Get Along (Guy Sebastian Song)
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"Get Along" is a song performed by Australian recording artist
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...
, released in November 2012 as the fourth single from his seventh album ''
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
''. It was written by Sebastian and Ian Barter, who also produced the song. "Get Along" reached number 5 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, the fourth top ten single released from "Armageddon".Guy Sebastian – Get Along (Song)
ARIA Chart archives. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012
It is also Sebastian's 11th top ten single in Australia, and ninth to peak in the top five.Guy Sebastian in the Australian Charts
. australian-charts.com. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
"Get Along" has been certified 3× platinum.
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 30 March 2019.
"Get Along" also reached number nine and gold certification in New Zealand. The song was a finalist in the Pop/Top 40 category of the 2013 International Songwriting Competition, and was also one of the final five nominees for the APRA Song of the Year Award.International Songwriting Competition Winners
International Songwriting Competition. Archived fro
the original
on 30 April 2013.
Adams, Cameron (23 May 2013). . ''Herald Sun''. 23 May 2013. Archived fro
the original
on 23 May 2013.
It was also nominated for Song of the Year in the 2013 ARIA Awards.27th ARIA Award Nominations
Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 October 2013. Archived fro
the original
on 15 October 2013.


Background and development

"Get Along" is a song which deals with the damage inflicted by religious, cultural and racial intolerance. It is a stripped back
pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads ...
with minimal
instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
accompaniment.Guy Sebastian's New Album 'Armageddon' – Track By Track!
. Take 40. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
Sebastian said that in the lead up to the birth of his first child in early 2012 he began analysing the world his son would grow up in.Digges, Mariam (3 September 2012)
Interview: Guy Sebastian
Mind Food. Archived fro
the original
on 10 October 2012.
He explained that while he had always taken notice of the state of world affairs, he had never written about it in song, as he had never felt it was his position or role "to put it to paper as a songwriter". Sebastian said, "It sends your brain into overload when you are expecting your first child. It definitely makes you take a step back to try to gain some perspective on this world we live in. This song tries to encapsulate that. The hunger for
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
, that perfect world where everyone just accepts people. Obviously that's not a world we currently live in, and not a world my son has inherited." Sebastian says he started thinking about "why it is that we live in such a tumultuous world that is so full of beauty, but on the flipside also just so full of hate".Guy Sebastian – Documentary of the Making of 'Get Along'
YouTube. Retrieved 21 November 2012
He said it is his favourite song he has written, and that he is proud of its message that if people were more accepting of different religions, cultures and races the world could be a better place. He added, "Just this year
Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...
died and his whole slogan I guess was 'Can we all get along'."


Release and promotion

"Get Along" was serviced to radio in the first week of November 2012, and was the most added song to Australian radio in its first week. It reached number 24 on the National Airplay Chart in its first full week of radio play. The song is currently only available to download from the album as no individual single has been released as yet. Sebastian performed "Get Along" on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
's morning program
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
on 12 November, and also on the first night of the 2012
X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
Grand Final on 19 November.


Reception


Critical response

"Get Along" has received positive reviews. Jamie Horne, music journalist for the ''
Border Mail ''The Border Mail'' is a daily newspaper and online news brand published in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, serving the twin cities and the surrounding region. It was originally published as ''The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times'' and later a ...
'' called the song "inspiring" and said it was "a lyrical triumph." Take 40 wrote, "It really shows the beautiful timbre of his voice, and has a very inspiring message." Cameron Adams from the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' said Sebastian's songwriting had matured and that he showed new depth with "Get Along".Adams, Cameron (11 October 2012). . ''Herald Sun''. Archived fro
original
on 13 October 2012.
Music site auspOp wrote, "This one is designed to get you thinking. To tap into your emotions. 'Get Along' is a song about hope, peace and understanding and a dream that perhaps one day we'll all be united, together as one people, one world, despite our differences in opinion, religion, creed and race. ..Good on Guy for shining some light and spreading the love." David Lim, a music journalist and announcer on radio station
Joy 94.9 JOY 94.9 (official call sign 3JOY), stylised as JOY or JOY 94.9, is a community radio station broadcasting at 94.9 FM in Melbourne. It is Australia's first and only LGBTQI+ community radio station. __TOC__ History JOY 94.9, originally incorp ...
, wrote, ""The emotive political ballad 'Get Along' is possibly the best single Sebastian has ever released. I just can't get over how great his observant lyrics about religious wars are. The hook – 'Dear God, dear soul, dear Mary, Mohammed... can we all just get along?' – absolutely rips right through the heart. Jessica Tisdell from music site Novastreamusic said, "The lyrics are definitely heart-warming and send a great message to humanity. You can almost tell that Guy's song writing has matured and focuses more on real life rather than recent dance pop songs."


Commercial performance

"Get Along" debuted at number thirty-four on the Australian
ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
Singles Chart before ascending to number-five the following week, becoming Sebastian's fourth top ten single from "Armageddon". It is also Sebastian's 11th top ten single in Australia and his ninth to peak in the top five. Although only released in mid November it was the 12th highest selling Australian artist single in Australia in 2012.ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2012
Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived fro

on 8 January 2013
It achieved triple platinum certificatio and charted at number 23 on the 2013 Australian Artist End of Year Chart.
Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived fro

on 7 January 2014
"Get Along" also reached number nine and gold certification in New Zealand, Sebastian's sixth top single there.


Accolades

"Get Along" was a finalist in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition in the Pop/Top 40 category, and was awarded an honourable mention. The International Songwriting Competition is an annual song contest for both aspiring and established songwriters. The judging panel is made up of musicians, songwriters and industry experts, and songs are judged on creativity, originality, lyrics, melody, arrangement and overall likeability. The song reached the final five nominees for the APRA Song of the Year Award. It is the largest peer voted music award in Australia, voted for by the songwriter, composer and music publisher members of APRA.APRA Music Awards: Top 30 for Song of the Year
Apra-amcos.com.au. 11 April 2013. Archived fro
the original
on 11 April 2013.
"Get Along" also received a nomination for Song of the Year in the 2013 ARIA Awards.


Music video

Sebastian wanted the video to "capture life and love" in countries around the world, to put faces on people and create "a visual journey that encapsulates the beauty and essence of people coming from different cultures and backgrounds". Sebastian said, "There's a line in the song that says 'it's easy if they're faceless to hate the other side'. And it's so true. When somebody is human to you, when they have a face, when they have a soul, when they have a heart, when you get to know that person, it's hard to have the same hate for them." Filmmaker Phillip Graybill and director Hayden Topperwien travelled to 13 different countries to film footage of people going about their daily lives. Countries visited included
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, India, and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The video starts with a short interlude showing black and white images of war, and the assault of
Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...
by Los Angeles police officers in 1991. The remainder of the video shows the footage filmed by Graybill and Topperwien, interspersed with Sebastian shown singing against a simple grey background.Guy Sebastian – Get Along
YouTube. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012


Credits and personnel

*Guy Sebastian – composer, vocals *Ian Barter – composer, producer *Pro-Jay –
programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...
*Miles Walker – mixing *James Klang – assistant engineerer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{authority control 2012 singles Guy Sebastian songs Songs written by Guy Sebastian 2012 songs Sony Music Australia singles Pop ballads Rhythm and blues ballads