How to Save a Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| How to Save a Life | ||
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| Studio album by The Fray | ||
| Released | September 13, 2005 | |
| Recorded | Echo Park Studios: 2004 - 2005 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Length | 45:49 | |
| Label | Epic Records | |
| Producer(s) | Aaron Johnson, Mike Flynn | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
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| The Fray chronology | ||
| Reason EP (2003) |
How to Save a Life (2005) |
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How to Save a Life is the first full-length studio album from Denver-based band The Fray. Released in North America and Oceania on September 13, 2005 by Epic Records, the album became a top 15 hit on the Billboard 200 and sold over 2 million copies. It became the best-selling digital album of all time in January 2007.[2] Three singles have been released from the album, and two of them have hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" peaked at number 8 and was also a top 25 hit in several other countries, while the song "How to Save a Life" hit the top three in the US. The album was recorded over six weeks in Echo Park Studios in Bloomington, Indiana, and was produced by Aaron Johnson and Mike Flynn.
Contents |
[edit] Creation of the album
After independently releasing two EPs, The Fray were looking for a record company to release a full-length album. The band released their song "Cable Car" to Denver radio station KTCL, and the song saw significant airplay.[3] Denver alternative newsweekly Westword named the band "Best New Band" in 2004, and this prompted Epic Records executive Mike Flynn to sign the band to a recording contract on December 17, 2004.[4] Epic Records chose "Cable Car" as the first single release from the album, renaming it to "Over My Head (Cable Car)" so that the hook of the song was included in the title.
[edit] Critical reception
Overall, critical reception for the album was modest. A few major publications gave the album poor reviews, but most reviewers called the album "above average" or "just average." Songs on the album were particularly compared to British alternative rock groups such as Coldplay and Keane.[5][6] Rolling Stone, Blender, and All Music Guide all gave the album three stars out of five.[6][7][8]
[edit] Commercial success
In its first week of eligibilty for the Billboard music charts, How to Save a Life reached #1 in the Top Heatseekers chart. It has since climbed the Billboard 200 chart from a to a peak of #14. As of October 14, the album has sold two million copies.[9], and has been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. It has also been certified platinum in Australia (70,000 copies) and Canada (50,000 copies). In January 2007, the album became the best-selling digital album of all time.[9]
The album has yielded two top ten singles, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "How to Save a Life", the title track of the album. "Look After You" was played during a March 8, 2006 episode of the FOX show Bones as well as a video for Grey's Anatomy. The title track, "How to Save a Life" was featured on the April 25, 2006 Scrubs episode "My Lunch", and the April 19, 2006 episode of One Tree Hill. It was also used in the commercial for an episode of Rescue Me as well as in promos for HBO."Over My Head (Cable Car) was also featured in a Cold Case episode. A bonus CD of four live tracks was included with a pre-order purchase. On September 19, a limited edition CD and DVD was released. The DVD contains the music video for "Over My Head (Cable Car)", the making of that video, a segment about the making of the album, and a documentary about touring. "She Is" was also featured in an episode of Scrubs, "My Night to Remember".
[edit] Track listing
- "She Is" (Isaac Slade, Joe King) – 3:56
- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (Slade, King) – 3:58
- "How to Save a Life" (Slade, King) – 4:21
- "All at Once" (Slade, King, Aaron Johnson) – 3:47
- "Fall Away" (Slade, King, Dan Battenhouse) – 4:23
- "Heaven Forbid" (Slade, King) – 3:59
- "Look After You" (Slade, King) – 4:26
- "Hundred" (Slade, Conway) – 4:13
- "Vienna" (Slade, King, Battenhouse) – 3:51
- "Dead Wrong" (Slade, King, Mike Flynn) – 3:05
- "Little House" (Slade, King) – 2:30
- "Trust Me" (Slade, King) – 3:22
- "Unsaid" (UK iTunes Bonus Track) - 3.:04
[edit] Bonus CD
- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Live at the Gothic (05.20.05)
- "How to Save a Life" - Live for MTV.com & VH1.com (07.14.05)
- "Look After You" - Live at Red Rocks (08.12.05)
- "Heaven Forbid" - Live at Red Rocks (08.12.05)
[edit] Bonus DVD
- How to Save a Life - the story
- On The Road '06 - documentary
- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" music video
- The Making of "Over My Head (Cable Car)" music video
- total running time: approx 45 minutes
[edit] Personnel
- Isaac Slade — Vocals, Piano
- Joe King — Guitar, Vocals on "Heaven Forbid"
- David Welsh — Guitar
- Ben Wysocki — Drums
- Aaron Johnson - Production, Engineering
- Mike Flynn - Production, Artist & Repertoire
- James Masterton & Kevin Loyal - Assistance
- Tim Hoagland - Engineering
- Mark Endert & Alex "odd job" Uychocde - Mixing
- Paul Mahern & Warren Huart - Pro tools editing
- Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
- Nathan Johnson - Artwork
- Michelle Holme - Art Direction
- Zack Johnson - Hand Lettering
- Jason Ienner & Gregg Latterman - Management
[edit] Singles
- Over My Head (Cable Car)
- How to Save a Life
- Look After You
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | ARIA Australian Albums Chart | 1 (Platinum) |
| 2006 | New Zealand Albums Chart | 3 (Platinum) |
| 2006 | UK Album Charts | 4 |
| 2006 | Canadian Albums Chart | 9 (Gold) |
| 2006 | The Billboard 200 | 14 (US sales: 1,976,229 ;RIAA: 2x Platinum) |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Modern Rock Tracks | 37 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Pop 100 | 8 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Hot Digital Songs | 6 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Adult Top 40 | 2 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Pop 100 Airplay | 5 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Adult Contemporary | 16 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | Hot Ringtones | 20 |
| 2006 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | R&R Christian CHR | 27 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Pop 100 | 4 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Modern Rock Tracks | 31 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Hot Digital Songs | 1 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Hot Digital Tracks | 1 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Adult Top 40 | 1 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | Hot Ringtones | 27 |
| 2007 | "How to Save a Life" | R&R Christian CHR | 23 |
| 2007 | "Look After You" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 91 |
| 2007 | "Look After You" | Adult Top 40 | 17 |
[edit] Samples
- "How to Save a Life" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "How to Save a Life"
- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Over My Head (Cable Car)"
- "Vienna" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Vienna"
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] References
- ^ Callaway, Chris (January/February 2007). "The Fray How to Save a Life". HM Magazine (123): 64. ISSN 1066-6923.
- ^ The Fray: 'How To Save A Life' Now The Biggest Selling Digital Album Of All Time!. Sony BMG.
- ^ Smith, Dane. "The Fray Live the High "Life"", Rolling Stone, March 30, 2006.
- ^ "Completely Frayed", Longmont Daily Times-Call, May 12, 2006.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa. "Debut 'How to Save a Life' takes on a life of its own", USA Today, July 12, 2006.
- ^ a b "Review: The Fray - How to Save a Life", Rolling Stone, September 22, 2005.
- ^ Hunter, James. "Review: The Fray - How to Save a Life", Blender, November 2005.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. Review: The Fray - How to Save a Life. Last accessed October 23, 2006
- ^ a b The Fray Official Website. Last accessed January 7, 2007.
[edit] External links
| The Fray |
|---|
| Isaac Slade | Joe King | Dave Welsh | Ben Wysocki |
| Discography |
| Albums: How to Save a Life | Live at the Electric Factory |
| EPs: Movement EP | Reason EP |
| Singles: "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | "How to Save a Life" | "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" | "Look After You" |
