"Carry On" is a song by American

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band

fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

. It was released on 23 October 2012 as the third single off their second album, '' Some Nights''. The song was written by the band members,

Nate Ruess Nate Ruess is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the founder and lead singer of the indie pop band Fun, and of The Format. As of 2015, he also performs as a solo musician. Early life Ruess was born the second child of Larry ...

Andrew Dost Andrew Paul Dost (born April 10, 1983) is an American musician, singer and is member of the indie rock band Fun., in which he plays several instruments, mainly the piano. He was formerly a member of the indie rock band Anathallo from 2003 to 2 ...

Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...

, alongside the album's producer,

Jeff Bhasker Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013. An accomplished producer, he ...

Composition

"Carry On" has been called "a song about perseverance in hard times", which is supported by a rock-anthem sound written in

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor. The F major scale is: : F major is ...

and composed in 12/8 time. The song begins with Ruess singing with faint vocals, as he confronts a potential suicide. Ruess's quiet vocals are eventually reinforced by a large chorus and band member

's guitar-playing. The narrator takes refuge in a bar alongside his friends, who begin to contemplate the mortality of the people close to them. Antonoff delivers a short, 20-second "

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-type wailing" guitar solo, which appears over two and a half minutes into the song.

Live performances

On 3 November 2012, the band was the musical guest on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...

'', with

Louis C.K. Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...

as host, and performed this song, alongside " Some Nights". They also performed the song at the

2013 Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...

In media

It is also featured in the

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, ...

2013 #LoveHome commercial and in the pilot episode of FX series ''

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''. The song is also featured in the 2013 documentary ''

Bridegroom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man a ...

'' and the Portuguese

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ( ...

''Destinos Cruzados'' (2013/14). A shortened version is performed in the second season of ''

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist'' is an American musical comedy-drama television series created by Austin Winsberg that premiered on January 7, 2020, on NBC. The series stars Jane Levy as Zoey Clarke, a software developer who discovers she has ...

'' (2021).

Charts

"Carry On" was released on 23 October 2012 as the third single off their second album, '' Some Nights''. "Carry On" is their third consecutive single to reach the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It debuted at #100 on that chart and in the subsequent weeks climbed until peaking at #20. It has sold over a million downloads as of April 2013.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Fun (band) songs 2012 songs 2012 singles Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker Songs written by Jeff Bhasker Songs written by Jack Antonoff Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler Fueled by Ramen singles Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs written by Andrew Dost Songs written by Nate Ruess 2010s ballads Songs about suicide