenient-truth-power-sequel-lyric-video-1202482088/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=McDonnell |first=Brandy |title=Video: OneRepublic releases 'Truth to Power,' from 'An Inconvenient Sequel,' today |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/columns/brandy-mcdonnell/2017/06/30/video-onerepublic-releases-truth-to-power-from-an-inconvenient-sequel-today/60590546007/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en-US}} The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 22nd Satellite Awards and for Original Song in a Documentary at the 8th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.{{Cite web |author=T. H. R. Staff |date=2017-11-17 |title=Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Full Winners List |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hollywood-music-media-awards-full-winners-list-1057748/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}
Background and composition
"Truth to Power" was written and produced by lead singer Ryan Tedder and T Bone Burnett. The lyrics are written from the perspective of Mother Nature speaking to her inhabitants as a call to action against climate change. Gore described the song as capturing Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha. Tedder described the background for the original composition of the song:{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2018-01-04 |title=Ryan Tedder, Sufjan Stevens, Chris Cornell Among Rockers Making a Play for Oscar |url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/ryan-tedder-sufjan-stevens-chris-cornell-oscars-original-song-1202652982/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
{{Blockquote|text=To me, this needed to be reverential. And my default mechanism when writing is very often gospel, and some of the songs that we had done that were referenced when I got brought in are more gospel-leaning records. And when I watched the climactic parts of the film with Vice President Gore giving this speech at Stanford, where he becomes more and more emboldened as the speech goes on, by the end of it, I was like, oh, God, he’s just doing like an altar call right now. And I went to Oral Roberts University, so I’ve seen my fair share of altar calls.|author=Ryan Tedder}}
Promotion
In promotion of the song, OneRepublic performed the song on Late Night with Seth Meyers and at 2017 24-Hours of Reality event.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R01lwJ1K1Mg |title=OneRepublic - Truth To Power (Live On Late Night With Seth Meyers/2017) |date=2017-07-28 |last=OneRepublicVEVO |access-date=2024-07-09 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYYC2nqQG5E |title=Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Brian Willett - Truth To Power (@ 24 Hours of Reality) |date=2017-12-04 |last=Rbtvids |access-date=2024-07-09 |via=YouTube}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{OneRepublic}}
{{Al Gore}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Ryan Tedder
Category:Songs written by T Bone Burnett
Category:Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder
Category:Interscope Records singles