Ride (Twenty One Pilots song)


"Ride" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, from their fourth studio album, Blurryface. "Ride" was originally released as a promotional single on YouTube on May 11, 2015. The music video for the song was released on YouTube the following day. It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio on April 12, 2016 as the album's fifth official single. The song peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Composition

"Ride" is an uptempo alternative rap and rock song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and thirty-four seconds. The track combines elements of hip-hop, reggae, punk, and pop. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, it written in the time signature of common time, with a fast tempo of 150 beats per minute. "Ride" is composed in the key of G-flat major, while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans five notes, from a low of D4 to a high of B5. The song has a basic sequence of G–Am–Em–C/D during the introduction, changes to G–Am–Em–C–G–Am–Em–Dsus2 in the sung verse, has G–Am–Em–C during the pre-chorus, follows G–Am–Em–C–G–Am–Em–Dsus2 at the refrain, changes to G–Am–Em–C–G–Am– Em–C/D in the rap verse and follows G–Am–D–Em–Am7–Em–D–D/F during the bridge as its chord progression.
The song has infectious aspects, expressing sounds built on rock infused with reggae influences. The musical composition is drenched in Caribbean-tinged riffs and shimmery synths. Joseph recites contemplative rhymes over electropop-oriented reggae beats. Dun's drumming provides the track with rhythmic dexterity, playing in a punk-inspired fashion. After singing an opening verse, Joseph delivers his lyrics in a hard, staccato style of fast-paced rapping. The song's chorus has him elongating its syllables and shouting his lines: "Oh, I'm falling, so I'm taking my time on my ride." During the bridge, Joseph engages in call-and-response patterns. The track's instrumental also takes dub-inspired deviations. Its musical arrangement closes with a piano-driven conclusion.
The lyrical content of "Ride" is home to idioms. Despite its upbeat atmosphere, the song harbors melancholic rumination concerning the human condition. Joseph's lyrics address millennial angst while discussing relatable life struggles. While he tries to relax and feel confident about his accomplishments, Joseph's mind digresses on who or what he'd die for and what is truly important in life. At one point, he proclaims, "Yeah I think about the end just way too much/But it’s fun to fantasize." He sings lyrics with a hint of darkness that have him confessing, "I've been thinking too much/help me."

Critical reception

Billboards Gab Ginsberg called the single "irresistible." Erik Leijon of Montreal Gazette described "Ride" as "impossibly catchy faux-reggae." Jason Pettigrew from Alternative Press claimed it "might be the most happiest song in TOP's songbook, and there's still an ominous message." Mitchell Hillman for Phoenix New Times remarked that the song "is pushed even further into a blissful realm by 's supersonic rapping." Kerrangs Sam Law described "Ride" by saying, "Ostensibly the most upbeat track in the twenty one pilots back-catalogue... Wearing its rich reggae influence on its sleeve, luxuriating in a deep well of Caribbean-kissed riffage and shimmering synth-work, it introduced newcomers to another infectious facet of their sound." Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith for The Plain Dealer considered the single "a hodgepodge of everything the band does best." Conversely, George Palathingal for The Sydney Morning Herald claimed, "'Ride, meanwhile, proves an equal-opportunity offender to fans of dub, hip-hop and rock." Likewise, Philip Cosores from Consequence of Sound questioned, "Is this the future of rock? A little hip-hop, a little dub, a little aggravating, and a lotta catchy?" He concludes, "'Ride' represents the worst-case scenario for Twenty One Pilots — a musical cornucopia that lacks for good taste."

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot Rock Songs, Mainstream Top 40, and Alternative Songs charts, number four on the Adult Top 40 chart and number five on the Hot Dance Airplay chart. The former ranking, coupled with "Heathens" positioned at number four, made Twenty One Pilots the third rock act with simultaneous top five Hot 100 singles in the chart's 58-year history, following only the Beatles and Elvis Presley, making them the first act in 47 years to achieve this milestone. It is the duo's third highest ranking single to date, behind "Stressed Out" and "Heathens". "Ride" has also reached the top 20 in various other countries, including Australia, Canada, Slovakia and France.
As of December 2016, "Ride" has sold over 1.2 million copies in the US.

Music video

The music video for "Ride" shows Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun performing in the middle of a forest, which abruptly transitions from day to night several times in the video. Joseph walks through the forest while singing the song and playing the bass guitar next to Dun on the drums. Near the end of the video, Joseph and Dun both put on sunglasses and appear to be transported to a concert before the video ends with Joseph singing the final lyrics to the song, now in the forest., the video has over 1.0 billion views on YouTube. The video released on May 14th 2015.

Live performances

Twenty-One Pilots performed "Ride" during a concent held at Comerica Theatre in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. For the performance, Tyler Joseph picked up and played a bass guitar. Their rendition close with Josh Dun's drum kit being brought into the pit while a crowd of fans kept him afloat.  
The band provided a live rendition of "Ride" during a concert at Bell Centre on May 22, 2019. After starting their show with a performance of "Holding on to You," they segued into a live rendition "Ride." The audience participated in a singalong during their performance.

Usage in media

The song appears on the soundtracks for the video games WWE 2K17 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2017.

Track listing

Personnel

Twenty One Pilots
Additional musicians

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Argentina 40
Australia 71
Austria 29
Belgium 54
Belgium 41
Canada 28
Germany 73
Italy 50
Netherlands 90
New Zealand 40
Switzerland 58
US Billboard Hot 10020
US Adult Contemporary 42
US Adult Top 40 13
US Hot Rock Songs 2
US Mainstream Top 40 9

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history