how to save a life

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. The album will be released in the UK in April 2007. Two singles have been released from the album, and both 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.

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.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.

Critical reception

Overall, critical reception for the album was modest. Few major publications gave the album poor reviews, but most gave good reviews. Songs on the album were particularly compared to British alternative rock groups such as Coldplay and Keane.^[3][4] Rolling Stone, Blender, and All Music Guide all gave the album three stars out of five.^[4][5][6]

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.^[7], and has been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. It has also been certified gold in Australia (35,000 copies) and Canada (50,000 copies). In January 2007, the album became the best-selling digital album of all time.^[7]

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, the April 25, 2006 Scrubs episode "My Lunch", and a 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. 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.

Track listing

1. "She Is" (Slade, King) – 3:56
2. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (Slade, King) – 3:58
3. "How to Save a Life" (Slade, King) – 4:21
4. "All at Once" (Slade, King, Aaron Johnson) – 3:47
5. "Fall Away" (Slade, King, Dan Battenhouse) – 4:23
6. "Heaven Forbid" (Slade, King) – 3:59
7. "Look After You" (Slade, King) – 4:26
8. "Hundred" (Slade, Conway) – 4:13
9. "Vienna" (Slade, King, Battenhouse) – 3:51
10. "Dead Wrong" (Slade, King, Mike Flynn) – 3:05
11. "Little House" (Slade, King) – 2:30
12. "Trust Me" (Slade, King) – 3:22

Bonus CD

1. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Live at the Gothic (05.20.05)
2. "How to Save a Life" - Live for MTV.com & VH1.com (07.14.05)
3. "Look After You" - Live at Red Rocks (08.12.05)
4. "Heaven Forbid" - Live at Red Rocks (08.12.05)

Bonus DVD

1. How to Save a Life - the story
2. On The Road '06 - documentary
3. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" music video
4. The Making of "Over My Head (Cable Car)" music video
   • total running time: approx 45 minutes

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

Charts

Album

Singles

Samples