| "Rocketeer" | ||||
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| Single by Far East Movement featuring Ryan Tedder | ||||
| from the album Free Wired | ||||
| Released | October 9, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Studio | Short Bus (North Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | Pop-rap | |||
| Length | 3:31 | |||
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| Far East Movement singles chronology | ||||
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| Ryan Tedder singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Rocketeer" on YouTube | ||||
"Rocketeer" is a song by American hip hop and electronic music group Far East Movement from their third studio album, Free Wired (2010). The song features vocals by American singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. It was released in the United States as the second single from the album on October 9, 2010, by Cherrytree and Interscope Records. According to the group, the song regards "flying to make those dreams happen for the one you love". They also cited the song was inspired by themselves as "LA Dreamers living on a dream and never knowing where it would take you".
The pop-rap song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Some of them called it one of the highlights of Free Wired, "catchy" and noticed the keyboard chords resembled those of "Somebody to Love" (2010) by Justin Bieber, which led to speculation that "Rocketeer" copied from the track. However, both songs were produced by the Stereotypes, with the latter being the first. In the US, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Top 40 charts, respectively. It also peaked at number six on the Rhythmic chart and number nine on Hot Rap Songs. The song entered at its peak of number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 11 in Slovakia. It peaked at number four in New Zealand, ten on the Japan Hot 100 and number 14 in Australia.
Director Marc Klasfeld shot the accompanying music video. It depicts a love story between a young couple, who will have to go their separate ways since the girl has to leave for a job in Japan. During the video, her boyfriend is seen gathering material for a makeshift jet pack to get to her after she leaves. At the end of the video, he goes "off into the night, leaving a trail of sparks behind him". A short film, titled "Rocketeer (LA Dreamer Short Film)", was also released in dedication to their hometown. Far East Movement performed the song live on various shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, and at the Billboard Music Awards.