How to Save a Life | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 13, 2005 | |||
Recorded | 2005 | |||
Studio | Echo Park Studios (Bloomington, Indiana); Sony Music Studios (New York City, New York); Coupe Studios (Boulder, Colorado); FTM Studios (Lakewood, Colorado). | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, pop rock | |||
Length | 45:56 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Aaron Johnson, Mike Flynn | |||
The Fray chronology | ||||
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Singles from How to Save a Life | ||||
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How to Save a Life is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band The Fray. Released on September 13, 2005, through Epic Records, the record charted in the top 15 on the Billboard 200 and was a top ten hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK. The first two singles from the album, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "How to Save a Life" helped the album become a commercial success and brought the band mainstream popularity.[1]
Critical reception to the album was mixed, with some critics complimenting its similarities in style to British piano-driven bands like Keane and Coldplay, but in turn disparaging its unoriginality and derivation, as well as schmaltzy and self-pitying lyrics. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA, and was also certified platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and in the UK. The album went on to become the best-selling digital album of all time until Eminem's Recovery (2010), breaking the record held previously by Coldplay's X&Y (2005).[2][3][4] It was ranked #21 on Billboard's list of the Best Digital Albums of the Decade.[5]
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.[6] Denver alternative newsweekly Westword named the band "Best New Band" in 2004, and this prompted Epic Records A&R man Mike Flynn to sign the band to a recording contract on December 17, 2004.[7] The album was recorded over six weeks in Echo Park Studios in Bloomington, Indiana, and was produced by Aaron Johnson and Mike Flynn.[8] Former bass guitar player Dan Battenhouse left the band a year before entering the studio; Jake Smith, former lead singer and guitarist of the band The Mysteries of Life, took over bass guitar duties.
All tracks are written by Isaac Slade and Joe King, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "She Is" | 3:56 | |
2. | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | 3:58 | |
3. | "How to Save a Life" | 4:23 | |
4. | "All at Once" | Slade, King, Aaron Johnson | 3:48 |
5. | "Fall Away" | Slade, King, Dan Battenhouse | 4:23 |
6. | "Heaven Forbid" | 3:59 | |
7. | "Look After You" | 4:28 | |
8. | "Hundred" | Slade, Monica Conway | 4:13 |
9. | "Vienna" | Slade, King, Battenhouse | 3:51 |
10. | "Dead Wrong" | Slade, King, Mike Flynn | 3:05 |
11. | "Little House" | 2:30 | |
12. | "Trust Me" | 3:22 | |
Total length: | 45:56 |
In later editions, an extra track was added:
The Fray
Additional musicians
The album was released on September 13, 2005 by Epic Records. While the album did not make a splash commercially or critically initially, the success of "Over My Head (Cable Car)" propelled the album from the Top Heatseekers chart to the top 20 of The Billboard 200 chart. The release of the second single, "How to Save a Life", a world-wide smash, helped the album enter the top 5 in several charts across the world, and brought The Fray mainstream popularity.[9] The song remains the band's best known and most successful song to date.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [16] |
Blender | [17] |
Entertainment.ie | [18] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+[19] |
HM Magazine | [20] |
Rolling Stone | [21] |
Stylus Magazine | D[22] |
Overall, critical reception for the album was mixed. The piano-oriented sound of the album drew comparisons with British piano-rock band Keane, and Coldplay (whose music – although classified as alternative – is driven by the piano).[21][23]
AllMusic, whilst giving the album a modestly positive review, stated that the band "lacked originality" and the album itself lacked any "inspiration and excitement".[16] Stylus Magazine gave the album a negative review, stating "The Fray, as a rule, are moribund, emotionally strained, uninvolving, and have a tendency to sound like The Cranberries fronted by a man."[22] Rolling Stone and Blender echoed many of these statements, both giving the album three stars out of five.[17][21]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[48] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[49] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[52] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |