It's Time (song) explained

It's Time
Cover:Imagine Dragons - It's Time.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Imagine Dragons
Ep:Continued Silence
Recorded:2010
Studio:Studio at the Palms (Paradise, Nevada)
Genre:
Length:4:00
Label:
Producer:
Next Title:Radioactive
Next Year:2012

"It's Time" is the debut single by American rock band Imagine Dragons, released on February 6, 2012, as the lead single from the band's first major label EP, Continued Silence. Later that year the song was included on the band's first full album Night Visions. The song had already been included on the band's independently released EP It's Time (2011), and it had been available on YouTube since 2010.[1]

The song's production was handled by Brandon Darner, and its lyrics describe the narrator's resistance to change in the face of great turmoil. The single was created without Daniel Platzman who joined the group later, and it includes contributions from early band members Andrew and Brittany Tolman.

After the song was covered on Glee in September 2012 and gained heavy rotation in commercials and television shows, it reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's first Top 40 single. It also hit number 4 on Alternative Airplay,[2] number 2 on Adult Alternative Airplay,[3] and number 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. Lasting 32 weeks, it had the longest run on the Alternative Songs Top 10 in 2012.[4] The single reached the top 10 in Austria (number 6), Czech Republic (number 10), Ireland (number 9), India (number 17) Japan (number 7), Billboard Pop Songs (number 10), and Portugal (number 6) and peaked at number 23 in the United Kingdom. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA and CRIA, and Platinum by the ARIA. It was also nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.[5]

In February 2021, for the 25th anniversary of Adult Alternative Airplay, Billboard ranked "It's Time" at number 7 on its list of the 100 most successful songs in the chart's history;[6] [7] in September 2023, the magazine ranked the song at number 87 on a similar retrospective list for the 35th anniversary of Alternative Airplay.[8] [9]

Background

Dan Reynolds told The Huffington Post about the writing process for the song:

There's so many times you wake up at 3 a.m., grab a recorder on the iPhone and say something – a lyrical idea or melody – and then you lay it out in logic later on and sometimes it makes no sense. We sat with 'It's Time' for a year or year-and-a-half. Sometimes you just have to let a song sit for awhile. There's just something really special about it. I wrote it during a very hard time in my life. I had dropped out of college, and I was just sitting down at my computer, and I came up with this rhythm. And the words just wrote themselves. I knew I had something special coming. When a song is most honest and most raw that’s when you know you’re doing something right. A lot of my favorite artists are able to be in touch with their problems and put it through melodies. It happens all the time with bands."[10]

Music video

The music video debuted on April 17, 2012, on all MTV affiliates and the band was named PUSH Artist of the Week and later featured on PUSH Live.[11] [12] A first teaser released March 28, 2012. The video also reached number 1 on Yahoo Music's Top Videos.[13]

The video starts with the band walking through a barren wasteland beneath a dark and ominous looking sky. The sky begins to grow more turbulent as the band walks past flags and boat wreckage, a destroyed bridge, and dead trees. Bassist McKee opens a box he has been carrying and a pale light glows from within. The band removes a pebble-sized, glowing orb from the box. The band members dig a hole for it with their hands, and then drop the orb into the ground. Lead singer Dan Reynolds then shouts, and in the next scene the band members are shown running away from their dig site. A large explosion throws Reynolds into the air where he seems to levitate (similarly to the Continued Silence album cover). Finally, the sky begins to part and the sunlight shines through.

The music video was produced by Todd Makurath and directed by Anthony Leonardi III. Ian Clemmer, who created some of the visual effects, wrote on his website that he "was asked to create big, large scale smoke explosions in a short amount of time, these are the end shots of the video ...."[14]

About two months after the original music video, another one was created for the Jailbreaks remix.[15]

Usage in media

Live performances

On July 16, 2012, Imagine Dragons performed "It's Time" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[24] [25] They also performed the song live on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 4, 2012, and on Conan on January 9, 2013. They also performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on October 29, 2012, notable for being broadcast during Hurricane Sandy. As a result, they performed the song to an empty audience, with only the cast and crew of Late Night being present. The band also performed and singer Dan Reynolds was interviewed on Norwegian and Swedish television show Skavlan on February 1, 2013.[26]

Imagine Dragons plays "It's Time" at its live concerts, and although it's a "bigger single", the band plays it early in their set list rather than last, as might be expected.[27]

On December 5, 2014, the group played an acoustic version at the end of The Game Awards (the inaugural ceremonies of said award show), with Nintendo composer Koji Kondo playing on the piano as part of a medley of music from The Legend of Zelda series.

