"Stereo Hearts" is a song by American rap rock group Gym Class Heroes featuring Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. The song was released on June 14, 2011, as the lead single from the group's fifth studio album The Papercut Chronicles II (2011).[2] The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 and also reached number four on the Hot 100.

"Stereo Hearts"
Single by Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine
from the album The Papercut Chronicles II
ReleasedJune 14, 2011
Recorded2011
Genre
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Gym Class Heroes singles chronology
"Guilty as Charged"
(2008)
"Stereo Hearts"
(2011)
"Ass Back Home"
(2011)
Adam Levine singles chronology
"Bang Bang"
(2010)
"Stereo Hearts"
(2011)
"Heavy"
(2012)
Music video
"Stereo Hearts" on YouTube

Composition and recording

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Produced by Benny Blanco and Robopop, "Stereo Hearts" begins with Adam Levine singing the hook. "My heart's a stereo / It beats for you, so listen close / Hear my thoughts in every note. / Make me your radio / Turn me up when you feel low / This melody was meant for you / So sing along to my stereo."[3] Sheet music for this song shows the key of F minor. McCoy then raps about serenading his ideal girl and picking love over animosity, all the while relaying the message using music-based metaphors.[4][5] Additional Fender Rhodes was played by Austin Bis at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[6]

Music video

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Gym Class Heroes drummer Matt McGinley explained that the song's music video "basically plays on the idea that we're sort of just being casual, hanging out, being ourselves and our shadows get wild and get loose. The video shows the band playing in the city of New York and their shadows are playing on the ground."[7]

The video (directed by Hiro Murai) has the feel of a 1980s setting, with a breakdancer and several payphones seen, though the actual setting is modern as evidenced by the Mini Cooper in one scene. It prominently features a pawn shop with a stack of old-fashioned boomboxes and TV sets, on which Adam Levine appears when he is singing the chorus.

As of October 2024, the video has hit 875 million views making it the fourth-most viewed video on Fueled By Ramen.[citation needed]

Lyric video

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A lyric video for the song received millions of views in the first month of its release. This is one of the first lyric videos to incorporate a live action story line, showing a man and a woman in split-screen as they get dressed for the day and go outdoors carrying boom-boxes, until they finally meet in a park. The video stars actress Breana McDow and was directed by music video director Djay Brawner.[8]


Critical reception

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The song received positive reviews. MTV's Jenna Hally Rubenstein complimented the band's new direction on "Stereo Hearts", writing that it is "a little more slickly produced than we're used to, but, we're still solidly behind the experimental new song."[9] MTV's James Montgomery described it as a "prime-time slab of genre-mashing, sweat-inducing pop, the kind of song that may very well push GCH to summertime superstardom."[7] Becky Bain of Idolator called it a "head-nodding jam" and "an instantly memorable signal that Gym Class is back in session."[10]

Live performances

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Travie McCoy joined Maroon 5 onstage to perform "Stereo Hearts" on Saturday Night Live on November 5, 2011. Gym Class Heroes and Adam Levine performed the song at the 2011 American Music Awards, along with Christina Aguilera for the Maroon 5 song "Moves like Jagger" on November 20, 2011.[11] The duo continued with the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 23, 2011, and Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam, a pre-show of the Super Bowl XLVI on February 2, 2012.[12]

Track listing

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  • Digital download[13]
  1. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – 3:31
  • German CD single[14]
  1. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – 3:31
  2. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekers Retronica Extended Mix – 6:17
  1. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Dillon Francis Radio Edit — 3:36
  2. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekerz Retronica Radio Edit — 3:36
  3. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Dillon Francis Extended Mix — 3:46
  4. "Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekerz Retronica Extended Mix — 6:17

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[72] 3× Platinum 240,000*
Italy (FIMI)[73] Platinum 70,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[74] Gold 30,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[75] Platinum 15,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[76] Platinum 60,000
Sweden (GLF)[77] 2× Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[79] 5× Platinum 5,000,000
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[80] Platinum 100,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "BMI Repertoire – Stereo Hearts". BMI. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  2. ^ "Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes (ft Adam Levine)-Song Facts". SongFacts. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Cheung, Nadine (June 10, 2011). "Gym Class Heroes, 'Stereo Hearts' Feat. Adam Levine – New Song". AOL Radio. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  4. ^ "Billboard Bits: Xtina & Adam Levine Duet, Chris Colfer to Pen Young Adult Novels". Billboard (Nielsen Company). June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  5. ^ "Robopop Discography". pilot-creative.com. Pilot Creative Services. June 1, 2011. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  6. ^ "The Papercut Chronicles, Vol. 2". Virginia News Network. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Montgomery, James (June 22, 2011). "Gym Class Heroes Get Shady In 'Stereo Hearts' Video". MTV. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  8. ^ Bain, Becky (June 16, 2011). "Gym Class Heroes Take Their Radio For A Walk In "Stereo Hearts" Lyrics Video". Idolator. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Rubenstein, Jenna Hally (June 9, 2011). "New Song: Gym Class Heroes, Featuring Adam Levine, 'Stereo Hearts'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  10. ^ Bain, Becky (June 9, 2011). "Hear Gym Class Heroes' 'Stereo Hearts' With Adam Levine (Idolator Premiere)". Idolator (Buzz Media). Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  11. ^ Daw, Robbie (November 20, 2011). "American Music Awards 2011: Watch The Performances". Idolator. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
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  74. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved September 25, 2022. Type Gym Class Heroes in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Stereo Hearts in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
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