The Real World by Owl City

Album: All Things Bright & Beautiful (2011)

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The opening track from All Things Bright and Beautiful, the third album from synthpop act Owl City, finds Adam Young singing, "Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there." Young's Christian faith is an influence on many of his songs, and in our interview with Adam, we asked him if he was asking for trouble with this line, as Christians are sometimes accused of not living in the real world. Said Young, "Trouble isn't my forte but I like to stay off the radar and do my own thing to keep myself happy. That's what I've always done and the song isn't really meant to be taken literally. It's just a fun song with a quip in it. I like the idea of staying in my own reality and coming out only when I need to."
Speaking with Christianity Today magazine, Young said, "The line, 'Reality is a lovely place but I wouldn't want to live there' is a fun way of saying I appreciate life exactly as it is, and although I can't change the world by any means, I can touch it. It's merely my way of dealing with things by proclaiming I can't keep the dark days from happening or the frustrations from occurring, but I can fix my eyes on that one blue patch of sky and thus keep my eyes focused on what truly matters."

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