Hello Seattle

"Hello Seattle" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song is the third track from his second studio album Ocean Eyes released via Universal Republic. The song was released as a promotional CD in December 2009 before it was serviced for radio airplay on April 27, 2010. The song peaked at number six on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold in 2014 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Background
Adam Young spoke about the song's meaning with Female First:

""'Hello Seattle' is a song about growing up in Minnesota, imagining what the city of Seattle was like without having visited. It's about daydreams and imaginings where you are things that dwell in/around the Emerald City, thus giving the listener a first person view."

Young described "Hello Seattle" as a love song to a place he had never visited. He stated that never travelling to the city was a "pretty big inspiration" to him. The song gained viral popularity on MySpace and earned Young a record contract with Universal Republic.

Composition
Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 90 BPM and is in the key of B-flat major. Young's range in the song spans from the notes F4 to G5. The song was one of the first tracks that Young ever wrote. On a night when Young couldn't sleep, he had an idea for an electronic track that came to be "Hello Seattle". He stated, "'Hello Seattle', which is on the album and is still most representative of the type of music I want to make. It's innocent, accessible pop, but with a melancholy feel and abstract lyrics." The song's lyrics references Young's faith to God.

Versions
"Hello Seattle" first appeared on his debut EP Of June with a runtime of two minutes and 57 seconds. The song was later remastered for his second studio album Ocean Eyes with a runtime of two minutes and 47 seconds. A remix version of the song was also featured on the album.

Critical reception
"Hello Seattle" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Scott Fryberger of Jesus Freak Hideout described the track as "dance friendly." He stated, "The piano at the beginning is a nice touch to get the jam started... it never gets boring as some dance floor hits tend to." AllMusic's Andrew Leahey remarked, "such syrupy sweetness builds to a feverish pitch." A negative review came from Hollis Wong-Wear of the Seattle Weekly. She criticized Young's "overprocessed vocals," as well as the song's lyrics. She also added, "Owl City bites Ben Gibbard's style so hard, contorting Gibbard's earnest lightness."