" 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).
Composition and recording
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."
The Sheet music for this song shows the key of
A major. McCoy then raps about serenading his ideal girl and picking love over animosity, all the while relaying the message using music-based metaphors.
Additional
Rhodes piano was played by
Austin Bis at Chalice Recording Studios in
Los Angeles.
Music video
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."
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.
In October 2025, the video has hit 1 billion views making it the fourth-most viewed video on Fueled By Ramen.
Lyric video
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.
Critical reception
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."
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."
Becky Bain of Idolator called it a "head-nodding jam" and "an instantly memorable signal that Gym Class is back in session."
Live performances
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.
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.
Track listing
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Digital download
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – 3:31
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German CD single
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – 3:31
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekerz Retronica Extended Mix – 6:17
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Remixes
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Dillon Francis Radio Edit — 3:36
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekerz Retronica Radio Edit — 3:36
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Dillon Francis Extended Mix — 3:46
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"Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine)" – Soul Seekerz Retronica Extended Mix — 6:17
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