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "It's Time"! Chart (2012–2014)! Peak
position
Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100)[28] 71
Brazil Hot Pop Songs (Billboard Brasil)26
Iceland (RÚV)[29] 14
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[30]
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[31] 46

Year-end charts

2012 year-end chart performance for "It's Time"! Chart (2012)! Position
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 91
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[33] 9
2013 year-end chart performance for "It's Time"
Chart (2013)Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[34] 63
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[35] 88
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[36] 137
US Billboard Hot 100[37] 47
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[38] 6
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[39] 22
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[40] 28
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[41] 45

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[42] 20

Release history

Country! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
United States[44] [45] February 6, 2012Submodern rock radioInterscope Records
February 20, 2012Modern rock radio
Canada[46] September 2, 2012
United States[47]
United States[48] September 18, 2012Contemporary hit radioInterscope Records
Canada[49] October 2, 2012Digital download
United States[50]
Australia[51] November 9, 2012Digital download
Brazil[52]
France[53]
Italy[54]
New Zealand[55]
Philippines[56]
Russia[57]
South Africa[58]
Spain[59]
Switzerland[60]
Mexico[61] November 13, 2012
Germany[62] December 7, 2012
Italy[63] January 11, 2013Contemporary hit radioUniversal Music
United Kingdom[64] August 2, 2013Digital download

