"Empty" is a song by American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

band

the Click Five The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then q ...

. It was released in October 2007, as the third single from their second studio album '' Modern Minds and Pastimes''. It was first released as a single in Thailand and the Philippines, while it was released as the second single in Singapore and Malaysia.

Background

Songwriter/keyboardist Ben Romans told

Songfacts Songfacts is a music-oriented website that features articles about songs, detailing the meaning behind the lyrics, how and when they were recorded, and any other available information. The journalists who work for the site have interviewed thou ...

: "This is a song that actually came right before the record. And I remember it was one of those weird melody things. I have a studio in Boston and I kept hearing this melody, and I had to pull over when I was singing in the car. But fortunately I didn't forget it." The song peaked at number one on Singapore's

987FM 987 is an English-language radio station in Singapore. Owned by the state-owned broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. The station launched on 1 January 1989 as Perfect 10 98.7 FM. History Perfect 10 (1989–2005) T ...

radio station.

Composition

"Empty" was written by Ben Romans and

Kyle Patrick Kyle Patrick Dickherber (born May 20, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He has earned multiple gold records as an artist, and over 150 million streams as a producer & songwriter. He is the lead singer of Boston power pop ban ...

, while production was handled by Mike Denneen. Patrick helped co-write the song before he joined the band.

Critical reception

Colin McGuire of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' stated, "while being heartbroken and expected, is atmospheric and, really, kind of interesting. Instead of just resting on a voice and an acoustic guitar, the song at least tries to become something the band will never be. And that try, of course, is better than nothing."

Music video

The music video for "Empty" premiered via

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

on January 31, 2008. Visually, the video shows a montage of broken glass, blurry and melancholy photos and fallen leaves. The video was directed by Conrad Jackson and Conor Colwell. The video was filmed the day after their appearance at the

Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston (band), ...

and was shot at Commonwealth Avenue.

Personnel

Credits for "Empty" adapted from album's liner notes. The Click Five *

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Joe Guese – lead guitar, backing vocals * Ben Romans – synthesizers, backing vocals * Ethan Mentzer – bass, backing vocals * Joey Zehr – drums, percussion, backing vocals Additional musicians * Mike Denneen – keyboards * Matt Tahaney – backing vocals * John Powhida – backing vocals * Aaron Lippert – backing vocals Production * Mike Denneen – producer, engineer * Andy Vandette – mastering * Mike Shipley – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

The Click Five official websiteMusic video of "Empty"
{{authority control 2007 singles The Click Five songs Songs written by Ben Romans 2007 songs Lava Records singles