Were The World Mine

"Were The World Mine" is a digital-exclusive promo single by Raphael Monaghan, released on January 6th, 2014, to promote his debut solo album "No Michaelangelo". The song hit the top 3 upon release but its chart time was short-lived; it only lasted two weeks on chart. It did, however, become the first of an unbroken string of airplay chart-toppers in the UK.

Background
"Were The World Mine" was written and recorded in 2013 for Raphael's debut solo album "No Michaelangelo". It was one of the last songs written for the album, as it did not link directly back to the break-up with Raphael's ex-boyfriend that inspired the album. Raphael intended for the song to be something of a mission statement for the album, feeling that the opening track of the album needed to set up the melancholy and drama that follows on the record. Raphael saved some of the tracks from the album recording sessions to use as b-sides for the release, as he didn't want the album itself to be too heavy with depressed, lovesick ballads.

A music video was shot in July of 2013, with the intention of releasing the song as his debut solo release; but plans changed when "More Than This" was chosen instead to be the lead single from the album. The video was released at the beginning of 2014 to help promote the single and album. A pair of identical twins were featured in the video, each playing a personification of hope and despair as identified by the colour of their clothing.

Reception
Interest was high when Raphael announced his intentions to forge ahead with a solo career; after the initial indifference to Schizophonic and later failed career moves as an artist in his own right, the time out of the spotlight and high profile of his elder brother Alexei helped Raphael make what he called a "second first impression" with his new sound and new music. The song and its video were very well-received by critics and by his peers, aided by an emotional performance on the 2013 Christmas Chart Show. The performance helped accelerate the song's performance on radio, and the song exploded on radio. Upon release, the single enjoyed a strong yet brief burst of success.

Tracklisting

 * UK Digital EP
 * 1) "Were The World Mine"
 * 2) "Get Over"
 * 3) "Devils Don't Fly"
 * 4) "Were The World Mine" (Instrumental)
 * 5) "Were The World Mine" (Music Video)

Music Video
The video begins on an empty highway; a car drives into frame and we see that it’s Raphael driving it. The camera tracks him as he goes, and there are dashboard shots of him at the wheel singing the first verse. The sun goes down in a time-lapse shot, and we find that Raphael is still driving, until he notices a girl in white walking along the side of the road. Raphael stops his car and climbs out, wanting to ask her if she needs help, but she’s begun to walk into a nearby forest so Raphael follows her.

The girl walks deeper into the forest, and Raphael follows behind, confused. Whenever he seems to be getting closer to her, she seems to suddenly be in the distance again. He’s continuing to sing to the camera as he trails her. What he doesn’t yet know is that the girl is a human manifestation of hope. As Raphael follows the trail of hope, a second girl materializes back at his car from black ribbon. Looking identical to the girl in white, this is the human manifestation of despair, and she begins pursuing Raphael with a predatory gaze.

Hope turns around to make sure Raphael is keeping up with her, and sees that he is. While she is looking back, she notices despair following them both but she does not yet signal to Raphael to make him aware of what’s behind him. Meanwhile, Despair is getting closer to catching up with Raphael. There are performance shots of Raphael singing to the camera from a dark spot in the forest, while in the story shot, Raphael sees a light that Hope is walking into, and he continues to follow her, wondering where the light is coming from.

With Despair almost upon him, Raphael steps out onto the edge of a cliff but does not see Hope anywhere. She suddenly appears beside him and whispers in his ear never to turn around or he will be overcome with despair, and instead to keep looking for hope in the world. Raphael smiles as he watches the sunrise from the top of the cliff, and with the sun’s rays Hope and Despair melt away into nothing, just as Despair is reaching for Raphael’s shoulder. He sees none of this because he’s too busy looking at the light of a new day.

Chart Performance
Upon release, "Were The World Mine" debuted at #3 on the digital chart. Although it only remained on-chart for two weeks, its entire chart run was spent in the top 5. On the airplay chart it provely much more successful; it debuted in the top 40 following Raphael's performance on the Christmas Chart Show, and after that it skyrocketed up the chart to peak at #1, the first of an as-yet-unbroken string of airplay chart-toppers. Raphael did not give the single an American release.

Chart Run
TOTAL: 21,362
 * Week 1: #3 - 10,681
 * Week 2: #5 - 10,681