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons (w/ visuals). .
  2. Imagine Dragons Chart History (Alternative Airplay). Billboard. November 29, 2023.
  3. Imagine Dragons Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay). Billboard. November 29, 2023.
  4. Web site: Imagine Dragons Enjoy Longest Run In Alternative Top 10 . November 13, 2012 . AllAccess.com . April 29, 2013.
  5. Web site: Previewing The VMAs . . September 3, 2012 . Paul . Grein . April 29, 2013.
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20230531232100/https://www.billboard.com/pro/adult-alternative-airplay-25th-anniversary-recap/. Dave Matthews Band & The Wallflowers' 'One Headlight' Top Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Charts. Rutherford. Kevin. Billboard. February 18, 2021. May 31, 2023. November 29, 2023.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20231011155120/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-of-all-time-adult-alternative-songs/. Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Songs. October 11, 2023. November 29, 2023. live. Billboard.
  8. Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song. Rutherford. Kevin. Billboard. September 7, 2023. November 29, 2023.
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006001750/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-alternative-songs/. Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs. October 6, 2023. November 29, 2023. live. Billboard.
  10. Web site: Chattman. Jon. May 2, 2012. 'It's Time' for Imagine Dragons: An Interview With Front Man Dan. HuffPost. December 26, 2020.
  11. Web site: Watch Imagine Dragons' 'PUSH Live' 'It's Time' Performance (VIDEO) . https://web.archive.org/web/20120617001439/http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2012/06/15/imagine-dragons-push-its-time-performance-video/ . dead . June 17, 2012 . Buzzworthy.mtv.com . 2012-06-15 . 2012-07-22.
  12. Web site: MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: Imagine Dragons . Buzzworthy.mtv.com . 2012-04-16 . 2012-07-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120808074425/http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2012/04/16/push-imagine-dragons . 2012-08-08 .
  13. Web site: 6 pop acts who should be huge: Janelle Monae to Natalia Kills . . August 24, 2012 . Daniel . Sarath . April 29, 2013.
  14. Web site: IMAGINE DRAGONS - It's Time. Ian Clemmer website. Clemmer. Ian. n.d.. July 11, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130621024418/http://ian-clemmer.com/17473/538218/gallery/imagine-dragons-its-time. June 21, 2013. dead.
  15. Web site: Imagine Dragons - It's Time (Jailbreaks Remix). . June 29, 2012. September 13, 2021.
  16. The Best Singles of 2012 . Entertainment Weekly . December 21, 2012 .
    1. 1239–1240
    . April 29, 2013 . December 2, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225231/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20657965_2,00.html . dead .
  17. Imagine Dragons . Audio-Files . Audio-Files . 1 . 1 . . April 10, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160317185520/http://www.byutv.org/watch/46c7d58c-fc1d-4a6d-a5e7-636c96b75b84/audio-files-imagine-dragons . March 17, 2016 .
  18. Web site: Gossip Girl Pays Homage To Sex and the City: The Music Behind The Finale! . December 18, 2012 . . April 29, 2013 . December 30, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121230202138/http://perezhilton.com/2012-12-18-gossip-girl-series-finale-music-you-got-the-love-sex-and-the-city/ . dead .
  19. Web site: 'Perks Of Being A Wallflower' Trailer: What's That Song? . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607010121/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1686551/perks-of-being-a-wallflower-imagine-dragons.jhtml . dead . June 7, 2012 . . Kara . Warner . June 5, 2012 . April 29, 2013.
  20. Web site: D8 I LA NOUVELLE GRANDE CHAINE. 20 September 2012. YouTube.
  21. Web site: Watch: Blaine (Darren Criss) Sings Imagine Dragon's "It's Time" in Glee's Season 4 Premiere: "The New Rachel" (VIDEO). Beth Douglass. 14 September 2012. Wetpaint.
  22. Web site: Glee Season 4 Preview: First Footage! . TV Fanatic . August 16, 2012 . Matt . Richenthal . April 29, 2013.
  23. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=glee|chart=all}} Glee - Chart history ]. Billboard . April 29, 2013.
  24. News: Duck. Allison. Imagine Dragons are Leno tested, Warlock approved. 18 July 2012. Las Vegas Weekly. 22 July 2012. 13 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213191126/http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/jul/18/imagine-dragons-are-leno-tested-warlock-approved/. dead.
  25. News: Smith. Harper. In rise to prominence, Imagine Dragons prove they can pack — and take — a punch. 19 July 2012. Las Vegas Sun. 22 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120722065114/http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2012/jul/19/rise-prominence-imagine-dragons-proves-it-can-pack/. 22 July 2012. dead.
  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91qNyiwtszQ Imagine Dragons - "It's Time" (Live @ «Skavlan» - February 1st 2013) - YouTube
  27. Web site: Imagine Dragons & AWOLNATION leave Kansas City fans feeling 'On Top of the World'. Midcoast Station. Smith. Bethany. September 27, 2012. July 11, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130328090035/http://www.midcoaststation.com/2012/09/27/imagine-dragons-awolnation/. March 28, 2013. dead.
  28. November–December 2013. Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay . . 46 . 977-217605400-2 -->. 88 . BPP.
  29. Web site: Imagine Dragons This Chart History. RÚV. June 19, 2017.
  30. Web site: Imagine Dragons Lebanese Chart Top 20 History. The Official Lebanese Top 20. February 17, 2013. April 19, 2017.
  31. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=imagine dragons|chart=Mexico Airplay}} Imagine Dragons – Chart history: Mexico Ingles ]. . . April 29, 2013.
  32. Best of 2012 – Hot 100 Songs . . . January 28, 2013.
  33. Best of 2012 – Rock Songs . . . January 28, 2013.
  34. Web site: Jahreshitparade Singles 2013. austriancharts.at. January 3, 2020.
  35. Web site: Best of 2013: Canadian Hot 100. Prometheus Global Media. December 13, 2013.
  36. Web site: End of Year 2013. UKChartsPlus. June 7, 2020.
  37. Web site: Best of 2013 – Hot 100 Songs. Billboard.com. 2013-12-13.
  38. 2013 Year End Charts - Top Billboard Hot Rock Songs. . December 13, 2013 .
  39. Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013 . . December 21, 2014.
  40. Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2012. Billboard. September 15, 2019.
  41. Best of 2013 – Pop Songs. Billboard . August 29, 2019.
  42. Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs. Billboard. December 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191216120649/https://www.billboard.com/charts/decade-end/hot-rock-songs. December 16, 2019. live.
  43. Web site: Ross On Radio: It's Just Another New Year's Eve?: Z100's year-end shows New York is still different . Billboard . 2013-12-30 . 2013-12-30.
  44. Web site: Available for Airplay Archive – SubModern Rock . . Mediaspan . May 18, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130424132212/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=40076 . April 24, 2013.
  45. Web site: Available for Airplay Archive – Modern Rock . . Mediaspan . May 18, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130424132036/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16771 . April 24, 2013.
  46. Web site: It's Time (Cherry Cherry Boom Boom Remix) – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (CA) . January 2012 . . December 29, 2012.
  47. Web site: It's Time (Cherry Cherry Boom Boom Remix) – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (US) . January 2012 . . December 29, 2012.
  48. Web site: Available for Airplay Archive – CHR . . Mediaspan . September 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130424132118/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239 . April 24, 2013.
  49. Web site: It's Time (Passion Pit Remix) – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (CA) . January 2012 . . December 29, 2012.
  50. Web site: It's Time (Passion Pit Remix) – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (US) . January 2012 . . December 29, 2012.
  51. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (AU) . . December 29, 2012.
  52. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (BR) . . December 29, 2012.
  53. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (FR) . . December 29, 2012.
  54. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (IT) . . December 29, 2012.
  55. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (NZ) . . December 29, 2012.
  56. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (PH) . . December 29, 2012.
  57. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (RU) . . December 29, 2012.
  58. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (ZA) . . December 29, 2012.
  59. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (ES) . . December 29, 2012.
  60. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (CH) . . December 29, 2012.
  61. Web site: It's Time – Single by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (MX) . . December 29, 2012.
  62. Web site: It's Time – EP by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (DE) . January 2012 . . December 29, 2012.
  63. Web site: Imagine Dragons – It's Time (Universal) . Radio Airplay SRL . February 6, 2015 . Forastiero, Eleonora . it . https://web.archive.org/web/20150207122906/http://www.radioairplay.fm/RadioDate/PublicDetails/337/ . February 7, 2015 . dead .
  64. Web site: It's Time – EP by Imagine Dragons . iTunes Store (GB) . . December 29, 2012.

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